The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan

THE ANGLO-EGYPTIAN SUDAN Boundaries and Area.—The region which, before the revolt of the Arabized tribes under the Madhi Mohammed Ahmed in 1881-84, was known as the Egyptian Sudan, has, since its re conquest by the Anglo-Egyptian expeditions of 1896-98, been under the joint sovereignty of Great Britain and Egypt. It is bounded north by Egypt (the 22nd parallel of N. lat. being the dividing line), east by the Red sea, Eritrea and Abyssinia, south by the Uganda Protectorate and Belgian Congo, west by French Congo. North of Darfur is the Libyan desert, in which the west ern and northern frontiers meet. Here the border is undefined.' As thus constituted, the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan extends north to south about 1,200 m. in a direct line, and west to east about I,000 m., also in a direct line. It covers 950,000 sq.m., being about one-fourth the area of Europe. In what follows the term Sudan is used to indicate the Anglo-Egyptian condominium only.

Physical Features.

The Sudan may be divided, broadly, into two zones. The northern portion, from about 16° N., is practically the south-eastern continuation of the Sahara desert; the southern region is fertile, abundantly watered, and, in places, densely forested. West of the Nile there is a distinctly marked intermediate zone of steppes. In the southern district, between 5° and 1o° N., huge swamps extend on either side of the Nile and along the Bahr-el-Ghazal.

From south to north the Sudan is traversed by the Nile, at a general level of from 1,600 to 600 ft., and all the great tributaries of that river are either partly or entirely within its borders. The most elevated district is a range of mountains running parallel to the Red sea. They present their steepest face eastward, attaining heights within the Sudan of 4,00o to over 7,000 feet. Jebel Erba, 7,480 ft., and Jebel Soturba, 6,889 ft. (both between 21° and 22° N.), the highest peaks, face the Red sea about 20 m. inland. From the Nile, westward, extend vast plains, which, in 'It was supposed to be indicated by the line which, according to the Turkish firman of 1841, describes a semi-circle from the Siva Oasis to Wadai, approaching the Nile between the Second and Third Cat aracts. This line is disregarded by the Sudan government.

Kordofan and Dar Nuba (between i o° and 15° N.), are broken by hills reaching 2,000 feet. Farther west, in Darfur, the coun try is more elevated, the Jebel Marra range being from 5,000 to 6,000 ft. high. In the south-west, beyond the valley of the Bahr-el-Ghazal, the country gradually rises to a ridge of low hills which form the water-parting between the Nile and the Congo.

Apart from the Nile system, the Sudan has two other rivers, the Gash and the Baraka, intermittent streams rising in the eastern chain of mountains in Eritrea, and flowing in a general northerly direction. The Gash enters the Sudan near Kassala, and north of that town turns west towards the Atbana, but its waters are dissipated before that river is reached. The Gash, nevertheless, fertilizes a considerable tract of country. The Khor Baraka lies east of the Gash. It flows towards the Red sea in the neighbourhood of Trinkitat (some 5o m. S. of Suakin), but about 3o m. from the coast forms an inland delta. Except in seasons of great rain, its waters do not reach the sea.

The Coast Region.

The coast extends along the Red sea, north to south, from 22° N. to 18° N., a distance following the indentations of the shore of over 400 miles. The most prominent headland is Ras Rawaya (20 N.), which forms the northern shore of Dokhana bay. There are few good harbours, Port Sudan and Suakin being the chief ports. South of Suakin is the shallow bay of Trinkitat. A large number of small islands lie off the coast. A belt of sandy land covered with low scrub stretches inland io to 20 miles. Beyond this plain rise the mountain ranges already mentioned. Their seaward slopes often bear a considerable amount of vegetation.