Location:
north-eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea

Geographic coordinates:
15 00 N, 30 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 1,861,484 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: 16

Area - comparative:
slightly less than one-fifth the size of the US
Area comparison map:

Land boundaries:
total: 6,819 km
border countries (7): Central African Republic 174 km, Chad 1,403 km, Egypt 1,276 km, Eritrea 682 km, Ethiopia 744 km, Libya 382 km, South Sudan 2,158 km
note: Sudan-South Sudan boundary represents 1 January 1956 alignment; final alignment pending negotiations and demarcation; final sovereignty status of Abyei region pending negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]

Coastline:
853 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 18 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:
hot and dry; arid desert; rainy season varies by region (April to November)

Terrain:
generally flat, featureless plain; desert dominates the north

Elevation:
mean elevation:
[see also: Mean Elevation country ranks ]
elevation extremes:
lowest point: Red Sea 0 m
highest point: Jabal Marrah 3,071 m

Natural resources:
petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold; hydropower

Land use:
agricultural land: 100% arable land 15.7%; permanent crops 0.2%; permanent pasture 84.2%
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
forest: 0%
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 0% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - other country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
18,900 sq km (2010)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Total renewable water resources:
64.5 cu km (2011)
[see also: Total renewable water resources country ranks ]

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 27.59 cu km/yr (4%/1%/95%)
per capita: 683.4 cu m/yr (2005)

Natural hazards:
dust storms and periodic persistent droughts

Environment - current issues:
inadequate supplies of potable water; wildlife populations threatened by excessive hunting; soil erosion; desertification; periodic drought

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
dominated by the Nile and its tributaries