More about Khartoum

Khartoum is the capital city of Sudan, a vast country in eastern North Africa that is the third largest in Africa. Sudan is bordered by Egypt in the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Ethiopia and Eritrea to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west and Libya to the northwest.

On a flight to Khartoum you will be landing in what are in effect three towns merged into one: Khartoum, Omdurman (known as Umm Durmān and the previous capital), and Khartoum North (called al-Khartūm Bahrī). The latter two areas are to the west of Khartoum and linked to it by bridges over the Nile. The tripartite capital sits at the confluence of the White Nile, which flows north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile, which flows west from Ethiopia.

Khartoum is the economic, political and cultural centre of the country.  An estimated 5 million people, or one-sixth of Sudan’s population, live in this fertile area. While Sudan has a long history dating back many millennia BC, Khartoum itself was not founded until 1821, by Ibrahim Pasha, the son of Egypt's then ruler, Muhammad Ali Pasha.
On a holiday in Khartoum you would be well advised to take note of its hot desert climate.

The Sudanese capital sees very little rain, usually in July and August, when summer temperatures can soar to above 50°C. For six months of the year, average high temperatures exceed 38 °C. However, temperatures fall considerably at night. The best times to travel to Khartoum are the cooler months from November to March.