Sudan-ly, A Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Sudan, the country, is bordered by seven other countries. Which of the following does *NOT* border Sudan?

Answer: Niger

Sudan is located in North East Africa. It is bordered to the north by Egypt. Ethiopia and Eritrea are to the east. Chad shares a border on the western side of Sudan. Since July 2011 Sudan's southern border has been with the newly recognised country of South Sudan.

2. During the nineteenth century Sudan came under the control of a European country. Which colonial power remained in control until the mid 20th century?

Answer: Britain

Following Britain's occupation of Egypt in 1882, there was a period of Anglo-Egyptian rule in Sudan. From 1924 onwards there were several attempts to gain Sudanese independence, but they all failed. In 1953, Britain and Egypt finally signed a treaty which guaranteed Sudanese independence from January 1st 1956.

3. The geographical region known as The Sudan stretches across Africa from Mali, in the west, to Ethiopia in the east.

Answer: True

Mali was once known as French Sudan. The Sudan, when referring to the region, is an area of savannah that is more suitable for agriculture than the drier Sahel region to the north. The name Sudan translates from the Arabic 'bil�d as-s�d�n', which means 'land of the blacks'.

This is a reference to the inhabitants of central and western Africa. The Cameroon Highlands divide The Sudan into what the World Wildlife Fund for Nature considers to be two separate ecoregions.

4. Before Sudan was split in to two separate nations in 2011, which part was predominantly Christian?

Answer: South

This religious split in the country was the main cause of the civil wars that plagued Sudan for almost fifty years. The northern, Islamic part tried to dominate the southern, predominantly Christian part. In 2005, a peace accord was signed between the two factions giving autonomy to the south for a six year period, this autonomy ultimately led to the nation of South Sudan becoming a reality.

5. In February 2003, militants in a region of western Sudan began a revolt against the government. What is this region called?

Answer: Darfur

The conflict began because the inhabitants of Darfur accused the central government of favouring Arabs over black Africans. On the rebel side were the Sudan Liberation Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement. On the government side were the Sudanese military and a group called Janjaweed, which was mainly made up of Afro-Arabs. Mortality figures from the conflict vary widely, depending on the organisation.

A UN estimate is in excess of 400,000 people, with at least the same number of displaced persons.

6. Being an independent country, Sudan obviously has its own currency. What is it?

Answer: Sudanese Pound

Immediately following independence, Sudan began to replace the circulating Egyptian currency with its own. In 1992, the pound was replaced by the dinar at an exchange rate of 1 dinar to 10 pounds. It didn't seem to be too popular in the south, however, where prices were still quoted in pounds.

In 2007, according to the peace agreement between the two factions in the civil war, a new Sudanese Pound was introduced throughout the country. This was issued at an exchange rate of 1 pound to 10 dinar or 100 (old) pounds.

The qirush is a division of a pound.

7. The people of Sudan speak over 80 languages between them.

Answer: True

In common with many other African countries, Sudan is largely tribal. According to the Ethnologue (a catalogue of all the world's languages) there were 133 living languages in Sudan in 2005. There were also over 250 local dialects. Sudan has two official languages, Arabic and English.

8. Now that South Sudan is a separate entity, there is one recognised capital city for Sudan (there were previously two). Which city, associated with a famous Englishman, is it?

Answer: Khartoum

Before the southern part of Sudan was given autonomy in 2005 Khartoum was the national capital. When home rule was established in the south, Juba was adopted as the capital. Khartoum was again recognised as the single national capital in 2011. The famous Englishman is, of course, General Gordon.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/gordon_general_charles.shtml

9. Sudan is mainly flat plains, but there are some mountains. What is the name of the highest peak in Sudan?

Answer: Deriba Caldera

Deriba Caldera is between 5km and 8km across. It is located in Darfur in western Sudan. It was formed by an explosive eruption of the Jebel Marra Volcano roughly 3,500 years ago. It's centre is filled by a lake.

10. Most people would not associate Sudan with the exportation of sportsmen. Several Sudanese, however, have made it big in a particular sport. Which ball game did players such as Manute Bol excel at?

Answer: Basketball

As well as Manute Bol, who in his time was the tallest basketball player to appear in the NBA, two other Sudanese have made appearances, however briefly. They were Deng Gai (Philadelphia 76ers) and Luol Deng (Chicago Bulls and Great Britain national team). Sudan also boasts the oldest football (soccer) league in the whole of Africa.

It was founded in the late 1920s and was known as the Khartoum State League. Todd Matthews-Jouda is noted for being an American hurdler who switched nationalities to compete for Sudan at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Source: Author romeomikegolf

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Pagiedamon before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Sudan was, until the creation of South Sudan, the largest country in Africa, and it also gives its name to a geographical region. Test your knowledge of this ancient culture.

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