Where the heck am I going?

Hello friends and family,
OK, so the first big question is: Where is Sudan?
Sudan is in Africa, just below Egypt (its one of the light green countries on this map). Its the largest country in Africa, and it is roughly the size of Europe.

Full name: Republic of Sudan
Population: 43.2 million (UN, 2010)
Capital: Khartoum
Area: 2.5 million sq km (966,757 sq miles)
Major languages: Arabic, English (official), others
Major religions: Islam, Christianity, Animism
Life expectancy: 58 years (men), 61 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: Sudanese pound
Main exports: Oil, cotton, sesame, livestock and hides, gum arabic
GNI per capita: US $1,220 (World Bank, 2009)
-BBC has a country profile of Sudan: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/820864.stm

The CIA World Fact Book provides a nice summary of Sudanese history and background as well as an explanation of its geography etc.: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/su.html

Also, I recommend this book if anyone wants to read further:

http://www.amazon.com/Sudan-Darfur-Failure-African-State/dp/0300162731

So, next question: where will I be in Sudan? I will be living in Southern Sudan in the State of Western Equatoria, on the border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in a town called Yambio.

World Vision has some information on their website about their work in Sudan: http://www.wvafrica.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=152&Itemid=169

Yambio is 4 degrees north of the equator. Its apparently hot and sticky and tropical.
Because of its proximity to the equator, days are basically 12 hours long all year. And, I just learned (thank you Darren) that dawn and dusk only last a few minutes each.
Check out this link, then look up California or for an even better contrast somewhere in Scandinavia. http://www.gaisma.com/en/location/yambio.html

That's it for now. Expect more entertaining posts to come.
Love, J