James Baquet A friend of mine has traveled to many of the world’s countries, but he’s not sure exactly how many. Some places that he went to as a single country are now two or three different countries; and some separate countries he’s been to have merged into one. Countries are emerging or being subsumed into others regularly. While it’s a little hard to be sure, it seems that South Sudan, which separated from the Republic of Sudan in 2011, is by some measures the world’s newest country. Among other indicators, it holds participation in the United Nations and the African Union, and it has been recognized by over 130 other nations. It is located (as one would expect) to the south of the Republic of Sudan. It is also west of Ethiopia, northwest of Kenya, north of Uganda, southeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and east of the Central African Republic. English is the official language, and there are around 60 recognized national languages. A variety of Arabic, called South Sudanese or Juba Arabic (after the nation’s capital), serves as a lingua franca in Equatoria, a region that spreads across the south of the country and embraces the capital. (Equatoria, incidentally, is not right on the equator, but just a few degrees north of it.) Since 2013 — just two years after independence — the country has been involved in a civil war, first between the government and rebels, and later between rebel factions. According to one study, over 60 percent of the people are Christians, mainly Roman Catholic and Anglican; another one-third follow traditional African religions. Unusual for the region, Islam accounts for well under 10 percent. Understandably, the history of South Sudan is deeply intertwined with that of Sudan, though the two are geographically quite different. Sudan is part of the semi-arid Sahel, the transition zone between the Sahara Desert to the north and the Sudanian Savanna to the south. South Sudan is squarely sub-Saharan; the majority of the country is characterized by grasslands. Likewise, the population of Sudan is more typically Arabic, while tribal peoples dominate in South Sudan. Vocabulary: Which word above means: 1. includes, surrounds 2. opponents within a larger group 3. twisted together 4. exactly, undeniably 5. joined, connected 6. coming out 7. regarding the physical features of the earth’s surface 8. people fighting against their government 9. membership, joining 10. taken into, absorbed | 