El-Obeid
El-Obeid
الأبيض | |
|---|---|
 Camels in El-Obeid (early 1960s) | |
  El-Obeid Location in Sudan (North Kurdufan state highlighted) | |
| Coordinates:13°11′N30°13′E/ 13.183°N 30.217°E | |
| Country |  Sudan |
| State | North Kordofan |
| Elevation | 609 m (1,998 ft) |
| Population (2012) | |
| • Total | 418,280[citation needed] |
| Time zone | GMT + 3 |
El-Obeid(Arabic:الأبيض,al-ʾAbyaḍ,lit."the White" ), alsoromanizedasAl-Ubayyid,is thecapitalof thestateofNorth Kurdufan,inSudan.
History and overview
[edit]El-Obeid was founded by thepashasofOttoman Egyptin 1821. It was attacked by theMahdistsin September 1882, and, after capitulation, was subsequently destroyed in 1883. It was then rebuilt on a modern plan in 1898, following the fall of the Mahdist empire.[1]
In 2008, its population was 340,940. It is an important transportation hub: the terminus of arail line,the junction of various national roads andcamelcaravanroutes, and the end of apilgrimroute fromNigeria.As regional commercial centre, it is known for products such asgum arabic,millet,oilseeds, and livestock.[2]
The population of El-Obeid today is majority Muslim, with a small Christian presence. The town is the site of anairportand an oil refinery. El-Obeid is home to theUniversity of Kordofan,one of the largest universities inSudan,established in 1990.[3]Since 1989, the city also has been home to a French Association (Alliance française) that serves as a Sudanese-French cultural centre in cooperation with the university's French language department.[4]
TheUnited Nations Mission in Sudanestablished its Logistics Base there.[5]
Due to the repair and paving of asphalt roads and the emergence of several private bus companies, transport became easier between the town and the Sudanese capital Khartoum. The 500 kilometres (310 mi) journey takes about nine hours by tourist coach, and another three hours from El-Obeid toUm KadadainDarfur.[6]
During theSudanese civil war,thecity has been under siege.In early September, theSudanese Armyhave recaptured the city. Tensions remain high at the grand market[7]
Geography
[edit]Climate
[edit]El-Obeid has ahot semi-desert climate(Köppen:BSh), bordering upon ahot desert climate(BWh), despite receiving over 400 millimetres or 16 inches of rain, owing to the extremely high potential evapotranspiration. Temperatures are coolest in December and January and are hottest from April to June. Awet seasonlasts from June to September with moderate rainfall and relatively high humidity. The period from November to April is almost completely dry, with very low humidity.[8]
| Climate data for El-Obeid (El Obeid Airport) (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1961–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 40.5 (104.9) |
43 (109) |
44.5 (112.1) |
45.8 (114.4) |
45 (113) |
43.7 (110.7) |
41 (106) |
40 (104) |
40 (104) |
42.3 (108.1) |
40 (104) |
38 (100) |
45.8 (114.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30.0 (86.0) |
32.7 (90.9) |
36.1 (97.0) |
39.1 (102.4) |
39.3 (102.7) |
37.7 (99.9) |
34.1 (93.4) |
32.3 (90.1) |
34.7 (94.5) |
36.8 (98.2) |
34.0 (93.2) |
30.9 (87.6) |
34.8 (94.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 21.8 (71.2) |
24.4 (75.9) |
27.8 (82.0) |
31.0 (87.8) |
32.0 (89.6) |
31.1 (88.0) |
28.6 (83.5) |
27.4 (81.3) |
28.5 (83.3) |
29.7 (85.5) |
26.4 (79.5) |
22.9 (73.2) |
27.6 (81.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 13.7 (56.7) |
16.1 (61.0) |
19.6 (67.3) |
22.9 (73.2) |
24.7 (76.5) |
24.5 (76.1) |
23.0 (73.4) |
22.5 (72.5) |
22.3 (72.1) |
22.6 (72.7) |
18.7 (65.7) |
14.9 (58.8) |
20.4 (68.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 4 (39) |
5 (41) |
9.7 (49.5) |
12.7 (54.9) |
16 (61) |
16 (61) |
11.5 (52.7) |
13.7 (56.7) |
14.9 (58.8) |
12.5 (54.5) |
8 (46) |
4.7 (40.5) |
4 (39) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 0.2 (0.01) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.00) |
4.8 (0.19) |
17.2 (0.68) |
39.0 (1.54) |
122.2 (4.81) |
139.9 (5.51) |
59.9 (2.36) |
17.7 (0.70) |
0.2 (0.01) |
0.0 (0.0) |
401.2 (15.80) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 1.9 | 3.2 | 8.3 | 9.9 | 5.8 | 2.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 32 |
| Averagerelative humidity(%) | 24 | 19 | 15 | 17 | 28 | 44 | 61 | 70 | 62 | 40 | 25 | 27 | 36 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 300.7 | 266.0 | 272.8 | 264.0 | 241.8 | 228.0 | 195.3 | 192.2 | 225.0 | 272.8 | 303.0 | 310.0 | 3,071.6 |
| Source:NOAA[8] | |||||||||||||
Sports
[edit]As of 2015, theSudanese Premier LeagueteamAl-Hilal SC (Al-Ubayyid)plays in El-Obeid.
Religion
[edit]The town is predominantlyMuslim.However, it is also the seat of aRoman Catholic Diocese,which is the only other one in Sudan next to Khartoum since thepartitionin 2011,[9]and of anAnglicanBishopric.[10]
The CatholicCathedral of Our Lady Queen of Africain El-Obeid is considered to be one of the largest and oldest churches in Sudan.[11]It was founded in 1872 byDaniele Comboni,anItalianRoman Catholicbishop,who worked for theCatholic missionsin Sudan between 1858 and his death in Khartoum in 1881. The present building was constructed between 1961 and 1964 in Italian style.[12]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911)..Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 9 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 297.
- ^"Al-Ubayyiḍ | Sudan".Encyclopedia Britannica.Retrieved2020-12-23.
- ^"Member Universities".Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-09-30.Retrieved2011-09-17.
- ^Hassan, Faiz."The French Center in El Obeid: 30 Years of Cultural Programming".Andariya.Retrieved2020-12-25.
- ^UNMIS homepage
- ^"Khartoum to Darfur – a road trip of rediscovery for Radio Dabanga".Radio Dabanga.Retrieved2020-12-25.
- ^"Sudan: North Kordofan's El Obeid Besieged but Electricity Restored".Dabanga.2023-06-14.Retrieved2023-06-17.
- ^ab"World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — El-Obeid".National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.RetrievedJanuary 21,2024.
- ^"Pope Francis appoints new Bishop for Sudan's El-Obeid diocese - Sudan Tribune: Plural news and views on Sudan".sudantribune.com.Retrieved2020-12-23.
- ^Office, Anglican Communion."Anglican Communion: Diocese".Anglican Communion Website.Retrieved2020-12-24.
- ^Hassan, Faiz."Religious Coexistence in Al Obied".Andariya.Retrieved2020-12-23.
- ^Omer, Khaled."The Art of Architecture in El Obeid".Andariya.Retrieved2020-12-24.
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