North Kordofan

North Kordofan

شمال كردفان
Šamāl Kurdufān
North Kordofan شمال كردفان Šamāl Kurdufān
State
	Postcard featuring camels in El-Obeid (1966)
	Seal
	Location in Sudan.
	Coordinates: 14°22′N 29°32′E / 14.367°N 29.533°E
Country	Sudan
Region	Kordofan
Capital	El-Obeid
Government
• Governor	Vacant
Area
• Total	185,302 km2 (71,546 sq mi)
Population (2018)
• Total	3,174,029
Time zone	UTC+2 (CAT)
HDI (2017)	0.463; low

North Kordofan (Arabic: شمال كردفان, romanized: Šamāl Kurdufān) is one of the 18 wilayat or states of Sudan. It has an area of 185,302 km² and an estimated population of 3,174,029 people (2018 est). El-Obeid is the capital of the state.

North Kordofan is generally arid and desert.^{[citation needed]}

History

For centuries, North Kordofan was inhabited by nomads and pastoralists, mainly the Dar Hamid, Dar Hamar, Guamaa, Kababish, Bideriya, Shwehat and including the Yazeed tribes.^{[citation needed]} The area has had almost continuous drought since the mid-1960s. Deforestation led to the destruction of the natural vegetation. NGOs working in the villages of Sudan tried to rectify the damage. They set up women's centres. These centres allowed many women gain an income. Training was introduced and a solar energy system set up. NGOs recognise that a need exists for longer projects requiring the kind of support that only can come from governments and large agencies.^{[citation needed]}

The singer Hawa Al-Tagtaga was from the region.^[3]