Khartoum State
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Khartoum State ولاية الخرطوم Wilāyat al-Ḫarṭūm |
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| State | |
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.svg) Location in Sudan. |
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| Coordinates: 15°47′N 32°43′E / 15.783°N 32.717°ECoordinates: 15°47′N 32°43′E / 15.783°N 32.717°E | |
| Country |
 Sudan
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| Region | Khartoum |
| Capital | Khartoum |
| Area | |
| • Total | 22,142 km2 (8,549 sq mi) |
| Population (2008 est.) | |
| • Total | 5,274,321 |
| Provisional census data contested in some parts of Sudan. | |
| Time zone | EAT (UTC+3) |
| ISO 3166-2 | SD-KH |
Khartoum State (Arabic: ولاية الخرطوم Wilāyat al-Ḫarṭūm) is one of the eighteen states of Sudan. Although it is the smallest state by area (22,142 km2), it is the most populous (5,274,321 in 2008 census). It contains the country's largest city by population, Omdurman, and the city of Khartoum, which is the capital of the state as well as the national capital of Sudan. The capital city contains offices of the state, governmental and non-governmental organizations, cultural institutions, and the main airport.
The city is located in the heart of Sudan at the confluence of the White Nile and the Blue Nile, where the two rivers unite to form the River Nile. The confluence of the two rivers creates a unique effect. As they join, each river retains its own color: the White Nile with its bright whiteness and the Blue Nile with its alluvial brown color. These colors are more visible in the flood season.
The state lies between longitudes 31.5 to 34 °E and latitudes 15 to 16 °N. It is surrounded by River Nile State in the north-east, in the north-west by the Northern State, in the east and southeast by the states of Kassala, Gedaref and Gezira, and in the west by North Kurdufan.
There are several etymologies for the name of Khartoum. The explanation suggested as "most correct" by the state government's website is that it comes from the Arabic for "elephant's trunk", which describes the shape of the site of the city at the confluence of the two Niles, where a stretch of land extends into the water. Other stories are that it is a corruption of "gurtoum", the name for seeds of the sunflower plant, supposedly used by Roman invaders at the current site of Khartoum to treat soldiers' wounds, or that it was derived from the words "Khor al-Tom".
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