It has a population of It was the largest country by area in Africa and the Arab League until the secession of South Sudan in , [13] since which both titles have been held by Algeria. Its capital is Khartoum and its most populated city is Omdurman part of metro Khartoum. Sudan's history goes back to the Pharaonic period , witnessing the Kingdom of Kerma c. After the fall of Kush, the Nubians formed the three Christian kingdoms of Nobatia , Makuria and Alodia , with the latter two lasting until around Between the 14th and 15th centuries, most of Sudan was settled by Arab nomads.
From the 16thโ19th centuries, central and eastern Sudan were dominated by the Funj sultanate , while Darfur ruled the west and the Ottomans the north. From the 19th century, the entirety of Sudan was conquered by Egypt under the Muhammad Ali dynasty. It was under Egyptian rule that Sudan acquired its modern borders, and began the process of political, agricultural, and economic development.
In , nationalist sentiment in Egypt led to the Orabi Revolt , "weakening" the power of the Egyptian monarchy, and eventually leading to the occupation of Egypt by the United Kingdom.
At the same time, religious-nationalist fervour in Sudan erupted in the Mahdist Revolt led by the self-proclaimed Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad , resulting in the establishment of the rebel Caliphate of Omdurman. The Mahdist forces were eventually defeated by a joint Egyptian-British military force, restoring the authority of the Egyptian monarch. However, Egyptian sovereignty in Sudan would henceforth be somewhat nominal, as the true power in both Egypt and Sudan was now the United Kingdom.
In , under British pressure, Egypt agreed to share sovereignty over Sudan with the United Kingdom as a condominium.
