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a geographical statistic
Jul. 9th, 2011 07:51 amNews reports are recounting the formal splitting of the Sudan, invariably described as the (geographically) largest country in Africa. So, if it was, is it still?
(Reference to old joke about a Texan disgruntled at his state's displacement by Alaska as the largest in the U.S. Texan says Alaska ought to be split in two. Reply: Oh, no, you don't want that. Then there'd be two states larger than Texas.)
Answer: no. Unsplit Sudan was 967.5 thousand sq m. Rump Sudan is 728.2, making it smaller than Algeria (919.6) and The Country Formerly Known As Zaire (905.6), though larger than Libya (679.4), its only other near competitor. South Sudan is 239.3, making it the 20th largest on the continent.
(Reference to old joke about a Texan disgruntled at his state's displacement by Alaska as the largest in the U.S. Texan says Alaska ought to be split in two. Reply: Oh, no, you don't want that. Then there'd be two states larger than Texas.)
Answer: no. Unsplit Sudan was 967.5 thousand sq m. Rump Sudan is 728.2, making it smaller than Algeria (919.6) and The Country Formerly Known As Zaire (905.6), though larger than Libya (679.4), its only other near competitor. South Sudan is 239.3, making it the 20th largest on the continent.
