Known fondly as the "Heart of Africa", Sudan is the largest country on the African continent covering  a total area of 2,505,813 sq. km. Southern Sudan borders Ethiopia to the east; Kenya, Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo to the south; and Central African Republic to the west. The northern part is occupied by the vastly muslim Northern Sudan which controls the central government headquartered at Khartoum.

 
Panoramic view of Southern Sudan landscape

Southern Sudan consists of ten states which formerly composed the provinces of Equatoria (Central Equatoria, Eastern Equatoria, and Western Equatoria); Bahr el Ghazal (Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Western Bahr el Ghazal, Lakes, and Warrap); and Upper Nile (Jonglei, Unity, and Upper Nile).

One of the major natural features of the Southern Sudan is the Rive Nile whose many tributaries have sources in the country. It is blessed with many natural resources such as petroleum, iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold, and hydropower. The country's economy, like the case in other developing countries, is heavily dependent on Agriculture. Some of the agricultural produce include cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca), mangos, papaya, bananas, sweet potatoes, sesame, sheep, and other livestock.

River Nile is the major geographic feature in Southern Sudan