South Sudan

South Sudan is a landlocked country in East-Central Africa which declared its independence from Sudan
in 2011. Although the world’s youngest nation, South Sudan has an incredibly rich history, with plenty of
facts and stories to explore. From past presidents to present day flags, let’s take a look at some of the
key facts you need to know about this fascinating African nation.
The current flag of South Sudan was adopted on 9 July 2005 by the then government of Southern Sudan.
It consists of five equal horizontal stripes in black, red, white, green and blue colors. The red stripe
symbolizes the blood that was shed during the long struggle for freedom; the white symbolizes peace;
the black represents the people of South Sudan; green represents agriculture and blue represents water.
In addition to these colors, there is also a yellow triangle in the center with a blue star inside it as a
symbol of unity and hope for South Sudanese citizens.
South Sudan’s first president was Salva Kiir Mayardit who took office on 9 July 2011 following his victory
in elections held earlier that year. He served until 2019 when he was replaced by President Foday Gai
Kok after winning elections held in 2018. Before independence from Sudan in 2011, both leaders had
served as vice presidents under Omar al-Bashir from 2005 to 2011. Al-Bashir had been president since
1989 following his victory over Sadiq al-Mahdi who had been president between 1986 and 1989 after
succeeding Gaafar Nimeiry who ruled between 1969 and 1985 following his coup d’état against Ismail al-
Azhari who was prime minister (1956–1958) and president (1958–1969).
In 2020, despite having achieved independence almost 10 years ago, South Sudan remains one of the
poorest countries on earth with ongoing political instability due to civil war and conflict between rival
factions within its government. The economy is heavily dependent on oil production which accounts for
95% of total exports but despite this reliance on oil production, much of its population lives below
poverty line due to corruption and mismanagement within its government institutions. Despite all these
challenges however, there are signs that progress is being made with new infrastructure projects being
undertaken such as roads being built connecting major towns across the country as well as new airports
being constructed around Juba -the capital city- so that it can become an international hub for travel
within East Africa region.
South Sudan may be one of the world’s youngest nations but it has an incredibly rich history stretching
back centuries before it gained independence from neighbouring states in 2011. From past presidents
such as Ismail al-Azhari to present day flags featuring symbols representing peace and unity for its
citizens; discovering more about this fascinating African nation is sure to uncover further surprises along
your journey! With ongoing development projects underway every year since its independence, we can
only hope that South Sudan will continue to prosper into a self-sufficient nation capable of providing
security and stability for everyone living there now and into future generations!