01Free
The 30-second card
SIM and eSIM
Foreign SIMs rarely roam here, so buy a local Zain or MTN SIM and bring an unlocked phone.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Money in South Sudan
South Sudanese Pound · £ · SSP
Big supermarkets in Juba take US dollars and let you choose whether change comes in dollars or pounds.
The street rate for dollars beats the official one: about 5,800 pounds per dollar as of January 2026.
Visa and Mastercard cards work for cash withdrawals at Ecobank and Equity Bank machines.
Roadside money changers with piles of pounds are common, but treat them with caution.
Collect South Sudanese Pound in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpenPublic holidays in the next 12 months
Thu, 24 Dec 2026 · Christmas Eve
Fri, 25 Dec 2026 · Christmas Day
Sat, 26 Dec 2026 · St. Stephen's Day Second Day of Christmas
Fri, 1 Jan 2027 · New Year's Day
Fri, 26 Mar 2027 · Good Friday
Sat, 27 Mar 2027 · Holy Saturday
Sun, 28 Mar 2027 · Easter Sunday
Mon, 29 Mar 2027 · Easter Monday
Sat, 1 May 2027 · Labour Day
Sun, 16 May 2027 · SPLA Day
Fri, 9 Jul 2027 · Independence Day
Fri, 30 Jul 2027 · Martyrs' Day
02Free
Safety today
Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover South Sudan say, side by side, checked daily.
German Foreign Office says
Travel warning
Calm
Caution
Serious
Don’t go ●
Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
U.S. Department of State says
Do not travel
Calm
Caution
Serious
Don’t go ●
Level 4 of 4
Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 16 May 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 16 May 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
UK Foreign Office says
Advises against all travel
Source: GOV.UK
Updated 25 Aug 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 25 Aug 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Scams to know
Money demands at checkpoints
Avoid road travel after dark, when makeshift roadblocks are most often set up.
Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.
03Free
Health
Yellow fever vaccine required from 9 months; others advised. Malaria risk. Altitude sickness above 3,000 m.
Vaccinations
Yellow fever vaccination is required for arrivals aged 9 months and over; CDC also recommends hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid, measles (MMR) and a polio booster, plus cholera, meningococcal and rabies vaccines depending on the trip.
Malaria
RiskAltitude
Mountains above 3,000 m in Eastern Equatoria near the Ugandan border bring a risk of altitude sickness.
Talk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.
Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.
04Travel layer
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What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use
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Deep facts
| GDP | ≈ $12 billionSource: World Bank · 2015 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Per person | ≈ $1,080Source: World Bank · 2015 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Top exports | crude petroleum, refined petroleum, forage crops, gold, scrap iron (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Population | 12.2 millionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 18.7 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Life expectancy | 60.3 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Religions | Christian 60.5%, folk religion 32.9%, Muslim 6.2%, other <1%, unaffiliated <1% (2020 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2020 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Area | 644,329 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Climate | hot with seasonal rainfall influenced by the annual shift of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone; rainfall heaviest in upland areas of the south and diminishes to the northSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Terrain | plains in the north and center rise to southern highlands along the border with Uganda and Kenya; the White Nile, flowing north out of the uplands of Central Africa, is the major geographic feature of the country; The Sudd (a name derived from floating vegetation that hinders navigation) is a large swampy area of more than 100,000 sq km fed by the waters of the White Nile that dominates the center of the countrySource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Type of government | presidential republicSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Calling code | +211Source: libphonenumber · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗ |
About the data
Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.
From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.
CDC · 24 Oct 2026 ↗GOV.UK · 24 Oct 2026 ↗IANA Time Zone Database · 23 Oct 2026 ↗libphonenumber · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Nager.Date · 23 Oct 2026 ↗The World Factbook (archive) · 23 Oct 2026 ↗U.S. Department of State · 25 Oct 2026 ↗Unicode CLDR · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikidata · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikivoyage · 24 Oct 2026 ↗World Bank · 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).
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