Rumbek

Rumbek (Arabic: رمبك) is the capital of Lakes State in the Bahr el Ghazal region of South Sudan. For a period from 2005, it also served as the administrative capital of the Southern Sudan Autonomous Region. Rumbek is approximately 377 kilometres (234 mi) by road northwest of Juba, the capital and largest city in the country. Its coordinates are 6°49′N 29°41′E / 6.81°N 29.68°E / 6.81; 29.68 and its elevation is 420 metres (1,380 ft) above sea level. 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. 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.