Sudan is a republic in north-eastern Africa, the largest country of the African continent. It is bordered on the north by Egypt, on the east by the Red Sea, Eritrea, and Ethiopia, on the south by Kenya, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), and on the west by the Central African Republic, Chad, and Libya. Sudan has a total area of 2,505,800 sq km (967,500 sq mi). Khartoum is the capital and largest city. South Sudan became an independent state on 9 July 2011 (to be updated later)