Country · Africa
South Sudan
Republic of South Sudan
South Sudan is a country in Middle Africa. About 11 million people live there, in an area of 619 745 square kilometres. Its capital city is Juba.
Picture credit: Lomoraronald (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Russell Lindberg (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Bertramz (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Ahmed Emad Hamdy (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Besserwisser123 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is South Sudan?
South Sudan lies in Middle Africa, on the continent of Africa.
It sits in the northern half of the world, roughly 779 km from the equator.
South Sudan is landlocked: it has no coast at all, so you cannot reach the sea without crossing another country.
It shares a border with 6 countries: the Central African Republic, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda.
How big is South Sudan?
South Sudan covers 619 745 square kilometres.
That is about 6 times the size of Iceland.
Among the world's countries that makes it the 43rd largest.
If everybody spread out evenly, there would be about 17.7 people on every square kilometre.
That is emptier than the world average of roughly 60 people per square kilometre.
Who lives in South Sudan?
About 11 million people live in South Sudan.
That is the 83rd biggest population in the world.
People here speak English.
They pay with the South Sudanese pound (£).
The land of South Sudan
Because it is landlocked, anything that comes by ship has to cross one of its 6 neighbours to get here.
It lies inside the tropics, which is the single biggest reason its weather is the way it is.
What makes South Sudan different?
Websites from here often end in .ss.
South Sudan and the rest of the world
Out of every thousand people alive on Earth, about one lives in South Sudan.
It takes up about 0.46 % of all the land that countries stand on.
Within Africa the country ranks 20th of 54 by size, and 32nd by population.
South Sudan and its neighbours
DR Congo, its largest neighbour, is about 3.8 times bigger.
DR Congo has more people: 84.1 million against 11 million.
Nature and animals
Of the animals on this site, 3 live wild in South Sudan: Olive baboon, Thomson's gazelle and Shoebill. The highest mountain in the country is Mount Kinyeti, at 3 187 metres. The longest river in the country is the White Nile. The largest lake in the country is Lake No.
Photographs from Wikimedia Commons under free licences — every credit is on the page itself and in the picture credits.
Where this country lands in the record lists
How big is South Sudan compared with the United States?
- The United States is about 15 times as big as South Sudan: 9 372 610 km² against 619 745 km².
- South Sudan is about 2.6 times as big as the United Kingdom: 619 745 km² against 242 900 km².
Questions children ask
What is the capital of South Sudan?
The capital of South Sudan is Juba. It is the city where the country's government works from.
How many people live in South Sudan?
About 11 million people live in South Sudan, which makes it the 83rd most populated country in the world. (Source: World Bank, 2018.)
Which countries border South Sudan?
How big is South Sudan?
South Sudan covers 619 745 square kilometres, making it the 43rd largest country in the world. That is about 6 times the size of Iceland.
What is the highest mountain in South Sudan?
The highest mountain in South Sudan is Mount Kinyeti, 3 187 metres above sea level. It is the country's highest point.
What is the longest river in South Sudan?
The longest river in South Sudan is the White Nile, about 3 700 kilometres long.
What is the largest lake in South Sudan?
The largest lake in South Sudan is Lake No. It covers about 100 km².
Which continent is South Sudan in?
South Sudan is in Africa, in the part called Middle Africa.
Where these numbers come from
Borders and outlines: Natural Earth. Names, capitals, areas, languages and currencies: ISO 3166 data (world-countries). Population: World Bank, 2018. Every derived figure on this page (ranks, density, distance from the equator) is calculated from those values.
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