Northeast Africa is home to the Republic of the Sudan, which borders seven of its nearest
neighbours in the region, as well as the Red Sea on its eastern side. It has a population of
fifty million and is among the largest countries by area in both the Arab League and on the
African continent. The Sudanese region can be cited as being a part of more than a dozen
ancient cultures, dating back through tens of thousands of years. Its capital, Khartoum,
stands at the confluence of the Blue and White Nile rivers and the city is picturesquely
linked by bridges as a result. The city is an economic and trading hub of the region.