Wau (Wau)
Wau (Arabic: واو Wāw; also known as Wow, Waw, or Wau Town) is a city in northwestern South Sudan, on the western bank of the Jur River, that serves as capital for Western Bahr el Ghazal (and formerly Wau State). It lies approximately 650 km northwest of the capital Juba. A culturally, ethnically and linguistically diverse urban center and trading hub, Wau is also the former headquarters of Western Bahr el Ghazal.
Wau was initially established by the French as Fort Desaix and later was established as a zariba (fortified base) by slave-traders in the 19th century. During the time of condominium rule, the city became an administrative center.
One of the first insurgent Anyanya attacks on the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) took place on the Wau barracks in January 1964.
During the Second Sudanese Civil War, Wau remained a SAF garrison town. It was the scene of extensive fighting in the spring of 1998. Battles erupted again in the town in the spring of 1980s, killing several hundred people. This forced the Dinka in Wau to seek safety in the eastern side of Wau. The Dinka were said to have migrated to the state today known as Warrap.
In 2010, the Ministry of Housing, Physical Planning and Environment proposed to reshape the city as a giraffe.
Wau was initially established by the French as Fort Desaix and later was established as a zariba (fortified base) by slave-traders in the 19th century. During the time of condominium rule, the city became an administrative center.
One of the first insurgent Anyanya attacks on the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) took place on the Wau barracks in January 1964.
During the Second Sudanese Civil War, Wau remained a SAF garrison town. It was the scene of extensive fighting in the spring of 1998. Battles erupted again in the town in the spring of 1980s, killing several hundred people. This forced the Dinka in Wau to seek safety in the eastern side of Wau. The Dinka were said to have migrated to the state today known as Warrap.
In 2010, the Ministry of Housing, Physical Planning and Environment proposed to reshape the city as a giraffe.
Map - Wau (Wau)
Map
Country - South_Sudan
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| Flag of South Sudan | |
South Sudan gained independence from Sudan on 9 July 2011, making it the most recent sovereign state or country with widespread recognition as of 2023. It includes the vast swamp region of the Sudd, formed by the White Nile and known locally as the Bahr al Jabal, meaning "Mountain River". Sudan was occupied by Egypt under the Muhammad Ali dynasty and was governed as an Anglo-Egyptian condominium until Sudanese independence in 1956. Following the First Sudanese Civil War, the Southern Sudan Autonomous Region was formed in 1972 and lasted until 1983. A second Sudanese civil war soon broke out in 1983 and ended in 2005 with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Later that year, southern autonomy was restored when an Autonomous Government of Southern Sudan was formed. South Sudan became an independent state on 9 July 2011, following 98.83% support for independence in a January 2011 referendum. It has suffered ethnic violence and endured a civil war characterized by rampant human rights abuses, including various ethnic massacres and killings of journalists by various parties to the conflict from December 2013 until February 2020, when competing combat leaders Salva Kiir Mayardit and Riek Machar struck a unity deal and formed a coalition government, paving the way for refugees to return home.
Currency / Language
| ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSP | South Sudanese pound | £ | 2 |
| ISO | Language |
|---|---|
| EN | English language |