Angelo Pondella, age 13, of Springfield, Mass., for his question:
WHICH AFRICAN COUNTRY IS THE LARGEST?
Sudan is the largest country in Africa. It lies in the northeastern part of the continent. The country measures about 1,400 miles from north to south, about 1,000 miles from east to west with a 400 mile coastline on the Red Sea.
To the north of Sudan is Egypt with Ethiopia to the east. Three distinct natural regions can be found in Sudan: bleak deserts in the north, grassy plains in the central part of the country and great swamp and steaming tropical rain forests in the south.
The Nile River and a number of its branches run through the country. Most of the people live in central Sudan near these waterways. Only nomads, who roam in search of water and grazing land for their camels, sheep, goats and cattle, live in many parts of the sandy north.
In the south, the swamp and the equatorial forest produce little food or cash crops. But big game, including the rare rhinocerous, lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, giraffe and other animals, roams there.
Arabic speaking Muslims make up most of the population in the northern part of the country. They are descendants of African Negroes and brown skinned Nubians who are related to the early Egyptians and Libyans. A number of different tribes of African Negroes live in the southern part of the country.
Ancient Egyptians invaded Sudan and carried off valuable supplies of gold, the land's only mineral wealth. Later the country was invaded by Romans and Turks.
During this century, Sudan was ruled jointly by Great Britain and Egypt for more than 50 years. It finally gained independence and became a republic on January 1, 1956.
Since it became a republic, Sudan's government has been overthrown several times with power passing back and forth between civilian and military rulers.
Official language of Sudan is Arabic. About two thirds of the population speak the official language. Most of the people living near the Nile River in the central and northern part of the country are farmers or herders.
Most of the people in northern and central Sudan live in square, flat roofed houses that are made out of sunbaked bricks. The houses have narrow windows to keep out the heat.
Less than half of the people of the Sudan can read and write. Most of the towns and rural areas have schools, but only about half the school age children attend classes.
Summers are hot throughout the Sudan, with temperature of about 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Winter temperatures vary from about 60 degrees in the north to about 80 degrees in the south.
Rainfall in southern Sudan averages about 40 inches each year. Nearly 90 percent of the world's production of gum arabic, which is used in making perfumes and candy, comes from forests in the Sudan.
Peanuts are grown as an export crop.