Aweil is a city 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 the ...

and the capital of the

Northern Bahr el Ghazal Northern Bahr el Ghazal is a state in South Sudan. It has an area of 30,543 km² and is part of the Bahr el Ghazal region. It borders East Darfur in Sudan to the north, Western Bahr el Ghazal to the west and south, and Warrap and the ...

Location

Aweil is located in ''Aweil Centre County'', Aweil State, in northwestern South Sudan, near the International border with the

Republic of Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic ...

and the Abyei Region. This location lies approximately , by road, northwest of

Juba Juba () is the capital and largest city of South Sudan. The city is situated on the White Nile and also serves as the capital of the Central Equatoria State. It is the world's newest capital city to be elevated as such, and had a population ...

, the capital and largest city in the country. The coordinates of Aweil are: 8° 46' 02.00"N, 27° 23' 59.00"E (Latitude: 8.7671; Longitude: 27.3998).

Overview

Aweil is the capital city of

. It is also the county seat of ''Aweil Centre County''. The city's infrastructure is relatively developed. Aweil now has a functioning

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

, hotel, airport, soccer stadium, and a public hospital. The city functions as a team site for the

United Nations Mission in South Sudan The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is a United Nations peacekeeping mission for South Sudan, which became independent on 9 July 2011. UNMISS was established on 8 July 2011 by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1996 (201 ...

. Several

NGOs A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...

providing aid in

are based here. The topography is flat and is prone to flooding, although the city itself lies on higher ground that the surrounding plains. The city lies close to the confluence of the

Lol River The Lol River, or Loll River, is a stream in northern South Sudan that feeds the Bahr al-Arab, known locally as the Kiir River. Course The Lol River forms at the convergence of the Chel or Kuru River and the Magadhik River just west of Nyamle ...

with the Pongo River. The average elevation of the city of Aweil is about above sea level. During the rainy season, the plain-dwellers seek refuge on higher ground in the city of Aweil. Socially and economically vibrant, Aweil is one of the most peaceful cities within South Sudan's Ten States. Peace within the region has provided an economic boost, secondly most Aweilians remain unaffected by political decision making, they no longer have issues with cattle raiding and ethnic or tribal violence.

Demographic

The population of the Aweil city fluctuates. During the dry season, the population is lower as the plain-dwellers return to the plains to tend to their gardens and harvest their crops. When the rains come and the plains flood, they return to the city, to escape the raging waters. In November 2008,

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF; pronounced ), also known as Doctors Without Borders, is a humanitarian medical non-governmental organisation (NGO) or charity of French origin known for its projects in conflict zones and in countries affected by endemic diseases. ...

estimated the town's population at about 100,000, but there is no verified population figure.

Sports

Aweil is sporting town, it has many footballing clubs, it also has fans for Spanish major clubs such as Real Madrid and

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

Transport

Aweil has a

on the line to Wau built in the 1960s. After a period of disuse due to civil war damage, the line and the station were restored to use in 2010. The railway passes through Aweil South County to Wau. Aweil is served by Aweil Airport to Juba. In 2012 the local airline stopped flying.

Governance

The current governor of Northern Bhar El Ghazal state is Tong Akeen Ngor.

Education

University of Northern Bahr el Ghazal is located in eastern Mathiang residential area, just next to western UNMISS Compound.

Cathedral

Aweil is also the seat of an Anglican

Diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...

. Bishop

Abraham Nhial Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Jews ...

is the

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

of the Diocese of Aweil and the Cathedral is Holy Trinity Cathedral in Aweil, a medium-sized

building A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and fu ...

of brick contraction in the typical cross floorplan common to many churches in Africa.

Points of interest

The following points of interest are found in or near Aweil: * The headquarters of Aweil State Administration * The headquarters of Aweil Centre County Administration * The

teak Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters ( pan ...

plantation is planted in southern Aweil town, to the west of a railway that runs to wau; rumours circulating the city that the scheme belongs to Paul Malong Awan, the scheme is founded in 2016, for production of electricity-poles. * The women market was built in Hai-Salaam (Block of Peace) which lies to north-east of Aweil, in 2017 by UNDP prior to economic development and stabilisation programme which aims to address the multi-dimensional needs of people in the region. * The offices of Aweil Town Council * South Sudan Hotel - A private hospitality establishment * Aweil Railway Station * Aweil Airport * Aweil Civil Hospital - One of the only three referral hospitals in South Sudan * St. George Catholic Church - A place of worship * Aweil Rice Scheme * Aweil Soccer Field * University of Northern Bahr El-Ghazal * St. Mary's Girls Secondary School - A secondary school for girls, owned and administered by the Aweil Dioceses of the

Episcopal Church of the Sudan The Province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan, formerly known as Episcopal Church of Sudan, is a province of the Anglican Communion located in South Sudan. The province consists of eight Internal Provinces (each led by an archbishop) and 61 d ...

(ECS)

References

External links

*
Location of Aweil At Google Maps
* Aweil Students graduates Network {{Coord, 08, 46, 48, N, 27, 24, 00, E, display=title, region:SD_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki State capitals in South Sudan Populated places in Northern Bahr el Ghazal Bahr el Ghazal