South Sudan

South Sudan, officially the republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked nation in eastern and central Africa that is bordered by Sudan and Uganda. Ethiopia lies on the country's eastern edge; the north border is shared with Sudan. The country's western border is shared with Central African Republic; its southwest border is shared with Democratic Republic of Congo; its southern border is shared with Uganda; and its southern border is shared with Kenya. It has a population of 11.06 million people, with 525,953 of them residing in Juba, the country's capital and biggest city.

By 2021, it has gained independence from the Republic of Sudan, making it the most recent sovereign state or nation to have received broad recognition in modern history. There is also the huge swamp area of the Sudd, which was created by the White Nile and is referred to locals as the Bahr al Jabal, which literally translates as "Mountain River." Since Egypt's occupation of Sudan under the Muhammad Ali dynasty, the country has been ruled as an Anglo-Egyptian condominium until Sudan's independence from Egypt in 1956. The Southern Sudan Autonomous Region was established in 1972 as a result of the First Sudanese Civil War and existed until its dissolution in 1983. A second Sudanese civil war erupted shortly after, beginning in 1983 and concluding in 2005 with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Later that year, the formation of the Autonomous Government of Southern Sudan resulted in the restoration of southern autonomy. 98.83 percent of voters in a January 2011 referendum supported independence, leading to the establishment of South Sudan as an independent state on July 9, 2011. Ethnic violence and a civil war marked by widespread human rights violations, including ethnic massacres and the killing of journalists by various parties to the conflict, plagued the country from 2013 until 22 February 2020, when competing combat leaders Salva Kiir Mayardit and Riek Machar reached an agreement and formed a coalition government, paving the way for refugees to return to their homes.