Kordofan

Kordofan is a former province of central Sudan. In 1994 it was divided into three new federal states: North Kordofan, South Kordofan and West Kordofan. In August 2005, West Kordofan State was abolished and its territory divided between North and South Kordofan States, as part of the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement. West Kordofan was reestablished in July 2013. Geography Kordofan covers an area of some 376,145 km² (146,932 miles²), with an estimated population in 2000 of 3.6 million (3 million in 1983). It is largely an undulating plain, with the Nuba Mountains in the southeast quarter. During the rainy season from June to September, the area is fertile, but in the dry season, it is virtually desert. The region’s chief town is El-Obeid. Economy and demography Traditionally the area is known for production of gum arabic. Other crops include groundnuts, cotton and millet. Originally Kordofan was inhabited by brown-skinned-Nubian-speaking peoples, and the region's name may be derived from the Nubian word Kurta meaning 'man', but by the 14th century Arabs from Egypt began expanding southwards into Kordofan, amalgamating with some of the indigenous population and driving remnants of the indigenous population to the hills. Most of the inhabitants of Kordofan are Arabs. The main tribal groups of Arab tribes, include the Dar Hamid, Kawahla, Hamar, Bedairiah, Joamaah and Rekabeiah. In Northern Kordofan there are large grazing areas used and inhabited for hundreds of years by Arabic-speaking, semi-nomadic Baggara and camel-raising Kababish. Other ethnic groups that inhabit Kordofan are Nubians, Daju, Beja, Zaghawa, and Funj people. Nilotic tribes, Nuba, Shilluk and Dinka, also inhabit parts of Kordofan. The Kordofanian languages are spoken by a significant number of people in southern Kordofan and are unique to the region, as are the Kadu languages, but Arabic is the main and most widely spoken language in the greater Kordofan region.