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Sudan: map, flag, capital and key facts

Sudan is a country in Africa, with about 51.7 million people (2025) and an area of 1,878,000 square kilometres. Its capital is Khartoum, and it shares land borders with 7 countries.

By Team Geography Last reviewed

Flag of Sudan
Flag of Sudan
Map showing where the country sits among its neighbours
Sudan in solid, land neighbours outlined, capital marked.

Key facts about Sudan

CapitalKhartoum
ContinentAfrica
Population51,662,147 2025, World Bank. 30th of 195.
Area1,878,000 km² (725,100 sq mi) World Bank, surface area. 15th largest of 195.
Population density28 people per km²
Land neighbours7: Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan
Official nameRepublic of the Sudan
UN statusMember state
Capital coordinates15.59° N, 32.53° E Khartoum, Natural Earth.

Land neighbours

Sudan borders 7 countries on land. Each links to its own page.

Central African RepublicBanguiChadN'DjamenaEgyptCairoEritreaAsmaraEthiopiaAddis AbabaLibyaTripoliSouth SudanJuba

From the Geography app

The app teaches each country through short hand written lenses: PLACE for physical geography, STORY for history and identity, NOW for the news, and THREAD for the ties between countries. Here is one of Sudan's 5, in full.

PLACELens 1 of 5

Two rivers meet at Khartoum and become the Nile

Sudan is Africa's third-largest country by area, running from the Nubian Desert on the Egyptian border to tropical savanna in the south. At Khartoum the Blue Nile, carrying water from Ethiopia's Lake Tana, meets the White Nile, arriving from the Great Lakes region, and the combined river turns north for Egypt. West of that line lies the vast Darfur plateau; to the east, the Red Sea Hills descend to a narrow coastal strip of coral reefs and mangroves.

More on Blue Nile

Rising from Lake Tana in the Ethiopian Highlands, the Blue Nile contributes roughly 80% of the Nile's total water volume during the annual flood season. Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam, inaugurated in September 2025, has become a major source of tension with both Sudan and Egypt over downstream water flows.

4 more lenses on Sudan in the app

  • STORY What civilizations preceded modern Sudan?
  • NOW What triggered Sudan's current crisis?
  • THREAD The hinge between Africa and the Arab world
  • PLACE Volcanic craters, seasonal wetlands, and a Red Sea atoll

Titles only. The app brings each lens back on a spaced repetition schedule set by how well you knew it: New, Hazy or Clear.

Compare Sudan with another country

Opens the country comparison tool with population, area, income and more side by side, every figure dated.

Common questions

What is the capital of Sudan?
The capital of Sudan is Khartoum. Khartoum lies at about 15.6 degrees north and 32.5 degrees east. Sudan is in Africa. It is home to about 51.7 million people. The world capitals quiz on this site tests every capital, and the printable capitals sheets cover each continent.
What is the population of Sudan?
About 51.7 million people live in Sudan, according to the World Bank figures for 2025. That makes it the 30th most populous of the 195 countries. With an area of 1,878,000 square kilometres, that is about 28 people per square kilometre.
What countries border Sudan?
Sudan shares land borders with 7 countries: Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya and South Sudan. The map on this page outlines each of them around Sudan. The count includes only borders on land, not neighbours across a sea or a lake.
How big is Sudan?
Sudan covers 1,878,000 square kilometres, or about 725,100 square miles. That makes it the 15th largest of the 195 countries. The figure is total surface area, which includes inland water such as lakes and rivers. Its population of about 51.7 million gives a density of 28 people per square kilometre.

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