9th July: South Sudan Independence Day

South Sudan celebrates its independence day today. Here are 10 facts about the world's youngest country:

1. South Sudan is the world's youngest country, following a referendum in 2011 where 98.83% of the population voted for independence from its neighbour, Sudan. Azania, Nile Republic and Kush Republic were all considered as names for the new country before they settled on the Republic of South Sudan.
2. The first President is Salva Kiir Mayardit, who often wears a trademark hat, which was a gift from US President George Bush. The first child to be born in independent South Sudan was Independent Moses Nunuh, but sadly, he didn't live to see his first birthday.
3. South Sudan is landlocked and is about the size of France (248,777 square miles/644,329 square kilometres).
4. Its highest mountain is Mount Kinyeti at 3,187 metres (10,456 ft). One of the first Europeans to visit the mountain was the botanist Thomas Ford Chipp, who discovered a species of Daisy, Bidens chippii, near the summit.
5. A popular traditional sport is wrestling. Wrestling matches can attract large crowds of spectators who sing, dance and play Drums. The competitors traditionally smear themselves in ochre, possibly to help them get a grip on their opponent or to enhance perception.
6. The major ethnic groups in South Sudan are the Dinka at more than 1 million (approximately 15 percent combined), the Nuer (approximately ten percent), the Bari, and the Azande. The official language of South Sudan is English.
7. The national Flag consists of horizontal Black, red and Green stripes, separated by two thinner white bands. The thick stripes represent the black people, their blood and fertile land. White is for peace. The blue triangle at the flag's hoist symbolises the Nile, and the yellow star inside it the unity of the 10 states.
8. At time of writing, the capital is Juba, which is also the largest city, but there are plans to make Ramciel, a more central city, the capital in due course. Juba was established in 1922 by Greek traders supplying the British Army. Although at that time the population was less than 2,000 the Greeks built the downtown Juba Market and the Greek Quarters and a number of beautiful public buildings still standing today.
9. A fish eagle appears on the coat of arms, while the symbol of the government is a secretary bird.
10. South Sudanese Pound is the official currency. Cows are often used as currency for barter as well and are a sign of wealth. It is not uncommon to guard cattle with guns in South Sudan to to stop them from being stolen.