South Sudan becomes an independent nation

[Posteritatis]

Source: BBC News

South Sudan has become the world's newest nation, the climax of a process made possible by the 2005 peace deal that ended a long and bloody civil war.

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon are among the international dignitaries attending the celebrations in the capital, Juba.

. . .

The celebrations in Juba began at midnight (2100 GMT), when the countdown clock in the town centre reached zero and the new national anthem was played on local television.

South Sudan became the 193rd country recognised by the United Nations and the 54th UN member state in Africa.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14089843

[Johnny Harpo]

1. Welcome To The Worst Economic Disaster Since 1929....

the line for foreign aid forms on the right...take a number.

[shireen]

2. wishing them luck

in a pretty grim tough world ....

[WatsonT]

3. I hope it goes better than so many other separations

[Posteritatis]

4. If the state they seceded from's the first to acknowledge it that's probably a good sign. (nt)

[Lucky Luciano]

5. They have a lot of minerals still deposited in the ground.

I imagine war will commence shortly...sadly. Hope I am wrong.

[WatsonT]

7. Yeah probably

but I keep thinking the break is pretty much along religious lines.

And all it takes is one big oil strike in South Sudan for things to change.

[brooklynite]

6. Would everyone at the UN please move over one seat?

[rug]

8. That map is interesting.

I wonder what their economies are based on.

[On the Road]

10. The Economy of South Sudan

appears to be based on changing the street layouts of their cities to resemble animals or fruits:



http://bigthink.com/ideas/22983

[rug]

11. That's interesting. I prefer it to this:

Although I would not want to live near the tail.

[happyslug]

12. The Map is inaccurate

First if you go to Google Maps, The white line separating the Sudan from South Sudan appears to follow the same pattern as borders of the Districts in the area, but those districts actual northern borders is while NORTH of the Nile not dipping to touch and cross the Nile as the above map does.

Second, the Map ignores the Sudd, the huge swamp that has always separated Southern Sudan from the rest of the Sudan (In Ancient times till the 1800s, Northern Sudan was referred to as "Nubia" not the Sudan, the term Sudan referred to the Sudd).

The Sudd acts as a huge water reserve, most of the water of the Nile as it goes into Egypt is from the White Nile, which does NOT vary throughout the year. The Blue Nile (The Blue Nile and the White Nile merge at Khartoum, the Capital of Sudan) provides the flood waters of the Nile, caused by the Monsoon Rains that hit Ethiopia.

Map of the Sudd:

http://www.utdallas.edu/geosciences/remsens/Nile/sudd.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudd

Based on what I have read, all of the Sudd is in Southern Sudan. 55% of the water that enters the Sudd, either through evaporation (into the air) or transpiration (into the air via plants) with a good percentage of it going into the ground. For this reason, Egypt and Northern Sudan has always wanted to increase the water outflow out of the Sudd, something South Sudan has opposed. How will this fight be resolved is unknown, with Egypt being a net food importer with food prices going up, the Egyptians are demanding the water for its own use. This will be the sopurce of future conflict between Sudan and South Sudan and will never be resolved permanently.

[jmowreader]

14. The Sudanese economy is based on the export of gum arabic

Because the Sudan has such a wonderful government, the United Nations many, many years ago placed a near-total embargo on exports from the Sudan. Only gum Arabic could be exported because the Sudan was the only country that produced gum Arabic of high quality and large supply. Gum Arabic is the sap of the acacia tree, and it has many uses--in packaged foods, soft drinks and printing.

[Overseas]

9. K&R.

[Alamuti Lotus]

13. South Sudan is now 'open for business';--Kashmir, Palestine, and Chechnya are still screwed