Location and Geography
South Sudan is a northeast African nation with a population of 11.3 million, which has been at a consistent incline since 1960. The capital of South Sudan is Juba, which happens to be largest city in the country. It is a landlocked nation, neighbored by African counterparts including North Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, the DRC, and the Central African Republic. The country is located close to the Equator, resulting in a warm climate, with a rainy season between the months of April and October. South Sudan is primarily covered in dense rainforest, which support a diverse ecosystem and many species of wildlife. In addition to the dense rainforests, there are mountains in the southeast of the country, which are part of the Imatong Mountain range, along with swamps and grasslands which make up the rest of the country. The White Nile River, which is a section of the extensive Nile River, passes through the country, and directly through the capital, Juba.
Natural Resources
South Sudan is rich with natural resources, a primary one being oil South Sudan is extremely rich with oil, accounting for millions of dollars worth of exports and a whole industry built around it.. Oil is not the only resource that can be found in the country; there are many other natural resources including iron, copper, zinc, silver, gold, and more. However oil is by far the most valued and exported resource in the country. There is also a vast amount of timber due to the dense forests throughout the country, which they export to an international market. Gathering and exporting the vast amount of natural resources shows the South Sudanese people are surmounting the geography around them and taking advantage of the valuable land they live on.
The Impact
The combination of natural resources and geography has had a strong impact on modern day South Sudan. The geography has forced the people living there to adapt to their surroundings by taking action, including forest clearances that have taken place in oder to create land which is more adequate for farming on. Due to the country being landlocked, they have also built pipelines, which ship the oil to ports in neighboring countries so it can be exported and traded. They have also worked with having easy access to the Nile River, by using the water for the natural resources found in it and as a water source for livestock and vegetation. The South Sudanese people have also acted on their awareness of the valuable natural resources that can be found throughout the country, They have grown a 3.3 billion dollar oil industry, the most valuable industry in the country. This industry has provided jobs and helped support the extremely fragile economy, however it is unstable and suffers from the lack of organization and instability throughout the country. Since South Sudan has to use neighboring countries ports, this has come at a cost, including the use of North Sudan's, Red Sea port, where they have to split half the revenue with them in return for access to it. Overall South Sudan has benefited from the vast amount of natural resources, which seem to be one of the few favorable qualities of the country, however they have definitely struggled from geographic complications.