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Until 2011, Sudan was one country - the largest country in Africa. Muslim Arabs live in northern Sudan, while Africans live in the south. The people in the South are mostly Christian or follow traditional African faiths. Many speak English. Religious and cultural differences between the two groups have led to years of conflict. During almost 40 years of war, 2.5 million people died from drought and starvation.

The country finally decided to split the north and south in an attempt to gain peace. Today, both countries are struggling to emerge from the years of conflict. Sudan and South Sudan remain among the poorest countries on Earth. Many people belong to nomadic tribes that move their cattle from place to place. Most of the pastureland was destroyed during the wars. Conflicts between tribes are common, even now that the country has been split.

Fun Facts about Sudan and South Sudan for Kids

Sudan has a population of 34 million; South Sudan has a population of 8.3 million.

Sudan has a land area of 718,722 square miles; South Sudan includes 248,777 square miles.

The official language of Sudan is Arabic; most people in South Sudan speak English.

The life expectancy in Sudan is 58 years. Besides a lack of clean water and food, Sudan has approximately one doctor for every 10,000 people. Most people never see a doctor. Many children die before they reach the age of five.

Sudan and South Sudan Vocabulary

All About Sudan and South Sudan Video for Kids

Watch this awesome Sudan and South Sudan video for kids:

This is a video documentary of the culture in South Sudan and how they plan to preserve it.

Sudan and South Sudan Q&A

Question: Is religion the only reason the people in Sudan and South Sudan fight with one another?

Answer: Religion actually plays a small role in the conflict. Sudan is a harsh desert with few resources. Imagine if you lived in a place where there wasn't enough food or water to go around. You might feel like fighting other people so your family could survive. In Sudan, many of the conflicts in the past have been over water and pastureland. Today, conflicts still arise over these issues, as well as oil. South Sudan has many oil reserves. Sudan has oil refineries to process the oil. The two countries need each other, but Sudan keeps most of the money made from selling oil. Naturally, this angers people in South Sudan.

Map of Sudan and South Sudan

Here's a map of the countries of Sudan and South Sudan and all its cities and villages. Zoom in to get into street level or zoom out to see other countries around Sudan and South Sudan! You can see the terrain, but also see the roads, images of the buildings and even take a 3D tour through the streets of the cities of Sudan and South Sudan, as though you are actually there!

Enjoyed the Easy Earth Science for Kids Website all about Sudan and South Sudan info? Take the FREE & fun all about Sudan and South Sudan quiz and download FREE Sudan and South Sudan worksheet for kids. For lengthy info click here.

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Until 2011, Sudan was one country - the largest country in Africa. Muslim Arabs live in northern Sudan, while Africans live in the south. The people in the South are mostly Christian or follow traditional African faiths. Many speak English. Religious and cultural differences between the two groups have led to years of conflict.

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1. Divide students into small groups and have them mark the migration journey of the Lost Boys.
Make sure each group has one set of outline maps of Sudan, Africa, the world, and the United States. Ask groups to mark the routes the Lost Boys took. List each route on the board:

Dinka homelands in southern Sudan to refugee camps in western Ethiopia

refugee camps in western Ethiopia, across the border into Sudan, and to Kakuma refugee camp in northwestern Kenya

Kakuma, Kenya to Nairobi, Kenya

Nairobi, Kenya to Brussels, Belgium

Brussels, Belgium to New York City

2. Introduce the vocabulary word and have students add routes to their maps.
Explain to students that the vocabulary word diaspora refers to the migration of a people away from an established homeland, or the displacement of a people. Tell students that the Lost Boys have settled in eighteen states in the United States, including: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. Have students add routes from New York City to those states.

3. In small groups, have students use the MapMaker Interactive to create geo-tours of the Lost Boys' journey.
Have small groups load the MapMaker Interactive. First, have students save a map for their group to work on. Then, ask students to construct a geo-tour of the different segments of the Lost Boys' journey using bookmarks, labels, drawing tools, and markers.
4. Discuss the hazards and physical challenges of the routes.
Have a whole-class discussion about the hazards and physical challenges of the routes, including drought, wildlife, and food sources.

5. Have students make predications about the challenges of displacement.
Discuss the challenges of displacement, including retaining culture, traditions, language, and other factors that are tied to a people's homeland.

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1. Divide students into small groups and have them mark the migration journey of the Lost Boys. Make sure each group has one set of outline maps of Sudan, Africa, the world, and the United States. Ask groups to mark the routes the Lost Boys took.

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But still, refugees face huge adjustments when they move to Utah. For a child living in a war-torn country or a refugee camp, education probably wasn't nearly as important as getting somewhere safe or meeting daily needs like food and water.

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This lists the logos of programs or partners of NG Education which have provided or contributed the content on this page. Program

Directions Objectives Preparation Background & Vocabulary

1. Pre-teach the vocabulary.
Pre-teach relevant vocabulary, including human migration , immigrant, emigrant, refugee, and resettlement.

2. Build background.
Ask students if they're familiar with Peter Pan's Lost Boys-characters in the J.M. Barrie novel Peter Pan who formed a family and took care of each other in Never-Never Land. Explain that there is a group of over 25,000 young Dinka men who ran away from a civil war. These young men trekked across sub-Saharan Africa in search of safety, and eventually found homes in the United States. Relief workers called them the "Lost Boys" after the characters in the J.M. Barrie novel, and the media picked up on this; the group is now known collectively as "The Lost Boys of Sudan." Review the vocabulary in this new context.

3. Have students locate Sudan on the map.
Ask students to locate Sudan on a wall map of the world. Point out northern and southern Sudan. Point out the homeland of the Dinka-in southern Sudan along the White Nile. Ask: What physical aspects of Sudan contribute to civil unrest? What cultural aspects of Sudan contribute to civil unrest? Explain to students that Sudan's second civil war was caused by conflicts between northern and southern Sudan over oil and religion. Go to National Geographic's Sudan Facts page and invite volunteers to take turns reading aloud the information. Then discuss the historical, cultural, and geographic factors that contributed to Sudan's civil war and some of the consequences the civil war-which lasted over twenty years-had on Sudan and its peoples, including orphaned children, violence, famine, and disease.

4. Introduce the film God Grew Tired of Us and the excerpt students will watch.
Explain to students that the film documents the story of the Lost Boys of Sudan as they fled civil war, spent a decade growing up in a Kenyan refugee camp, and were eventually resettled in the United States. Tell students that they will see an excerpt, called "From Sudan to the United States." The excerpt includes stories from the Kakuma refugee camp. If possible, show students the full film, God Grew Tired of Us, during class time. If you do not have enough time, encourage students to watch the film at home on their own.

5. Have students watch the excerpt and write about it.
Show students the excerpt and have them list their questions about the video and its content as they watch. Then ask students to write a brief summary describing who the Lost Boys are and what they experienced. Students' summaries should include:

why the Lost Boys had to flee Sudan

reasons they could not stay in Ethiopia

what life was like in the refugee camp

what new things the Lost Boys experienced on the journey from Kenya to the U.S.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

define vocabulary terms

explain who the Lost Boys of Sudan are and how they got that name

locate northern Sudan, southern Sudan, and the Dinka homeland on a world map

describe the experiences of the Lost Boys in Sudan and after they fled Sudan

Teaching Methods

Discussions

Hands-on learning

Visual instruction

Writing

Skills Summary

This activity targets the following skills:

Critical Thinking Skills

Geographic Skills

Connections to National Standards, Principles, and Practices

National Council for Social Studies Curriculum Standards

National Geography Standards

Standard 13: How the forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control of Earth's surface

Standard 9: The characteristics, distribution, and migration of human populations on Earth's surface

What You'll Need

Materials You Provide

Paper

Pencils

Pens

Wall map of the world

Required Technology

Internet Access: Required

Tech Setup: 1 computer per classroom, Projector, Speakers

Plug-Ins: Flash

Physical Space

Grouping

Background Information

The Lost Boys of Sudan are a group of Dinka youth who fled civil war in their native country, spent a decade growing up in a Kenyan refugee camp, and were eventually resettled in the United States. The Dinka are the largest ethnic group in southern Sudan.

Recommended Prior Activities

Vocabulary

Websites

Credits

Media Credits

The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.

Editor

Christina Riska Simmons

Educator Reviewer

Jeanne Wallace-Weaver, Educational Consultant

Sources

adapted from the National Geographic Xpeditions lessons "God Grew Tired of Us: Migration and Cultural Interaction" and "God Grew Tired of Us: Culture Clash and Community-Building"

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Text

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Christina Riska Simmons

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This lists the logos of programs or partners of NG Education which have provided or contributed the content on this page. Program Directions Objectives Preparation Background & Vocabulary 1. Pre-teach the vocabulary. Pre-teach relevant vocabulary, including human migration , immigrant , emigrant , refugee , and resettlement . 2. Build background.