land & WateR 43irrigation projects, but these have often had disruptive effects on local
populations. In the sphere of international relations, moreover, hydro-
politics has long dominated Sudan’s relations with Egypt, since Egypt’s
population, which at 80 million is more than twice the size of Sudan’s, is
completely dependent on the flow of the river to bring water and alluvial
silt to the agricultural areas of the Nile Delta.Landscape and HistorySudan’s geography, then, like its history, appears to be dominated by
the Nile. In northern Sudan, most of the population now live along
the river; the major cities, industry, wealth and power are all concen-
trated there. Greater Khartoum, at the junction of the Blue and White
Niles – comprising the three cities of Khartoum, Khartoum North
and Omdurman and their surrounding camps and shanty towns – is
overwhelmingly the largest urban centre in the country. It would be easy
to think that this pattern of development is the unavoidable consequence
of a natural landscape; but this is no more inevitable than is the shape of
Sudan itself: Sudan’s geography is the product of political and historical
factors, as well as conditions imposed by nature.
Though large in area, Sudan has never been particularly populous.
The population in 1903 was estimated at less than two million – a figure
probably pitched deliberately low by British officials anxious to empha-
size the loss of life under Mahdist rule. Within a few years the population
estimates were being adjusted rapidly upwards, and in 1955–56 the first- and last – plausible census of the whole of Sudan put the population at
just over 10 million. 39 per cent of these regarded themselves, according
to the census, as members of Arab tribes, and 51 per cent spoke Arabic
as their first language. The most recent census, in 2008, recorded a total
population of 39 million, but it probably understates the population both
of Darfur (recorded as 7.5 million) and of southern Sudan (8.2 million),
either as a result of flawed data collection or manipulation of the results.
The uncertainty over how many people actually live in Sudan is the most
The Sudan Handbook, edited by John Ryle, Justin Willis, Suliman Baldo and Jok Madut Jok. © 2011 Rift Valley Institute and contributors striking^ example^ of^ a^ recurrent^ problem:^ in^ Sudan,^ statistics^ are^ generally^
(www.riftvalley.net).