INTRODUCTION
Anglo-Egyptian Sudan had eight provinces, which were ambiguous when created but became well defined by the beginning of World War II. The eight provinces were: Blue split off from Nile, Darfur, Equatoria, Kassala, Khartoum, Kordofan, Northern, and Upper Nile. In 1948, Bahr al Ghazal split from Equatoria.
There were numerous new provinces created on 1 July 1973. North and South Darfur were created from Darfur, while Kurdufan divided into North and South Kordofan. Gezira and White Nile were split off from Blue Nile. River Nile split off from Northern. Red Sea was split off from Kassala.
Read: POLITICAL HISTORY OF SUDAN
A further fracturing of provinces occurred in 1976. Lakes split from Bahr al Ghazal, and Jonglei split off from Upper Nile. Equatoria divided into Eastern and Western Equatoria. There were thus eighteen provinces. In 1991, the government reorganized the administrative regions into nine federal states, matching the nine provinces that had existed from 1948 to 1973. On 14 February 1994, the government reorganized yet again, creating twenty-six wilayat (states). The majority of the wilayat were either the old provinces or administrative sub regions of a province. As part of the new government structure in South Sudan in 2005, Bahr al Jabal was renamed Central Equatoria. In 2006, West Kurdufan was split and merged with North Kurdufan and South Kordofan.
In January 2012, the new states of Central Darfur and East Darfur were created in the Darfur region, bringing the total number of states to 17. In July 2013, West Kurdufan was reestablished.
Since April 2019, states in Sudan have been without state governments and legislative councils.
STATES OF SUDAN
Sudan is administratively divided into 18 states. The number of states of Sudan from 25 until 9 July 2011 decreased to 15 in May 2011 when South Sudan became an independent state. On 9 July 2011, 10 Sudanese provinces were linked to the newly established South Sudan state. The total number of states in Sudan has increased to 18 with the newly established 3 states.
EIGHTEEN STATES OF SUDAN
Before 2011, a single state, Sudan and South Sudan, was separated in 2011 with 15 states in Sudan and 10 states in South Sudan. There are now 18 states in Sudan. States of Sudan are Northern, Red Sea, River Nile, Kassala, Khartoum, El Gazira, Gedaref, Sennar, White Nile, Blue Nile, North Kordofan, South Kordofan, West Kordofan, East Darfur, North Darfur, South Darfur, Central Darfur and West Darfur.
Northern
Northern Province is one of the 18 states of Sudan. The headquarters of the province is Dongola. The state has an area of 348,765 square kilometers and its population is 833,743 according to 2006 estimates. The Northern Province forms a border with Egypt to the north and Libya to the west.
Red Sea
The Red Sea State is one of the 18 states. The headquarters of the state is Port Sudan. The state has an area of 218,887 square kilometers and its population is 1,396,000 according to 2006 estimates. The state is located on the coast of the Red Sea and is named after it. Hala’ib Triangle, which is a controversial region with Egypt, is located to the north of the region.
River Nile
River Nile State is one of the 18 states of Sudan. The administrative center of the province is Ad-Damir. The state has an area of 122,123 square kilometers and its population is 1,120,441 according to 2006 estimates. River Nile State is one of the states of North Sudan, which is known as the capital of the Republic of Sudan. The Nile Province is known for its economy based on modern and classical methods. The state is divided into six districts.
Kassala
Kassala State is one of the 18 states of Sudan. The state is headquartered in Kassala. The state has an area of 36,710 square kilometers and its population is 1,171,118 according to 2006 estimates. Apart from the city of Kassala, the main cities of the state are Aroma, Hamishkoreb and Khor Telkok. The state is divided into six districts.
Khartoum
Khartoum State is one of the 18. The administrative center of the state is Khartoum, the capital of the country. The state has an area of 22,142 square kilometers and its population is 7,687,547 according to 2017 estimates. Khartoum is the smallest province in the country.
El Gazira
El Gazira State is one of the 18 states of Sudan. The state’s administrative center is the city of Wad Madani. The state has an area of 27,549 square kilometers and its population is 3,575,280 according to 2008 estimates. El Gazira State is located between the Blue Nile and White Nile in the middle-eastern part of the country. It takes its name from the word Al Jazirah, which is used to indicate the Arabian Peninsula.
Gedaref
Al Qadarif (Gedaref) State is one of the 18 states. The headquarters of the state is El-Gadarif. The state has an area of 75,263 square kilometers and its population is 1,369,300 according to 2006 estimates. Other important cities of the region are Doka and Gallabat.
Sennar
Sennar State is one of the 18 states of Sudan. The administrative center of the state is the city of Sennar. The state has an area of 37,844 square kilometers and its population is 1,374,405 according to 2006 estimates. Sennar province borders South Sudan and Ethiopia.
White Nile
White Nile State is one of the 18 states of Sudan. The headquarters of the state is Rabak. The state has an area of 30,411 square kilometers and its population is 1,730,588 according to 2006 estimates. Other important cities are Kosti and Ed Dueym.
Blue Nile
Blue Nile State is one of the 18 states. The administrative center of the state is Ad-Damazin. The state has an area of 45,844 square kilometers and its population is 1,193,293 according to 2006 estimates. The region is divided into six districts.
North Kordofan
North Kordofan is one of the 18 states of Sudan. The headquarters of the state is El-Obeid. The state has an area of 185,302 square kilometers and its population is 2,529,370 according to 2006 estimates. The region has suffered almost constant drought since the mid-1960s. Deforestation has caused the destruction of natural vegetation.
South Kordofan
South Kordofan is one of the 18 states. The administrative center of the state is the city of Kaduqli. The state has an area of 158,355 square kilometers and its population is 1,111,859 according to 2006 estimates. The region is divided into five districts.
West Kordofan
West Kordofan is one of the 18 states of Sudan. The headquarters of the state is Al-Fulah. The state has an area of 111,373 square kilometers and its population is 1,320,405 according to 2006 estimates. The region is divided into three districts.
East Darfur
East Darfur is one of the 18 states of Sudan. The administrative headquarters of the state is the city of Ed Daein. The state has an area of 55,000 square kilometers and its population is 1,547,800 according to 2017 estimates. The region is one of the new states established after the separation of South Sudan and Sudan. The state was founded in 2012.
North Darfur
North Darfur is one of the 18 states. The headquarters of the state is Al-Fashir. The state has an area of 296,420 square kilometers and its population is 1,583,179 according to 2006 estimates. North Darfur covers more than half of the Darfur region.
South Darfur
South Darfur State is one of the 18 states of Sudan. The state’s administrative center is Nyala. The state has an area of 127,300 square kilometers and its population is 2,890,348 according to 2006 estimates.
Central Darfur
Central Darfur State is one of the 18 states of Sudan. The administrative center of the state is Zalingei. The state has an area of 62,320 square kilometers and its population is 1,123,748 according to 2017 estimates. The region is one of the new states established after the separation of South Sudan and Sudan. The state was founded in 2012.
West Darfur
West Darfur State is one of the 18 states of Sudan. The state’s administrative center is the city of Geneina. The state has an area of 79,460 square kilometers and its population is 1,006,801 according to 2006 estimates. The state is administratively divided into 12 districts.