Why it's the capital
In 2005 Juba became the seat of the autonomous government of Southern Sudan. When South Sudan declared independence on 9 July 2011, Juba became the capital of the new country.
Juba
Capital of South SudanJuba stands on the White Nile in the far south of South Sudan, about 550 m above sea level. It is also the capital of Central Equatoria State.
Fun facts
- The city was built on the site of a small Bari village that was also called Juba.
- The explorers Samuel and Florence Baker used the nearby island of Gondokoro as a base for their expeditions in the 1860s and 1870s.
- Juba Bridge, a steel Bailey bridge made from ready-made parts, carries traffic over the White Nile.
Finding it on the globe
Follow the White Nile upstream, south from Khartoum, through South Sudan. Juba is on the river near the country's southern edge, about 200 km by road from the border with Uganda.
Easy to mix up
Sudan and South Sudan are different countries. Juba is the capital of South Sudan, while Khartoum, much farther north on the Nile, is the capital of Sudan.
Sources: Wikipedia: Juba, Wikipedia: Central Equatoria, Wikipedia: White Nile, Wikipedia: Nimule