Port Sudan

 

(sūdăn') , city (1993 pop. 308,195), NE Sudan, on the Red Sea. The country's major seaport, it handles the bulk of Sudan's foreign trade. The city is also a rail terminus that serves a rich, cotton-growing area of the Nile Valley. Port Sudan has an oil refinery and a pipeline to carry oil to Khartoum, completed in 1977. The city also has an international airport. Construction of a railroad linking the Nile and the Red Sea coast in 1905 led to the founding of Port Sudan as a harbor for the region.

Port Sudan (Arabic: بورتسودان) is the capital of the state of Red Sea in Sudan and has nearly 475,000 residents. Located on the Red Sea, it is the Republic of Sudan's main port city.

History

Port Sudan was founded by the British in 1905 as the terminus of a rail line linking the Red Sea to the River Nile. The railroad was used to transport the nation's cotton and sesame seed, as well as sorghum, from the agriculturally rich areas of the Nile valley to export markets.

Tourism

Port Sudan is known among tourists for its excellent diving and beaches. Tourists also use Port Sudan as a departure point to cross the Red Sea to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

Economy

The harbour is in the mouth of a gulf continuing seaward through a coral-free channel 60–85 feet (18–26 m) deep. Imports include machinery, vehicles, fuel oil, and building materials. Cotton, gum arabic, oilseeds, hides and skins, and senna are the chief exports. Port Sudan has an oil refinery to handle the petroleum from onshore wells, as well as an oil pipeline to Khartoum that was completed in 1977.

A rail line linking the Red Sea to the River Nile. The railroad was used to transport the nation's cotton and sesame seed from salt-evaporating pans.

Geography

Port Sudan has a near-desert climate, necessitating the acquisition of fresh water from Wadi Arba'at in the Red Sea Hills and from salt-evaporating pans.

Demographics

The population, mainly Arab, includes the indigenous Beja, West Africans, and small minorities of Asians and Europeans.

Transportation

A Port Sudan International airport (PZU) is located close to the city.

Destination:

• Sudan Airways (Khartoum, Cairo & Jeddah)
• Nova Air (Khartoum)
• Mid Air (Khartoum)

References

• Arckell, A.J., UNESCO General History of Africa, History of Darfur 1200-1700 A.D. SNR.

• Encyclopædia Britannica, "Port Sudan" (description), 2007, webpage: EB-PortSudan.

Coordinates: 19°37′N, 37°13′E

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