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Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
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South Sudan, officially referred to as the Republic of South Sudan, gained independence from the Republic of Sudan on 9, July 2011. This followed an internationally-monitored referendum in which more than 98 percent of southern Sudanese voted to secede from Sudan and establish their own country.
The country comprises 10 states and three administrative areas: Central Equatoria (Juba), Western Equatoria (Yambio), Eastern Equatoria (Torit), Jonglei (Bor), Unity (Bentiu), Upper Nile (Malakal), Lakes (Rumbek), Warrap (Kuacjok), Western Bahr el Ghazal (Wau), and Northern Bahr el Ghazal (Aweil). The three administrative areas are: Pibor, Abyei and Ruweng.
South Sudan is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-racial society, where all co-exist peacefully. Juba, the largest city in South Sudan, also serves as the national capital.
Additionally, the country has two important historic towns; Malakal, located in the east, and Wau, located in the west. Other smaller towns have also grown considerably over the past decades. These include Renk, Yei, Nimule, Akobo, Yambio, Bor, and Aweil.
English is the official language in South Sudan, with a certain variation of colloquial Arabic, being used as the main lingua franca.
Meanwhile, the country’s legal tender is the South Sudanese Pound (SSP).
South Sudan is a land-locked country located within the East African region. It sits on an area of 644,329 sq. km. It shares a border with six other countries: The Democratic Republic of Congo to the Southwest; the Central African Republic to the west; Ethiopia to the east; Kenya to the southeast; Uganda to the south; and the Republic of Sudan – with which it shares the longest border – in the north.
South Sudan is the sixth member of the East African Community, the 54th member of the African Union, and the 193rd member of the United Nations. It is also a member of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development or IGAD and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR).
Plains and mountain ranges are some of the most dominant landforms in South Sudan.
The main tributary of the River Nile, the White Nile, passes through South Sudan, forming an expansive swamp commonly referred to as the Sudd region. The Sudd, located in Jonglei State, is the world’s largest swamp. Mt. Kinyeti, at 10,456 ft. or 3,187 m above sea level, is the highest point in the country.
South Sudan has two distinct climates: equatorial and tropical. The country’s savannah, the Congolese forest, East African montane forests, and Acacia bush area in the north, all contribute to this.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation was established on 12th July 2011 after South Sudan became an independent country on 09 / July / 2011.