Eastern Equatoria is a state in

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of th ...

. It has an area of 73,472 km². The capital is Torit. On October 1, 1972, the state was divided into Imatong and

Namorunyang Namorunyang is a village and ''Payam'' of Kapoeta South County in Namorunyang State, South Sudan. There has been a long history of conflict between the Toposa of Namorunyang and Bunio and the Didinga of Budi County. The Toposa are purely pasto ...

states and was re-established by a peace agreement signed on 22 February 2020.

Geography

The state shares international borders with

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The ...

in the south, with

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

in the south-east and with

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

in the north-east. Domestically, it is bordered by

Central Equatoria Central Equatoria is a state in South Sudan. With an area of , it is the smallest of the original South Sudanese states. Its previous name was Bahr al-Jabal (also Bahr-el-Jebel), named after a tributary of the White Nile that flows through the ...

in the west and Jonglei in the north. The Ilemi Triangle in the east, between Eastern Equatoria and

Lake Turkana Lake Turkana (), formerly known as Lake Rudolf, is a lake in the Kenyan Rift Valley, in northern Kenya, with its far northern end crossing into Ethiopia. It is the world's largest permanent desert lake and the world's largest alkaline lake. B ...

, is or has been disputed among all three abutting states (

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

and

Population

Peace agreement dancers in Kapoeta, Sudan

The state had 906,126 people in 2008 (32/sq mi). Eastern Equatoria state was home to several different ethnic groups. The Toposa, Jie and Nyangathom live in the Kapeota counties in the east of the state. The Didinga, Dodoth and

Boya Boya may refer to: * Boya, Western Australia * Boya, Nepal *Boya people, an ethnic group in Sudan * Boyar caste, Boyar caste of India * Mireia Boya Busquet (born 1979), Spanish scientist and politician *Pierre Boya Pierre Boya (born 16 January 1 ...

live in Budi county around Chukudum. Further west, Lopa, Torit and Ikwoto counties are inhabited by the Otuho, Mokoyi Lopit, Lango, Pari, and

Tenet A tenet is a synonym for axiom, one of the principles on which a belief or theory is based. Tenet may also refer to: Media * Tenet (band), a heavy metal band * TENET (ensemble), an American early music vocal and instrumental group * ''Tenet'' ( ...

people who inhabit a portion of the lopit hills after they split from Didinga and Murle early in the 19th century and Lokoya of Lowoi. The

Acholi Acholi may refer to: * Acholi people, a Luo nation of Uganda, in the Northern part of the country. * Acholi language Acholi (also Leb Acoli, or Leb Lwo) is a Southern Luo dialect spoken by the Acholi people in the districts of Gulu, Kitgum an ...

Madi Madi may refer to: Places * Madi, Chitwan, a municipality in Chitwan District in Nepal * Madi Municipality, Sankhuwasabha, a municipality in Sankhuwasabha District in Nepal * Madi Rural Municipality, Rolpa, a rural municipality in Rolpa Distric ...

, Iwire and Ofiriha people live in the westernmost Magwi county. Most of the inhabitants of Eastern Equatoria live by subsistence farming, and also raise cattle, sheep and goats. Some of the crops are sold, while most are consumed locally. The Didinga Hills in Budi county have rich and fertile soil that is used for cultivation of tobacco, potatoes, maize, and Dura.

Government

The executive head of the State was the Governor, who was elected. The Governor was appointing ministers, advisors, and the Executive Directors to the Counties. The Counties in turn, were ruled by the democratically elected Local Government Councils headed by the County Commissioner The state legislature was elected, with the first elections being held in April 2010.

Administrative divisions

Eastern Equatoria, like other states in South Sudan, was sub-divided into counties. These were further divided into Payams, then Bomas. Each county was headed by a County Commissioner, elected by the people of a County as the head of the local government in the County. Counties were originally larger, but were subdivided in part to ensure that the different communities have full representation. Thus Torit County was subdivided into Torit, Lopa and Ikwotos counties, and Greater Kapoeta was divided into Budi County and Kapoeta county, which in turn was divided into Kapoeta North, South and East counties. Counties as of 2020 were: * Budi County *

Ikotos County Ikotos County was an administrative area in the Eastern Equatoria state of South Sudan with headquarters in the town of Ikotos. The people, who live in the former county's area by subsistence agriculture and cattle herding, are poverty-stricken. ...

* Kapoeta East County * Kapoeta North County * Kapoeta South County *

Lafon County Lafon is a county in Eastern Equatoria State of South Sudan. The largest town is Lafon. Economy As of 2007,most roads in the county were in poor conditions and movement was difficult in the rainy season. Water was shortage in the county due ...

Magwi County Magwi County, also Magwe County, is a county in Eastern Equatoria, South Sudan. Location The county is located in Eastern Equatoria. It was earlier located in Eastern Equatoria State, in southern South Sudan. It is bordered to the west and nort ...

* Torit County

Health

, this was one of the last areas in the world where cases of

Guinea worm disease Dracunculiasis, also called Guinea-worm disease, is a parasitic infection by the Guinea worm, ''Dracunculus medinensis''. A person becomes infected by drinking water containing water fleas infected with guinea worm larvae. The worms penetrate t ...

are found, with twelve of the 17 reported cases occurring "in one small pocket of Eastern Equatoria State," according to NPR.

Governors

References

External links

Equatorians Abroad Video of Equatorians Abroad
{{South Sudan political divisions States of South Sudan