Where to Go - Africa

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Sudan

Population : 35,079,814
Literacy rate : 46.1%
Life expectancy at birth : male – 55.49 yrs, female – 57.66 yrs
Infant mortality rate : 70.21 deaths/1,000 live births
Population growth rate : 2.84%
GDP growth rate : 3%
GDP per capita : £630
Unemployment : 30% (estimated)
Inflation : 20%
Climate : tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season (April to October)
Time : GMT + 2.
Electricity : 240 volts AC, 50Hz.

Websites : News online on Sudan is at www.mathaba.net/sudan/sudan_news.htm

The UK Foreign Office’s site for travel information (searchable for any country) is at http://www.fco.gov.uk

To date the civil war in Sudan has claimed 2m dead (1 in 15 of the population) and caused 1.7 million people to flee the country or become “displaced”. Declining rainfall, inept and inappropriate economic policies have, combined with an ongoing civil war, combined to reduce this country to a sorry state. Sudan once had one of the best education systems in Africa, but an ongoing programme of Arabisation, budget cuts and the civil war have practically destroyed this.

The South of the country remains a virtual war zone regardless of the signing of a Comprehensive Peace Agreement on 9 January 2005 in Nairobi, Kenya. The situation in southern Sudan is expected to remain tense until a United Nations peace monitoring force is deployed later in the year.

Islam must be respected at all times, especially in the North, and the usual restrictions apply. The South is dominated by Christians and Animists. It is difficult to get up-to-date information on a country in such a state of flux. This information must be taken as a guide only.

Entry requirements

An entry visa takes about three weeks to process. Arab country nationals do not need a permit, but everyone else does. Get all the paperwork done before leaving home.

Vaccinations

Yellow Fever, Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Tetanus, Meningitis and Polio.

Tax and Insurance

Tax is 20%. A very good idea is some sort of long-term travel insurance with a repatriation clause as well as health insurance.

Gap Year Programmes

Click here to find gap year programmes and placements in Sudan

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