Rumbek

Rumbek (Arabic: رمبك‎) is the capital of Lakes State, central South Sudan, and the former capital of the country.

Rumbek
City
A cattle camp in Rumbek
Rumbek
Location in South Sudan
Coordinates: 6.806°N 29.676°E / 6.806; 29.676
Country South Sudan
StateLakes State
CountyRumbek Central County
Elevation
406 m (1,332 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total32,100 Estimate
ClimateAw
Road alongside Rumbek Airstrip

Location

Rumbek is approximately 377 kilometres (234 mi) by road northwest of Juba, the capital and largest city in the country.[1] Its coordinates are 6.81°N 29.68°E / 6.81; 29.68 and its elevation is 420 metres (1,380 ft) above sea level.[2]

Overview

Rumbek is the headquarters of Rumbek Central County and is the capital of Western Lakes State,[3] one of the twenty eight (28) states of South Sudan. Following the peace agreement ending the Second Sudanese Civil War, the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement chose Rumbek to serve as the temporary administrative center of the Government of Southern Sudan.[4] Later, Juba was selected to become the permanent capital. Like most South Sudanese towns, Rumbek suffered significant infrastructural damage during the civil war, in which an estimated 2 million people perished.

Population

In 2004, the United Nations (OCHA) estimated the population of "Rumbek County" at about 82,500. At that time, the Dinka Agar constituted about 60% of the population, 30% were Dinka Gok, 6% were Bongo and 4% were Jur-Bel.[5] In 2011, the population of the town of Rumbek is estimated at about 32,100.[6]

Transportation

The town of Rumbek is situated on the main road (A43) from Juba to the southeast to Wau to the northwest. There are two smaller roads out of town; one to Yirol to the east and another to Durbuoni to the north. Since 2005, some of the roads have undergone repairs. Rumbek is also served by Rumbek Airport. The main construction contractor in Rumbek, working on both the roads and the airport is Civicon Limited.

Climate
Climate data for Rumbek (1961–1990)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 40.3
(104.5)		 42.8
(109.0)		 43.3
(109.9)		 42.2
(108.0)		 41.1
(106.0)		 38.2
(100.8)		 40.0
(104.0)		 36.7
(98.1)		 37.0
(98.6)		 39.5
(103.1)		 38.5
(101.3)		 39.1
(102.4)		 43.3
(109.9)
Average high °C (°F) 35.4
(95.7)		 37.4
(99.3)		 37.9
(100.2)		 36.4
(97.5)		 34.5
(94.1)		 32.8
(91.0)		 31.7
(89.1)		 31.7
(89.1)		 32.7
(90.9)		 33.8
(92.8)		 34.4
(93.9)		 34.8
(94.6)		 34.5
(94.1)
Daily mean °C (°F) 27.1
(80.8)		 28.9
(84.0)		 30.5
(86.9)		 29.7
(85.5)		 28.5
(83.3)		 27.3
(81.1)		 26.5
(79.7)		 26.5
(79.7)		 27.2
(81.0)		 27.5
(81.5)		 27.4
(81.3)		 26.7
(80.1)		 27.8
(82.0)
Average low °C (°F) 18.8
(65.8)		 20.5
(68.9)		 23.2
(73.8)		 23.0
(73.4)		 22.6
(72.7)		 21.8
(71.2)		 21.3
(70.3)		 20.9
(69.6)		 21.7
(71.1)		 21.3
(70.3)		 20.4
(68.7)		 18.5
(65.3)		 21.2
(70.2)
Record low °C (°F) 8.3
(46.9)		 14.5
(58.1)		 17.0
(62.6)		 18.0
(64.4)		 17.2
(63.0)		 16.4
(61.5)		 16.0
(60.8)		 17.0
(62.6)		 16.5
(61.7)		 16.8
(62.2)		 15.2
(59.4)		 11.0
(51.8)		 8.3
(46.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 0.4
(0.02)		 2.1
(0.08)		 17.6
(0.69)		 61.8
(2.43)		 117.3
(4.62)		 135.3
(5.33)		 144.0
(5.67)		 159.7
(6.29)		 130.1
(5.12)		 67.7
(2.67)		 11.7
(0.46)		 0.0
(0.0)		 847.7
(33.37)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 0.1 0.7 3.0 6.8 10.5 10.7 12.4 13.9 10.0 7.3 1.7 0.0 77.1
Average relative humidity (%) 37 31 40 52 64 69 73 74 71 68 56 43 56.5
Mean monthly sunshine hours 279.0 235.2 226.3 201.0 220.1 177.0 195.3 207.7 198.0 226.3 237.0 272.8 2,675.7
Percent possible sunshine 71 81 60 56 62 57 51 53 53 61 67 78 63
Source: NOAA[7]

Points of interest

The following points of interest are found in or near Rumbek:

  • The offices of Rumbek Town Council
  • The headquarters of Rumbek Central County
  • The headquarters of Lakes State Administration
  • Rumbek Holy Family Cathedral
  • Rumbek Freedom Square - An outdoor venue in the middle of town for public and civic gatherings
  • A branch of Kenya Commercial Bank (South Sudan)
  • A branch of Nile Commercial Bank
  • Salva Kiir Women International Hospital
  • Lakes State Hospital - A public hospital administered by the Lakes State Government
  • Rumbek Airport - A small airport with regular scheduled airline service and private air-charter providers
  • Rumbek University - One of four (4) public universities in South Sudan

Notable people
  • Samuel Aru Bol, politician (1929-2000)
  • Gordon Muortat Mayen, politician (1922-2008)
  • Manyang Mayom. Human Right Journalist. In August 2010 Mayom was awarded the Hellman/Hammett grant from Human Rights Watch award; HRW Banned, Censored, Harassed, and Jailed -Hellman/Hammett Grants Honor 42 Writers for Courage Facing Political Persecution. On 6 May 2013 Mayom was given an awarded by the South Sudan Red Cross for his coverage of the humanitarian situation in Jonglei state. Mayom was the first journalist to write direct to South Sudanese president Salva Kiir over youth being mistreated in military cell across South Sudan.
gollark: You would have to very precisely aim it and/or set up arrow relays.
gollark: Arrows would work maybe but low-bandwidth.
gollark: And you can use hopper/chest carts to store even more data.
gollark: minecarts would probably work.
gollark: MINECARTS AND RAILS (DISPENSERS FOR AUTOMATION)

See also

References
  1. "Estimated Road Distance Between Juba And Rumbek With Map". Distancecalculator.globefeed.com. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
  2. "Elevation of Rumbek Is 412 Meters Above Sea Level". En.allmetsat.com. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
  3. "Fuel shortage hits Western Lakes capital". Sudan Tribune. 23 June 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  4. South Sudan's unlikely capital, BBC, 21 January 2005
  5. "Estimated Demographics of Rumbek County In 2004". Docs.google.com. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
  6. "Estimated Town Population In 2011". Hereorthere.com. 2000-08-09. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
  7. "Rumbek Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
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