Unity State, also known as Western Upper Nile, is a

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

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 ...

. Unity state is in the

Greater Upper Nile The Greater Upper Nile is a region of northeastern South Sudan. It is named for the White Nile, a tributary of the Nile River in North and East Africa. History The Greater Upper Nile region seceded from the Republic of Sudan on 9 July 2011 alon ...

region. Unity is inhabited predominantly by two ethnic groups: the

Nuer Nuer may refer to: * Nuer people * Nuer language The Nuer language (Thok Naath) ("people's language") is a Nilotic language of the Western Nilotic group. It is spoken by the Nuer people of South Sudan and in western Ethiopia (region of Gamb ...

majority, and the

Dinka The Dinka people ( din, Jiɛ̈ɛ̈ŋ) are a Nilotic ethnic group native to South Sudan with a sizable diaspora population abroad. The Dinka mostly live along the Nile, from Jonglei to Renk, in the region of Bahr el Ghazal, Upper Nile (two out ...

minority. In 2015, a presidential decree established a new system of 28 states, replacing the previously established 10. Unity state was replaced by the states of Ruweng,

Northern Liech Northern Liech was a state in South Sudan that existed between 2 October 2015 and 22 February 2020. It was located in the Greater Upper Nile region and it bordered Ruweng to the north, Western Bieh to the east, Southern Liech to the south, Tonj ...

and

Southern Liech Southern Liech State was a state in South Sudan that existed between 2 October 2015 and 22 February 2020. It was located in the Greater Upper Nile region and it bordered Northern Liech to the north, Western Bieh to the east, Jonglei to the southea ...

. Unity State was re-established by a peace agreement signed on 22 February 2020 with smaller boundaries as the northern part of the former state became the

Ruweng Administrative Area The Ruweng Administrative Area is an administrative area in South Sudan. The area was known as Ruweng State between 2 October 2015 and 22 February 2020 when it was a state of South Sudan. History On 1 October 2015, President Salva Kiir issued ...

Administrative divisions

The capital of Unity state is Bentiu. Before an administrative reorganization in 1994, Unity was part of a much larger province of Upper Nile, and the state was sometimes called Western Upper Nile. The counties of Unity were: * Guit County *

Koch County Koch County is an administrative division of Unity State, 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 ...

* Leer County * Mayiandit County *

Mayom County Mayom County is an administrative region in Unity of South Sudan to the west of Bentiu. The county headquarters is Mayom town. Location Mayom County is in the northwest of Unity State. The largest town is Mayom. Other towns are Tam, Mankien ...

* Panyijar County *

Rubkona County Rubkona County is an administrative division of Unity State, South Sudan. The administrative center is the town of Rubkona, across the Bahr el Ghazal River from the state capital Bentiu and the town of Yoynyang, which are also in Rubkona County. ...

The larger towns were Bentiu, Mayom,

Rubkona Rubkona (or ''Rub Kona'', ''Rub-Koni'') is a town in Unity State, South Sudan. It lies on the northern bank of the Bahr el Ghazal River, connected via the ''El Salaam Bridge'' (The Peace Bridge) to the state capital, Bentiu. This bridge was bomb ...

and Leer. Other towns were Riangnom,

Rub-Koni Rubkona (or ''Rub Kona'', ''Rub-Koni'') is a town in Unity State, South Sudan. It lies on the northern bank of the Bahr el Ghazal River, connected via the ''El Salaam Bridge'' (The Peace Bridge) to the state capital, Bentiu. This bridge was bomb ...

, Yoahnyang, Tam,

Mankien Mankien (or Mankin) is a community in Unity state in South Sudan. With a key location near the oil fields, the town changed hands more than once during the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983-2005). In April 2011 the town was once again the scene of c ...

, Wang-Kay, Koch, Nyal and Ganyliel.

Economy

Agriculture was the state's primary economic activity. The people of the state were nomadic agro-pastoralists who engaged in both agriculture and rearing of livestock, especially cattle. Farming was conducted during the rainy season although some cultivation also occurs during summer. Vegetables were not widely cultivated as most farmers were rural rather than urban and therefore lacked access to markets for their produce. Some NGOs introduced farmers to the practice of cultivation for market.

Oil fields

Southern Sudan's first

oil reserves An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...

were discovered here during the 1970s. The international oil companies which engaged in oil exploration contributed to massive displacement of the indigenous population. In the state were some rich oilfields, including

Unity oilfield The Unity oil field is a major oil field in the Ruweng Administrative Area, South Sudan. It lies to the north of the state capital Bentiu in Rubkona County. The oil field, and the Heglig field further north, were discovered by Chevron Corporatio ...

and most of

Block 5A Block 5A is an oil concession in South Sudan. After oil field development began during the Second Sudanese Civil War, Block 5A was the scene of extensive fighting as rival militias struggled for control. Out of an original population of 240,000, a ...

. The Unity oilfield is within the largest hydrocarbon accumulation in the Muglad rift basin and contains an estimated of oil.NPA Group 2008
'Sudan - Muglad Basin'
, ''www.npagroup.co.uk'', 27 February. Retrieved 5 March 2008. The

Greater Nile Oil Pipeline The Greater Nile Oil Pipeline is an important oil export pipeline in Sudan. It extends for approximately of which approximately 1.8 kilometres is submarine. It was constructed by the Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company (GNPOC) and commence ...

begins in the Unity oilfield.

References

External links

* USAID 2001
'Sudan: Oil and gas concession holders' (map)
University of Texas Library. (Map shows location of oil field. Note that state borders are out of date.) {{South Sudan political divisions States of South Sudan Greater Upper Nile

Administrative divisions

Economy

Oil fields

See also

References

External links