Kenya vs. South Sudan
Geography
| Kenya | South Sudan | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Somalia and Tanzania | East-Central Africa; south of Sudan, north of Uganda and Kenya, west of Ethiopia |
| Geographic coordinates | 1 00 N, 38 00 E | 8 00 N, 30 00 E |
| Map references | Africa | Africa |
| Area | total: 580,367 sq km land: 569,140 sq km water: 11,227 sq km | total: 644,329 sq km land: NA water: NA |
| Area - comparative | five times the size of Ohio; slightly more than twice the size of Nevada | more than four times the size of Georgia; slightly smaller than Texas |
| Land boundaries | total: 3,457 km border countries (5): Ethiopia 867 km, Somalia 684 km, South Sudan 317 km, Tanzania 775 km, Uganda 814 km | total: 6,018 km border countries (6): Central African Republic 1055 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 714 km, Ethiopia 1299 km, Kenya 317 km, Sudan 2158 km, Uganda 475 km note: South Sudan-Sudan boundary represents 1 January 1956 alignment; final alignment pending negotiations and demarcation; final sovereignty status of Abyei Area pending negotiations between South Sudan and Sudan |
| Coastline | 536 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation | none (landlocked) |
| Climate | varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior | hot with seasonal rainfall influenced by the annual shift of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone; rainfall heaviest in upland areas of the south and diminishes to the north |
| Terrain | low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift Valley; fertile plateau in west | plains in the north and center rise to southern highlands along the border with Uganda and Kenya; the White Nile, flowing north out of the uplands of Central Africa, is the major geographic feature of the country; The Sudd (a name derived from floating vegetation that hinders navigation) is a large swampy area of more than 100,000 sq km fed by the waters of the White Nile that dominates the center of the country |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Mount Kenya 5,199 m lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 762 m | highest point: Kinyeti 3,187 m lowest point: White Nile 381 m |
| Natural resources | limestone, soda ash, salt, gemstones, fluorspar, zinc, diatomite, gypsum, wildlife, hydropower | hydropower, fertile agricultural land, gold, diamonds, petroleum, hardwoods, limestone, iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver |
| Land use | agricultural land: 48.1% (2018 est.) arable land: 9.8% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.9% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 37.4% (2018 est.) forest: 6.1% (2018 est.) other: 45.8% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 45% (2018) arable land: 4.4% (2018) permanent pasture: 40.7% (2018) forest: 11.3% (2018) other: 43.5% (2018) |
| Irrigated land | 1,030 sq km (2012) | 1,000 sq km (2012) |
| Environment - current issues | water pollution from urban and industrial wastes; water shortage and degraded water quality from increased use of pesticides and fertilizers; flooding; water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; poaching | water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; wildlife conservation and loss of biodiversity; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; periodic drought |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note | the Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa; glaciers are found on Mount Kenya, Africa's second highest peak; unique physiography supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and economic value; Lake Victoria, the world's largest tropical lake and the second largest fresh water lake, is shared among three countries: Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda | landlocked; The Sudd is a vast swamp in the north central region of South Sudan, formed by the White Nile, its size is variable but can reach some 15% of the country's total area during the rainy season; it is one of the world's largest wetlands |
| Total renewable water resources | 30.7 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 49.5 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | population heavily concentrated in the west along the shore of Lake Victoria; other areas of high density include the capital of Nairobi, and in the southeast along the Indian Ocean coast as shown in this population distribution map | clusters found in urban areas, particularly in the western interior and around the White Nile as shown in this population distribution map |
Source: CIA Factbook
