Sudan is a complex country that was once the largest country in Africa. But with the partition of the country on December 24, 2015, and its 1,886,068 square kilometers, the country is now the third largest country in Africa. This landlocked country has a population that is estimated at 45.17 million. The population is unevenly distributed throughout the country. The Sudanese live mostly in the center of the country, especially in Khartoum and Omdurman, which are two of the largest cities in the country.
The list of the most populated cities in Sudan
1. Omdurman
This internationally unknown city is in fact the largest city in Sudan. With its 2.8 million inhabitants, Omdurman is located in the center of the country, a stone’s throw from the political capital Khartoum.
This large Sudanese city forms with the capital and Bahri a large urban area that is the cultural and economic center of the country. Omdurman, the most populated city in Sudan, covers an area of 615 square kilometers.
2. Khartoum, the capital of Sudan
With its 2.6 million inhabitants the Sudanese capital is the second largest city in the country.
The official date of the city’s foundation dates back to 1821. Literally “Khartoum” means elephant’s trunk. A city that is located at the confluence of the Blue Nile and the White Nile.
3. Port Sudan, the opening to the sea
This large city in the east of the country is, as its name suggests, a large African port that overlooks the Red Sea. This city gathers a little more than 470 000 inhabitants.
Port Sudan is 842 kilometers far from its capital Khartoum, about twelve hours by road.
4. Bahri, one of the largest cities in Sudan
This city is also called Khartoum North. It is one of the three cities (with Khartoum and Omdurman) that form the great conurbation of the center of the country. With its million inhabitants, Bahri is definitely one of the biggest cities in Sudan.
5. Nyala
This city is located in the southwest of the country and has more than half a million inhabitants. This Sudanese city is located at an average altitude of 675 meters. This city is located in the South Darfur region, about 100 kilometers from the border with South Sudan (the part of the country that seceded and became independent on July 9, 2011).
6. El Obeid
The population of this city is 480,000 people. This city is located in the south of the country at an average altitude of about 570 meters not far from the Nuba mountain range.
The city has been able to develop thanks to a fertile oasis. Economically, the city is largely turned towards agriculture with the cultivation of oilseeds that allow the production of gum arabic (better known in the food industry under the European designation E414).
The foundation of this great city of Sudan dates back to the beginning of the 19th century. This watering place, which is located in the center of an arid territory, has always been a crossing point for caravaneers who linked Chad to the Red Sea.
7. Kosti
This city which is located 312 kilometers south of Khartoum is with 520 000 inhabitants one of the most populated cities in Sudan. This city has been able to develop over time thanks to its proximity to the White Nile.
8. Kassala
The population of Kassala is estimated at 440,000. It should be noted that the number of inhabitants in Kassala has increased eightfold in nearly 60 years. According to the projections of demographers, this city should reach a million inhabitants around 2065.
This large city is located in the east of the country on the border with Eritrea. Life in the city is punctuated by the arrival of refugees fleeing the military conflict in Tigray (Ethiopia). When the borders are porous, smuggling is inevitable and is a lucrative business in this city which is only 15 kilometers from Eritrea.
9. Al-Quadarif
This city is located in the southeast of Sudan at an average altitude of 610 meters. It is also the capital of the region (which bears the same name). There are about 400,000 inhabitants in Gedarif (the other name of Al-Quadarif).
Al-Quadarif has always played an important role in the agriculture of the country. Al-Quadarif has always played an important role in the agriculture of the country, with the production of cotton, cereals, and sesame seeds.
This Sudanese city is connected by train to another large city in the south – Kassala. This Sudanese city is connected by train to another large city in the south – Kassala, a city from which it is about 200 kilometers away.
10. Wad Madani
This city is located along the Blue Nile some two hundred kilometers from the capital. This city of about 350,000 inhabitants is known in Sudan as a hotbed of protest. First there was the great protest of 1924 against the British Empire occupying Sudan. More recently in 2013 and 2019 Wad Madani has also been the starting point of a new insurgency.
Cradled by the waters of the Nile, this large Sudanese city has seen its economy driven by agriculture and particularly by cotton cultivation.
Focus on Sudan
Sudan is a country that covers 1,886,068 square kilometers and whose capital is Khartoum. The country’s inhabitants are called Sudanese (men) or Sudanese (women). With a population of 45.18 million, of which a little more than a third lives in cities, the population density is 20 inhabitants per square kilometer. The country’s motto is: “Victory is ours”.
The local currency is the Sudanese pound.
Geographically, the country shares its borders with three countries to the north. And these three countries are Chad, Libya, and Egypt in the north. While in the south there are four border countries with Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic. The highest point of the country is Jebel Marra, in the Darfur region. It is in fact a volcano whose highest point is 3042 meters above sea level.
As far as the population is concerned, Sudan is a predominantly Muslim country, but it is far from homogeneous. Indeed, we could list about a hundred languages in this African country. More than a quarter of them (27) are spoken by groups of more than 100 000 people.