Rumbek

Rumbek

A cattle camp in Rumbek
Rumbek

Location in South Sudan

Coordinates: 6°48′21″N 29°40′34″E / 6.805762°N 29.676132°E / 6.805762; 29.676132Coordinates: 6°48′21″N 29°40′34″E / 6.805762°N 29.676132°E / 6.805762; 29.676132
Country  South Sudan
State Lakes State
County Rumbek Central County
Elevation 406 m (1,332 ft)
Population (2011)
 • Total 32,100 Estimate
Road alongside Rumbek Airstrip

Rumbek (Arabic: رمبك‎) is the capital of Lakes State, central South Sudan, and the former capital of the country.

Location

Rumbek is approximately 377 kilometres (234 mi) by road northwest of Juba, the capital and largest city in the country.[1] Its coordinates are 6°49′N 29°41′E / 6.81°N 29.68°E / 6.81; 29.68 and its elevation is 420 metres (1,380 ft) above sea level.[2]

Overview

Rumbek is the headquarters of Rumbek Central County and is the capital of Lakes State, one of the ten (10) states of South Sudan. Following the peace agreement ending the Second Sudanese Civil War, the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement chose Rumbek to serve as the temporary administrative center of the Government of Southern Sudan.[3] Later, Juba was selected to become the permanent capital. Like most South Sudanese towns, Rumbek suffered significant infrastructural damage during the civil war, in which an estimated 2 million people perished.

Population

In 2004, the United Nations (OCHA) estimated the population of "Rumbek County" at about 82,500. At that time, the Dinka Agar constituted about 60% of the population, 30% were Dinka Gok, 6% were Bongo and 4% were Jur-Bel.[4] In 2011, the population of the town of Rumbek is estimated at about 32,100.[5]

Transportation

The town of Rumbek is situated on the main road (A43) from Juba to the southeast to Wau to the northwest. There are two smaller roads out of town; one to Yirol to the east and another to Durbuoni to the north. Since 2005, some of the roads have undergone repairs. Rumbek is also served by Rumbek Airport. The main construction contractor in Rumbek, working on both the roads and the airport is Civicon Limited.

Climate

Climate data for Rumbek (1961–1990)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 40.3
(104.5)		 42.8
(109)		 43.3
(109.9)		 42.2
(108)		 41.1
(106)		 38.2
(100.8)		 40.0
(104)		 36.7
(98.1)		 37.0
(98.6)		 39.5
(103.1)		 38.5
(101.3)		 39.1
(102.4)		 43.3
(109.9)
Average high °C (°F) 35.4
(95.7)		 37.4
(99.3)		 37.9
(100.2)		 36.4
(97.5)		 34.5
(94.1)		 32.8
(91)		 31.7
(89.1)		 31.7
(89.1)		 32.7
(90.9)		 33.8
(92.8)		 34.4
(93.9)		 34.8
(94.6)		 34.5
(94.1)
Daily mean °C (°F) 27.1
(80.8)		 28.9
(84)		 30.5
(86.9)		 29.7
(85.5)		 28.5
(83.3)		 27.3
(81.1)		 26.5
(79.7)		 26.5
(79.7)		 27.2
(81)		 27.5
(81.5)		 27.4
(81.3)		 26.7
(80.1)		 27.8
(82)
Average low °C (°F) 18.8
(65.8)		 20.5
(68.9)		 23.2
(73.8)		 23.0
(73.4)		 22.6
(72.7)		 21.8
(71.2)		 21.3
(70.3)		 20.9
(69.6)		 21.7
(71.1)		 21.3
(70.3)		 20.4
(68.7)		 18.5
(65.3)		 21.2
(70.2)
Record low °C (°F) 8.3
(46.9)		 14.5
(58.1)		 17.0
(62.6)		 18.0
(64.4)		 17.2
(63)		 16.4
(61.5)		 16.0
(60.8)		 17.0
(62.6)		 16.5
(61.7)		 16.8
(62.2)		 15.2
(59.4)		 11.0
(51.8)		 8.3
(46.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 0.4
(0.016)		 2.1
(0.083)		 17.6
(0.693)		 61.8
(2.433)		 117.3
(4.618)		 135.3
(5.327)		 144.0
(5.669)		 159.7
(6.287)		 130.1
(5.122)		 67.7
(2.665)		 11.7
(0.461)		 0.0
(0)		 847.7
(33.374)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 0.1 0.7 3.0 6.8 10.5 10.7 12.4 13.9 10.0 7.3 1.7 0.0 77.1
Average relative humidity (%) 37 31 40 52 64 69 73 74 71 68 56 43 56.5
Mean monthly sunshine hours 279.0 235.2 226.3 201.0 220.1 177.0 195.3 207.7 198.0 226.3 237.0 272.8 2,675.7
Percent possible sunshine 71 81 60 56 62 57 51 53 53 61 67 78 63
Source: NOAA[6]


Points of interest

The following points of interest are found in or near Rumbek:

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Estimated Road Distance Between Juba And Rumbek With Map". Distancecalculator.globefeed.com. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
  2. ↑ "Elevation of Rumbek Is 412 Meters Above Sea Level". En.allmetsat.com. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
  3. ↑ South Sudan's unlikely capital, BBC, 21 January 2005
  4. ↑ "Estimated Demographics of Rumbek County In 2004" (PDF). Docs.google.com. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
  5. ↑ "Estimated Town Population In 2011". Hereorthere.com. 2000-08-09. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
  6. ↑ "Rumbek Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 18, 2016.

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Rumbek.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rumbek.
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