Location:
East-Central Africa; south of Sudan, north of Uganda and Kenya, west of Ethiopia

Geographic coordinates:
8 00 N, 30 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 644,329 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: NA
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: NA
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 42

Area - comparative:
more than four times the size of Georgia; slightly smaller than Texas
Area comparison map:

Land boundaries:
total: 6,018 km
border countries (6): Central African Republic 1,055 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 714 km, Ethiopia 1,299 km, Kenya 317 km, Sudan 2,158 km, Uganda 475 km
note: South Sudan-Sudan boundary represents 1 January 1956 alignment; final alignment pending negotiations and demarcation; final sovereignty status of Abyei Area pending negotiations between South Sudan and Sudan
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
hot with seasonal rainfall influenced by the annual shift of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone; rainfall heaviest in upland areas of the south and diminishes to the north

Terrain:
plains in the north and center rise to southern highlands along the border with Uganda and Kenya; the White Nile, flowing north out of the uplands of Central Africa, is the major geographic feature of the country; The Sudd (a name derived from floating vegetation that hinders navigation) is a large swampy area of more than 100,000 sq km fed by the waters of the White Nile that dominates the center of the country

Elevation:
mean elevation:
[see also: Mean Elevation country ranks ]
elevation extremes:
Lowest point: NA
highest point: Kinyeti 3,187 m

Natural resources:
hydropower, fertile agricultural land, gold, diamonds, petroleum, hardwoods, limestone, iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver

Geography - note:
The Sudd is a vast swamp in South Sudan, formed by the White Nile, comprising more than 15% of the total area; it is one of the world's largest wetlands