Sudan

Khartoum is the capital of Sudan, situated at the dramatic confluence of the White Nile and Blue Nile, which makes it the country’s political and economic hub. Along with Omdurman and Khartoum North, it forms a major tri-city area. Khartoum has served as Sudan’s seat of government since the 19th century and after independence in 1956. While recent conflict has shifted some administrative functions to Port Sudan, Khartoum remains the recognized capital. To remember it, think “Khar-two-m” for the two Niles meeting at the city’s heart. The distractors are nearby capitals: Mogadishu is in Somalia, Addis Ababa is Ethiopia’s capital and home to the African Union, and Juba is the capital of South Sudan, which split from Sudan in 2011.