Unity State
| Unity الوحدة | ||
|---|---|---|
| State | ||
| ||
 Location in South Sudan. | ||
| Coordinates: 9°0′N 29°42′E / 9.000°N 29.700°ECoordinates: 9°0′N 29°42′E / 9.000°N 29.700°E | ||
| Country |
 South Sudan | |
| Region | Greater Upper Nile | |
| No. of counties: | 9 | |
| Capital | Bentiu | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 37,836.69 km2 (14,608.83 sq mi) | |
| Population (2008 census) | ||
| • Total | 585,801 | |
| • Density | 15/km2 (40/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | EAT (UTC+3) | |
Unity, sometimes known as Western Upper Nile , was one of the 10 states of the African nation of South Sudan. Unity state is in the Greater Upper Nile region. It has an area of 38,837 square kilometres (14,995 sq mi). Unity is inhabited predominantly by two ethnic groups, the Nuer (majority) and the Dinka (minority).
Administrative divisions
The capital of Unity state is Bentiu. Before an administrative reorganization in 1994, Unity was part of a much larger province of Upper Nile, and the state is still sometimes called Western Upper Nile.
The counties of Unity are: Mayom, Rubkona, Panrieng, Leer, Guit, Koch, Abiemnom, Mayiendit, and Payinjiar.
The larger towns are Bentiu, Mayom and Leer.
Other towns are Riangnom, Rub-Koni, Yoynyang, Tam, Mankien, Wang-Kay, Koch, Nyal and Ganyiel.[1]
Economy
Agriculture is the state's primary economic activity. The people are nomadic agro-pastoralists who engage in both agriculture and rearing of livestock, especially cattle. Farming is conducted during the rainy season although some cultivation also occurs during summer. Vegetables are not widely cultivated as most farmers are rural rather than urban, and therefore lack access to markets for their produce. Some NGOs are introducing farmers to the practice of cultivation for market.
Oil fields
Southern Sudan's first oil reserves were discovered here during the 1970s. The international oil companies which engaged in oil exploration contributed to massive displacement of the indigenous population.[2]
In the state are some rich oilfields, including Unity oilfield and most of Block 5A. The Unity oilfield is within the largest hydrocarbon accumulation in the Muglad rift basin and contains an estimated 150,000,000 barrels (24,000,000 m3) of oil.[3]
The Greater Nile Oil Pipeline begins in the Unity oilfield.
See also
References
- ↑ "Unity State Map" (PDF). UN OCHA. 08/03/10. Retrieved 2011-09-14. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ Human Rights Watch , 'Sudan, oil, and human rights', www.hrw.org, November.
- ↑ NPA Group 2008, 'Sudan - Muglad Basin', www.npagroup.co.uk, 27 February. Retrieved on 5 March 2008.
External links
- USAID 2001, 'Sudan: Oil and gas concession holders' (map), University of Texas Library. (Map shows location of oil field. Note that state borders are out of date.)
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