Sudan
Americannoun
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a region in North Africa, south of the Sahara and Libyan Deserts, extending from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea.
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Formerly Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. Also called North Sudan. Republic of the Sudan, a republic in northeastern Africa, south of Egypt and bordering on the Red Sea: a former condominium of Egypt and Great Britain. 728,215 square miles (1,886,068 square kilometers). Khartoum.
noun
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Former name (1899–1956): Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. French name: Soudan. a republic in NE Africa, on the Red Sea: conquered by Mehemet Ali of Egypt (1820–22) and made an Anglo-Egyptian condominium in 1899 after joint forces defeated the Mahdist revolt; became a republic in 1956; a lengthy civil war between separatists in the mainly Christian south and the government resulted in independence for South Sudan following a referendum in 2011. It consists mainly of a plateau, with the Nubian Desert in the north. Official language: Arabic. Official religion: Muslim; there are Christian and animist minorities. Currency: Sudanese pound or Sudani (replacing the Sudanese dinar in 2007). Capital: Khartoum. Pop: 34 847 910 (2013 est). Area: 1 861 484 sq km (718 723 sq miles)
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a region stretching across Africa south of the Sahara and north of the tropical zone: inhabited chiefly by Negroid tribes rather than Arabs
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Sudan was under the joint rule of Britain and Egypt (though Britain exercised actual control) from 1899 to 1956.
Recently, it has been plagued by famine and civil war.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
More than 35 nations, including South Sudan, Mexico and Uganda, have similar agreements with the Trump administration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Cases have so far been reported in six DRC provinces, including near the border with South Sudan, as well as in neighbouring Uganda.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
Last week about 350,000 TPS holders from Haiti, Burma, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Yemen lost their work permits.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
Chan Mathok Atak, 19, originally of Sudan, appeared at Margate Magistrates Court earlier, where he denied endangering lives at sea during the attempt which set off from France last Thursday.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
So the three sisters—Marburg, Ebola Sudan, and Ebola Zaire—have been joined by a fourth sister, Reston.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.