Gezira ولاية الجزيرة Al Jazirah | |
|---|---|
 Boatman on theBlue Nile | |
 Seal | |
.svg) Location in Sudan | |
| Coordinates:14°30′N33°30′E / 14.500°N 33.500°E /14.500; 33.500 | |
| Country |  Sudan |
| Region | Butana |
| Capital | Wad Madani |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Al-Taher Ibrahim Al-Khair[2] |
| Area | |
• Total | 27,549 km2 (10,637 sq mi) |
| Population (2018) | |
• Total | 5,096,920[1] |
| • Rank | 2nd in Sudan (16%) |
| • Density | 179/km2 (460/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (CAT) |
| ISO 3166-2 | SD-GZ |
| HDI (2017) | 0.547[3] low |
| Website | http://www.gazirastate.gov.sd/ |
Gezira (Arabic:ولاية الجزيرة,romanized: Wilāyat Al Ǧazīra), also speltAl Jazirah,Al Jazeera andAl Jazira, is one of the 18states of Sudan. The state lies between theBlue Nile and theWhite Nile river in the east-central region of the country. The state has a population of 5,096,920 as of 2018,[4] and an area of 27,549 km2.[5]
The state's capital isWad Madani. Gezira is known as an irrigated cotton-producing state as it is a well-populated area that is suitable for agriculture. The state's name comes from theArabic word for island.
The region was once occupied by theKingdom of Kush. An indigenous Meroitic-speaking community lived in the Gezira.[6] The area was at the southern end ofNubia and little is known about its ancient history and only limited archaeological work has been conducted in this area. It was part of the kingdom ofAlodia for several centuries, and with that state's collapse in the early sixteenth century, it became the centre of theFunj Sultanate.
Katfia in Gezira was the place where theWad Habuba Revolt took place in April 1908. TheGezira Scheme was a program launched in 1925 to fostercotton farming. At that time theSennar Dam and numerousirrigationcanals were built. Al Jazirah became theSudan's major agricultural region with more than 10,000 square kilometres (2.5×10^6 acres) under cultivation.
The administrative state of Gezira was established on 1 July 1943, after theBlue Nile state was divided into three. The initial development project was semi-private, but the government nationalized it in 1950. Cotton production increased in the 1970s but by the 1990s increased wheat production has supplanted a third of the land formerly seeded with cotton.[7]
The ongoingWar in Sudan that begun in 2023 has caused a refugee crisis in the state, with an estimated 250,000 fleeing the state due to an offensive waged by the RSF on December 15, 2023 by December 18 of the same year.[8] The RSF took control of most of the state, including Wad Madani until11, January 2025, when the Sudanese army recaptured the state leaving RSF in control of very little areas in the northwest part of the state.
In October 2024, the state was affected by thewidespread massacres.[9]
The capital of Gezira isWad Madani.
The state is divided into sevendistricts, namely:
Populated places include:
Other villages include:
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