Rumbek
Town in Lakes State, South Sudan
title: "Rumbek" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["rumbek", "state-capitals-in-south-sudan", "populated-places-in-lakes-state", "rumbek-centre-county"] description: "Town in Lakes State, South Sudan" topic_path: "general/rumbek" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumbek" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Town in Lakes State, South Sudan ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| official_name | |
| settlement_type | City |
| motto | |
| image_skyline | Cattle Herders at Cattle Camp in Rumbek, South Sudan.jpg |
| imagesize | 300px |
| image_caption | A cattle camp in Rumbek |
| pushpin_map | South Sudan |
| pushpin_label_position | bottom |
| pushpin_map_caption | Location in South Sudan |
| coordinates | |
| subdivision_type | Country |
| subdivision_name | South Sudan |
| subdivision_type1 | Region |
| subdivision_name1 | Bahr el Ghazal |
| subdivision_type2 | State |
| subdivision_name2 | Lakes State |
| subdivision_type3 | County |
| subdivision_name3 | Rumbek Centre County |
| subdivision_name4 | |
| leader_title1 | |
| established_title | |
| established_title2 | |
| established_title3 | |
| established_date3 | |
| founder | Alphonse de Malzac (1858) |
| area_total_km2 | |
| area_land_km2 | |
| area_blank1_sq_mi | |
| population_as_of | 2011 |
| population_total | 32100 Estimate |
| population_blank1_title | Ethnicities |
| population_blank2_title | Religions |
| population_density_blank1_sq_mi | |
| timezone | CAT |
| utc_offset | +2 |
| elevation_footnotes | |
| elevation_m | 406 |
| elevation_ft | |
| postal_code_type | |
| blank_name | Climate |
| blank_info | Aw |
| :: |
| official_name = Rumbek | other_name = | native_name = | nickname = | settlement_type = City | motto = | image_skyline = Cattle Herders at Cattle Camp in Rumbek, South Sudan.jpg | imagesize = 300px | image_caption = A cattle camp in Rumbek | image_flag = | flag_size = | image_seal = | seal_size = | image_shield = | shield_size = | image_blank_emblem = | blank_emblem_type = | blank_emblem_size = | image_map = | mapsize = | map_caption = | image_map1 = | mapsize1 = | map_caption1 = | image_dot_map = | dot_mapsize = | dot_map_caption = | dot_x = | dot_y = | pushpin_map = South Sudan | pushpin_label_position = bottom | pushpin_map_caption = Location in South Sudan | coordinates = | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = South Sudan | subdivision_type1 = Region | subdivision_name1 = Bahr el Ghazal | subdivision_type2 = State | subdivision_name2 = Lakes State | subdivision_type3 = County | subdivision_name3 = Rumbek Centre County | subdivision_type4 = | subdivision_name4 = | government_footnotes = | government_type = | leader_title = | leader_name = | leader_title1 = | leader_name1 = | leader_title2 = | leader_name2 = | leader_title3 = | leader_name3 = | leader_title4 = | leader_name4 = | established_title = | established_date = | established_title2 = | established_date2 = | established_title3 = | established_date3 = | founder = Alphonse de Malzac (1858) | area_magnitude = | area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = | area_land_km2 = | area_water_km2 = | area_total_sq_mi = | area_land_sq_mi = | area_water_sq_mi = | area_water_percent = | area_urban_km2 = | area_urban_sq_mi = | area_metro_km2 = | area_metro_sq_mi = | area_blank1_title = | area_blank1_km2 = | area_blank1_sq_mi = | population_as_of = 2011 | population_footnotes = | population_note = | population_total = 32100 Estimate | population_density_km2 = | population_density_sq_mi = | population_metro = | population_density_metro_km2 = | population_density_metro_sq_mi = | population_urban = | population_density_urban_km2 = | population_density_urban_sq_mi = | population_blank1_title = Ethnicities | population_blank1 = | population_blank2_title = Religions | population_blank2 = | population_density_blank1_km2 = | population_density_blank1_sq_mi = | timezone = CAT | utc_offset = +2 | timezone_DST = | utc_offset_DST = | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = 406 | elevation_ft = | postal_code_type = | postal_code = | area_code = | blank_name = Climate | blank_info = Aw | blank1_name = | blank1_info = | website = | footnotes =
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Sudan_Rumbek_road_alongside_airstrip_2004.jpg" caption="Road alongside Rumbek Airstrip"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Sudan_Rumbek_aircraft_beside_airstrip_2004.jpg"] ::
Rumbek () is the capital of Lakes State in the Bahr el Ghazal region of South Sudan.
Location
Rumbek is approximately 377 km by road northwest of Juba, the capital and largest city in the country. Its coordinates are and its elevation is 420 m above sea level.
Overview
Rumbek is the headquarters of Rumbek Central County and is the capital of Lakes State, one of the 10 states of South Sudan. Following the peace agreement ending the Second Sudanese Civil War, the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement chose Rumbek to serve as the temporary administrative center of the Government of Southern Sudan. Later, Juba was selected to become the permanent capital. Like most South Sudanese towns, Rumbek suffered significant infrastructural damage during the civil war, in which an estimated 2 million people perished.
Population
In 2004, the United Nations (OCHA) estimated the population of "Rumbek County" at about 82,500. At that time, the Dinka Agar constituted about 60% of the population, 30% were Dinka Gok, 6% were Bongo and 4% were Jur-Bel. In 2011, the population of the town of Rumbek is estimated at 32,100.
Transportation
The town of Rumbek is situated on the main road (A43) from Juba to the southeast to Wau to the northwest. There are two smaller roads out of town; one to Yirol to the east and another to Durbuoni to the north. Since 2005, some of the roads have undergone repairs. Rumbek is also served by Rumbek Airport. Civicon Limited is the main construction contractor in Rumbek, working on both the roads and the airport.
Climate
Like other parts of South Sudan and the East Sudanian savanna, Rumbek has a tropical savanna climate which borders on a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen Aw bordering on BSh), with a wet season and a dry season and the temperature being hot year-round. The average annual mean temperature is 27.8 C, the average annual high temperature is 34.5 C, while the average annual low temperature is 21.2 C. The hottest time of year is from February to May, just before the wet season starts. March is the hottest month, having the highest average high at 37.9 C, the highest mean at 30.5 C and the highest average low at 23.2 C. August and July have the lowest average high and mean at 31.7 C and 26.5 C, while December has the lowest average low at 18.5 C.
Rumbek receives 847.7 mm of rain over 77.1 precipitation days, with a distinct wet and dry season like most tropical savanna climates. December receives no precipitation at all, with almost no rain falling from November to March. August, the wettest month, receives 159.7 mm of rainfall on average. August also has 13.9 precipitation days, which is the most of any month. Humidity is much higher in the wet season than the dry season, with February having a humidity at just 31% and August having a humidity at 74%. Rumbek receives 2675.7 hours of sunshine annually on average, with the sunshine being distributed fairly evenly across the year, although it is lower during the wet season. January receives the most sunshine, while June receives the least.
|location = Rumbek (1961–1990) |width = auto |single line = Yes |metric first = Yes |Jan record high C = 40.3 |Feb record high C = 42.8 |Mar record high C = 43.3 |Apr record high C = 42.2 |May record high C = 41.1 |Jun record high C = 38.2 |Jul record high C = 40.0 |Aug record high C = 36.7 |Sep record high C = 37.0 |Oct record high C = 39.5 |Nov record high C = 38.5 |Dec record high C = 39.1 |year record high C = 43.3 |Jan high C = 35.4 |Feb high C = 37.4 |Mar high C = 37.9 |Apr high C = 36.4 |May high C = 34.5 |Jun high C = 32.8 |Jul high C = 31.7 |Aug high C = 31.7 |Sep high C = 32.7 |Oct high C = 33.8 |Nov high C = 34.4 |Dec high C = 34.8 |year high C = 34.5 |Jan mean C = 27.1 |Feb mean C = 28.9 |Mar mean C = 30.5 |Apr mean C = 29.7 |May mean C = 28.5 |Jun mean C = 27.3 |Jul mean C = 26.5 |Aug mean C = 26.5 |Sep mean C = 27.2 |Oct mean C = 27.5 |Nov mean C = 27.4 |Dec mean C = 26.7 |year mean C = 27.8 |Jan low C = 18.8 |Feb low C = 20.5 |Mar low C = 23.2 |Apr low C = 23.0 |May low C = 22.6 |Jun low C = 21.8 |Jul low C = 21.3 |Aug low C = 20.9 |Sep low C = 21.7 |Oct low C = 21.3 |Nov low C = 20.4 |Dec low C = 18.5 |year low C = 21.2 |Jan record low C = 8.3 |Feb record low C = 14.5 |Mar record low C = 17.0 |Apr record low C = 18.0 |May record low C = 17.2 |Jun record low C = 16.4 |Jul record low C = 16.0 |Aug record low C = 17.0 |Sep record low C = 16.5 |Oct record low C = 16.8 |Nov record low C = 15.2 |Dec record low C = 11.0 |year record low C = 8.3 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 0.4 |Feb precipitation mm = 2.1 |Mar precipitation mm = 17.6 |Apr precipitation mm = 61.8 |May precipitation mm = 117.3 |Jun precipitation mm = 135.3 |Jul precipitation mm = 144.0 |Aug precipitation mm = 159.7 |Sep precipitation mm = 130.1 |Oct precipitation mm = 67.7 |Nov precipitation mm = 11.7 |Dec precipitation mm = 0.0 |year precipitation mm = 847.7 |Jan humidity = 37 |Feb humidity = 31 |Mar humidity = 40 |Apr humidity = 52 |May humidity = 64 |Jun humidity = 69 |Jul humidity = 73 |Aug humidity = 74 |Sep humidity = 71 |Oct humidity = 68 |Nov humidity = 56 |Dec humidity = 43 |year humidity = 56.5 |unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm |Jan precipitation days = 0.1 |Feb precipitation days = 0.7 |Mar precipitation days = 3.0 |Apr precipitation days = 6.8 |May precipitation days = 10.5 |Jun precipitation days = 10.7 |Jul precipitation days = 12.4 |Aug precipitation days = 13.9 |Sep precipitation days = 10.0 |Oct precipitation days = 7.3 |Nov precipitation days = 1.7 |Dec precipitation days = 0.0 |year precipitation days = 77.1 |Jan sun = 279.0 |Feb sun = 235.2 |Mar sun = 226.3 |Apr sun = 201.0 |May sun = 220.1 |Jun sun = 177.0 |Jul sun = 195.3 |Aug sun = 207.7 |Sep sun = 198.0 |Oct sun = 226.3 |Nov sun = 237.0 |Dec sun = 272.8 |year sun = 2675.7 |Jan percentsun = 71 |Feb percentsun = 81 |Mar percentsun = 60 |Apr percentsun = 56 |May percentsun = 62 |Jun percentsun = 57 |Jul percentsun = 51 |Aug percentsun = 53 |Sep percentsun = 53 |Oct percentsun = 61 |Nov percentsun = 67 |Dec percentsun = 78 |year percentsun = 63 |source 1 = NOAA{{cite web | url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/RA-I/SU/62900.TXT | title = Rumbek Climate Normals 1961–1990 | publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200712193242/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/RA-I/SU/62900.TXT | archive-date = 2020-07-12 | url-status = dead | access-date = January 18, 2016}}
Points of interest
The following points of interest are found in or near Rumbek:
- The offices of Rumbek Town Council
- The headquarters of Rumbek Central County
- The headquarters of Lakes State Administration
- Rumbek Holy Family Cathedral
- Rumbek Freedom Square - An outdoor venue in the middle of town for public and civic gatherings
- A branch of Kenya Commercial Bank (South Sudan)
- A branch of Nile Commercial Bank
- Salva Kiir Women International Hospital
- Lakes State Hospital - A public hospital administered by the Lakes State Government
- Rumbek Airport - A small airport with regular scheduled airline service and private air-charter providers
Schools in Rumbek
- Gol Meen Primary School
- Rumbek National Secondary School
- Rumbek University - One of four public universities in South Sudan.
Notable people
- Samuel Aru Bol, politician (1929–2000)
- Ager Gum, military leader and song composer (1941–1996)
- Gordon Muortat Mayen, politician (1922–2008)
- Peter Jok, basketball player.
- Khaman Maluach, professional basketball player
References
References
- "Estimated Road Distance Between Juba And Rumbek With Map". Distancecalculator.globefeed.com.
- "Elevation of Rumbek Is 412 Meters Above Sea Level". En.allmetsat.com.
- [https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4192133.stm South Sudan's unlikely capital], [[BBC]], 21 January 2005
- "Estimated Demographics of Rumbek County In 2004".
- (2000-08-09). "Estimated Town Population In 2011". Hereorthere.com.
- [http://www.gcatholic.org/churches/africa/5265.htm Cathedral of Rumbek]
- "Catholic Diocese of Rumbek: The death of Bishop Caesar Mazzolari".
- "The Government of South Sudan Allocats US$5 Million Towards Rumbek University".
- Otero, Mel. (2020-12-03). "El viaje de Jok: De Rumbek a Murcia".
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