Port Sudan

Port Sudan بور سودان
Port Sudan Harbor
Port Sudan Location in Sudan
Coordinates: 19°37′N 37°13′E / 19.617°N 37.217°E / 19.617; 37.217Coordinates: 19°37′N 37°13′E / 19.617°N 37.217°E / 19.617; 37.217
Country	Sudan
State	Red Sea State
Population  (2007)
• Total	489,725

Port Sudan (Arabic: بور سودان‎ Būr Sūdān) is a port city in eastern Sudan, and the capital of the state of Red Sea. As of 2007, it has 489,725 residents. Located on the Red Sea, it is the Republic of Sudan's main seaport.

History[]

Port Sudan was built in 1905 to replace Suakin.^[1] An oil pipeline was built between the port and Khartoum in 1977.

Economy[]

The city has an oil refinery and handles the majority of the country's international trade.^[1] Major exports include oilseed, senna, and hides and skins. Imports include construction materials, heavy machinery, and vehicles.

Transport[]

The city has a modern container-port to handle imports and exports.^[1] The port is part of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road that runs from the Chinese coast via the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean, there to the Upper Adriatic region of Trieste with its rail connections to Central and Eastern Europe.^[2][3][4][5]

The main airport is Port Sudan New International Airport. There is now a tarred road linking Port Sudan to Khartoum via Atbara. Port Sudan also has a rail link with Khartoum. There is also an international ferry from Jeddah.^{[citation needed]}

Education[]

Red Sea University campus

The city is home to the Red Sea University, established in 1994.^[6]

Places of worship[]

Places of worship are predominantly Muslim mosques,^[7] but there are also Christian churches and temples including the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Khartoum (Catholic Church), Sudan Interior Church (Baptist World Alliance), and Presbyterian Church in Sudan (World Communion of Reformed Churches).

Climate[]

Port Sudan has a hot desert climate (Köppen: BWh) with extremely hot summers and moderately hot winters, requiring the acquisition of fresh water from in the Red Sea Hills and from salt-evaporating pans. Temperatures can easily exceed 30 °C (86 °F) in winter and 45 °C (113 °F) in summer. Over 90% of the annual rainfall falls between October and January, mostly in November, with the wettest month on record being November 1947 with 182 millimetres (7.2 in), whilst the wettest year was from July 1923 to June 1924 with 231 millimetres (9.1 in). Average annual rainfall is 76 millimetres (3.0 in), and no rainfall occurred between January 1983 and June 1984.^[8] The mean temperature year round (the average of all daily highs and nighttime lows) is 28.4 °C (83.1 °F).

Demographics[]

The population consists mainly of Arabs, with small Asian and European minorities.^[1]

Notable people[]

• Gawaher (Pop singer)

Notes[]

References[]

• Arckell, A. J., UNESCO General History of Africa, History of Darfur 1200-1700 A.D. SNR.
• Encyclopædia Britannica, "Port Sudan" (description), 2007, webpage: EB-PortSudan.^{[permanent dead link]}
• Michael R. T. Dumper; Bruce E. Stanley, eds. (2008), "Port Sudan", Cities of the Middle East and North Africa, Santa Barbara, Cal.: ABC-CLIO, ISBN 9781576079195

External links[]

• Media related to Port Sudan at Wikimedia Commons