KORDOFAN, a country of north-east Africa, forming a mudiria (province) of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. It lies mainly between 12° and 16° W. and 29° and 324.° E., and has an area of about 130,000 sq.m.
The greater part of Kordofan consists of undulating plains, riverless, barren, monotonous, with an average altitude of 1,500 ft. In the west, isolated peaks, such as Jebel Abu Senum and Jebel Kordofan, rise from 150 to 600 f t. above the plain. North west are the mountain groups of Kaja and Katul (2,000 to 3,000 ft.), in the east are the Jebel Daier and Jebel Tagale (Togale), ragged granitic ranges with precipitous sides. In the south are flat, fertile and thickly wooded plains, which give place to jungle at the foot of the hills of Dar Nuba, the district forming the south-east part of Kordofan. Dar Nuba is well-watered, the scenery is diversified and pretty, affording a welcome contrast to that of the rest of the country. Some of the Nuba hills exceed 3,00o ft. in height. The south-western part of the country, a vast and almost level plain, is known as Dar Homr. Though there are no perennial rivers, there are watercourses (khors or wadis) in the rainy season, the chief being the Khor Abu Habl, which traverses the south-central region. In Dar Homr the Wadi el Ghalla and the Khor Shalango drain towards the Homr affluent of the Bahr el Ghazal. During the rainy season there is a con siderable body of water in these channels, but the surface of the country dries rapidly. The water which has found its way through the granitic sand flows over the surface of the mica schist below and settles in the hollows, and by sinking wells to the solid rock a supply of water can generally be obtained, though many of the wells are often dry for months together. These wells are narrow shafts going down usually 3o to 5o ft., but some are over 200 ft'. deep. The water is raised by rope and bucket at the cost of enormous labour, and in few cases is any available for irrigation. The very cattle are trained to go a long time without drinking. Entire villages migrate after the harvest to the neighbourhood of some plentiful well. In a few localities the surface depressions hold water for the greater part of the year but there is only one permanent lake—Keilat, which is some four miles by two. The
rainy season lasts from mid-June to the end of September, rain usually falling every three or four days in brief but violent showers. In general the climate is healthy except in the rainy season, when large tracts are converted into swamps and fever is very prevalent. In the shita or cold weather (October to Feb ruary inclusive) there is a cold wind from the north. The seif or hot weather lasts from March to mid-June ; the temperature rarely exceeds 105° F.
The chief constituent of the low scrub which covers the north ern part of the country is the grey gum acacia (hasliob). In the south the red gum acacias (talk) are abundant. In Dar Hamid, in the north-west of Kordofan, date, dom and other palms grow.
The basbab or calabash tree is fairly common and being naturally hollow the trees collect water, which the natives regularly tap. Another common source of water supply is a small kind of water melon which grows wild and is also cultivated. In the dense jungles of the south are immense creepers, some of them rubber vines. The cotton plant is also found. The fauna includes the elephant, rhinoceros, buffalo, giraffe, lion, leopard, cheetah, roan antelope, hartebeeste, kudu and many other kinds of antelope, wart-hog, hares, quail, partridge, jungle-fowl, bustard and guinea fowl. The ril or addra gazelle found in north and north-west Kordofan are not known elsewhere in the eastern Sudan. Os triches are found in the northern steppes. The chief wealth of the people consists in the gum obtained from the grey acacias, in oxen, camels and ostrich feathers. There are large herds of camel, the camel-owning Arabs usually owning also large numbers of sheep and goats. Barley, millets and cotton are cultivated in some districts. A little gold dust is obtained, but the old gold and other mines in the Tagale country have been, apparently, worked out. Iron is found in many districts and is smelted in a few places. There are large beds of hematite some 6o m. N.W. and the same distance north-east of El Obeid.