Eastern Equatoria is a

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

South Sudan South Sudan (), officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya; and on the ...

. It has an area of 73,472 km². The

capital city A capital city, or just capital, is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state (polity), state, province, department (administrative division), department, or other administrative division, subnational division, usually as its ...

Torit Torit is a city of Eastern Equatoria State in South Sudan. History On 18 August 1955, the Equatoria Corps mutinied at Torit, starting the First Sudanese Civil War. In 1964 the military government in Khartoum closed "all the Christian miss ...

. On October 1, 1972, the state was divided into Imatong and Namorunyang states and was re-established by a peace agreement signed on 22 February 2020. Louis Lobong Lojore is the current governor of Eastern Equatoria.

Geography

The state shares international borders with

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It 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 ...

in the south, with

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

in the south-east and with

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

in the north-east. Domestically, it is bordered by Central Equatoria in the west and Jonglei in the north. The Ilemi Triangle in the east, between Eastern Equatoria and Lake Turkana, is or has been disputed among all three abutting states (

and

Population

The state had 906,126 people in 2008 (32/sq mi). Eastern Equatoria state was home to several different ethnic groups. The Toposa, Jiye/Jie and Nyangathom live in the Kapeota counties in the east of the state. The Didinga, Dodoth and Boya live in Budi county around Chukudum. Further west, Lopa, Torit and Ikwoto counties are inhabited by the Ketebo, Otuho, Mokoyi Lopit, Lango, Pari, and 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, Madi, 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 * Kapoeta East County * Kapoeta North County * Kapoeta South County * Lafon County *

Magwi County Magwi County, also Magwe County, is a county in Eastern Equatoria, South Sudan. Location The county is located in Eastern Equatoria. It is bordered to the west and north by Juba County, by Torit County to the north east, by Ikotos County to ...

Torit County Torit County is an administrative region in Eastern Equatoria of South Sudan, with headquarters in the town of Torit, which is also the state capital. Location Torit County is located in Eastern Equatoria, in southeastern South Sudan, close to t ...

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 Dracunculus medinensis, Guinea worm (''Dracunculus medinensis).'' A person becomes infected by drinking Water pollution, water contaminated with Guinea-worm larv ...

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

Governors

Eastern Equatoria is the most mountainous state in South Sudan. People entirely depend on agriculture and livestock keeping. Whenever there's climate change, people in those areas are least likely to be affected.

References

External links

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