Wau, South Sudan

Wau
Huts outside Wau, 2008
Motto: Arabic: واو نار English: Wau is Fire
Wau
Location in South Sudan
Coordinates:
Country  South Sudan
State Western Bahr el Ghazal
County Wau County
Elevation 1,420 ft (433 m)
Population (2011 Estimate)
 • Total 151,320
Time zone GMT+3

Wau (Arabic: واو Wāw; also Wow or Waw) is a city in South Sudan.

Contents

Location

It lies on the western bank of the Jur River, in Wau County, Western Bahr el Ghazal State, in northwestern South Sudan. Its location lies approximately 650 kilometres (400 mi), northwest of Juba, the capital and largest city in that country.[1] The geographical coordinates of the city of Wau are: 7° 42' 0.00"N, 28° 0' 0.00"E (Latitude: 7.7000; Longitude: 28.0000).

History

Wau was initially established as a zariba (fortified base) by slave-traders in the 19th century. During the time of Anglo-Egyptian condominium rule in Sudan, the city became an administrative center.

Burr and Collins in 1994 described Wau:[2] as follows:

No one has ever been “at home” in Wau. Situated on the fringe of the Dinka country, it is surrounded by a host of disorganized and diverse peoples . . . It was and remains a town belonging to no single ethnic group, deriving its importance only from its position as a commercial and administrative center . . . Located in the midst of the vast Nilotic plain hundreds of miles from nowhere, it was miserable under the best of circumstances . . .

During Second Sudanese Civil War, it was a garrison town of the Khartoum-based Sudanese Armed Forces, and was the scene of extensive fighting in the spring of 1998. Battles erupted again in the town in the spring of 2007, killing several hundred people.

Overview

The city of Wau is the headquarters of Wau County, in which it lies. It also serves as the capital of Western Bahr el Ghazal State, one of the ten (10) states which constitute the Republic of South Sudan. The city is a culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse urban center. Its residents include peoples of Fertit, Dinka, Luo, and Arab ethnicity.

Population and demographics

In 2008, Wau was the third-largest city in South Sudan, by population, behind Juba the capital and Malakal, in Upper Nile State. At that time, the estimated population of the city of Wau was about 128,100.[3] In 2011, the city's population was estimated at about 151,320.[4]

Year Population[5]
1973 52,800
1983 58,000
1993 84,000
2010 128,100
2011 151,320

Transport and infrastructure

Economy

Wau is a vibrant economic center in the newly established Republic of South Sudan. The major contributors to the local economy include the following: (a) Wau Airport (b) University of Bahr El-Ghazal, (c) Western Bahr el Ghazal State Government (d) the Wau Campus of Catholic University of South Sudan (e) Wau County Government (f) A branch of Buffalo Commercial Bank (g) A branch of Equity Bank (South Sudan)[7] (h) A branch of Ivory Bank (i) A branch of Kenya Commercial Bank (South Sudan)[8]

Geography and climate

Wau has two seasons: a dry season from November to March, and a rainy season the rest of the year, as depicted in the referenced box below:

Climate data for Wau, South Sudan
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 35
(95)		 36
(97)		 37
(99)		 37
(99)		 35
(95)		 33
(91)		 31
(88)		 31
(88)		 32
(90)		 33
(91)		 35
(95)		 35
(95)		 28
(82)
Daily mean °C (°F) 31
(88)		 27
(81)		 29
(84)		 29
(84)		 28
(82)		 27
(81)		 25
(77)		 25
(77)		 26
(79)		 26
(79)		 27
(81)		 26
(79)		 27.2
(80.9)
Average low °C (°F) 28
(82)		 18
(64)		 21
(70)		 22
(72)		 21
(70)		 21
(70)		 20
(68)		 20
(68)		 20
(68)		 20
(68)		 19
(66)		 17
(63)		 21
(70)
Precipitation mm (inches) 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 20
(0.79)		 60
(2.36)		 130
(5.12)		 160
(6.3)		 190
(7.48)		 200
(7.87)		 160
(6.3)		 120
(4.72)		 10
(0.39)		 0
(0)		 1,050
(41.34)
% humidity 34 31 35 50 59 64 70 71 67 63 50 40 52.8
Avg. rainy days (≥ 0.1 mm) 0 0 2 5 8 10 11 11 10 8 1 0 70
Source: Weatherbase[9]

Notable people

Some of the notable people from Wau incliude the following:

Photos and maps

See also

References

  1. ^ Estimated Road Distance Between Juba And Wau
  2. ^ * Burr, J.M. and Collins, R.O. (1994) Requiem for the Sudan: War, Drought and Disaster Relief on the Nile. Westview Press, Boulder, CO, USA, p. 74
  3. ^ Estimated Population of Sudanese Cities & Towns In 2010
  4. ^ Estimated Population of Waw In 2011
  5. ^ Estimated Population of Wau (1973 - 2010)
  6. ^ Catholic University Maintains A Campus In Wau
  7. ^ Equity Bank Expands In South Sudan
  8. ^ KCB Eaxpands Branch Network In South Sudan
  9. ^ "Weatherbase - Waw, South Sudan". Weatherbase. http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weatherall.php3?s=8826&. Retrieved 2011-07-07. 

External links

State capitals in South Sudan