World Factbook
South Sudan
Republic of South Sudan
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
NA
water
NA
total
644,329 sq km
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
Land use
other
43.8% (2023 est.)
forest
11.3% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
44.9% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 3.9% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 40.8% (2023 est.)
Location
East-Central Africa; south of Sudan, north of Uganda and Kenya, west of Ethiopia
Coastline
0 km (landlocked)
Elevation
lowest point
White Nile 381 m
highest point
Kinyeti 3,187 m
Irrigated land
1,000 sq km (2012)
Map references
Africa
Land boundaries
note
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
total
6,018 km
border countries
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
Maritime claims
none (landlocked)
Geography - note
landlocked; The Sudd is a vast swamp in the north central region of South Sudan, formed by the White Nile; its size is variable but can reach some 15% of the country's total area during the rainy season; it is one of the world's largest wetlands
Natural resources
hydropower, fertile agricultural land, gold, diamonds, petroleum, hardwoods, limestone, iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver
Area - comparative
more than four times the size of Georgia; slightly smaller than Texas
Geographic coordinates
8 00 N, 30 00 E
Population distribution
clusters found in urban areas, particularly in the western interior and around the White Nile, as shown in this population distribution map
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Atlantic Ocean drainage
Congo (3,730,881 sq km), (Mediterranean Sea) Nile (3,254,853 sq km)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Nile (shared with Rwanda [s], Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan, and Egypt [m]) - 6,650 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth