Notes, Handouts & Materials:

Wordle:
The Geography of Sudan: Two Perspectives
Name: ______________________________
The Geography of Sudan: Two Perspectives
Darfur: Western Sudan
My name is Abit and I live in Darfur, the western desert of Sudan. My
family and I live in a small village that moves, depending on the season.
Because we live in the desert, there are very few water sources. Every
morning, my sisters wake up early and walk to the nearest well to gather
water, which is a long 2 mile walk. They make this trip almost 3 times a
day, which means they do not have the opportunity to go to school with
my brother and me. Their journey takes them almost 1 hour, every time
they make it. The walk back is even harder, because they must balance 2
gallon buckets on top of their heads without spilling any. We use this
water throughout the day to cook, clean and drink.
Because we do not have a lot of access to water, villages are spread out in
Darfur. We do not see a lot of other people for most of the year. In most of Darfur, wells normally go dry during
the winter months, causing people to live a nomadic lifestyle, meaning we move depending on the weather and
access to water. In the winter, my family travels to Western Darfur, where there are winter rains that allow grass
to grow. In this village, cows have food to eat, so we can celebrate at the end of the season by eating cow meat!
Sometimes, when the weather is dry, we cannot take care of our animals because the grass dies.
We depend on our cows for food and milk because the soil in Darfur is not very fertile (healthy) and many plants
do not grow. During terrible droughts (periods with no rain) we have lost our cows because we are forced to drink
the little water there is instead of sharing with our animals. Our lifestyle is difficult, but I love my land. My village
has always worked together to survive in the desert.
Khartoum- The Capital of Sudan
My name is Tazik and I live in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. The city of Khartoum is in
the desert. We have a really hot climate and we only get rain in July and August. We are one
the hottest cities in the world, with temperatures as a high as 127F in the summer. Luckily,
our city was built along the Nile, which we have depended on throughout our history for
water and transportation. Because most people also have running water, the Nile is piped
into our city. I hear in other regions, people must walk for miles just to find water.
Even though we live in the desert, the government in Khartoum uses the countrys money to
buy food from around the world. Unlike in the countryside, where everyone must grow
their own food, we have access to a variety of food in markets. However, some people in the
city cannot afford to buy food and many still starve or go hungry.
Our government is very powerful in Sudan. I have heard the leaders have
sent in militias (civilian fighters) to attack and murder entire villages in
Darfur, a western region that rebelled against our government. The leaders
have denied this and said it is not true, but I have seen pictures of the
janjaweed burning homes on horseback. The war always seemed distant
until a few years ago, when rebel groups (the Justice and Equality Movement)
actually came into the city and started to fire on government troops. They
were trying to overthrow the government, but it did not work. The rebel
groups were pushed back and many were killed. Luckily, my city is pretty
safe compared to the countryside, where most of the fighting happens.
Khartoum has a huge population, with over 5 million people living here. The
government uses most of the countrys wealth in the capital, so it is a very
nice city compared to the rest of the country. Many people in the countryside
think this is unfair, because they have far fewer resources and support from
our leaders. In Khartoum, many people have jobs in printing, glass making,
and weaving. There is a lot of oil in the South of Sudan, which we use to make plastic in our city. Oil is a resource
my entire country depends on because we sell it to other countries around the world, which makes my government
very rich. However, this wealth is not shared equally.
 Double Entry Journal

Evidence of differences between Darfur Evidence that demonstrates conflicts that are
(Western Sudan) and Khartoum (The Capital taking place in Darfur Western Sudan
of Sudan) Analysis: How does the evidence affect the
individuals within the society?
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