Country Region Bahr el Ghazal | State Population 151,320 | |
 | ||
Colleges and Universities University of Bahr El-Ghazal, Catholic University of South Sudan, University of Baher Elgazal | ||
Map of Wau, South Sudan
Wau (Arabic: واو Wāw; also Wow or Waw) is a city in northwestern South Sudan, on the western bank of the Jur River, in Wau County, Wau State. It lies approximately 650 kilometres (400 mi) northwest of Juba, the capital and largest city in that country.
Contents
- Map of Wau South Sudan
- Missionary life in wau south sudan
- History
- Overview
- Population
- Demographics
- Economy
- Transport and infrastructure
- Geography and climate
- Notable locals
- References
Missionary life in wau south sudan
History
Wau was initially established as a zariba (fortified base) by slave-traders in the 19th century. During the time of condominium rule, the city became an administrative center
Burr and Collins in 1994 described Wau: as follows:
No one has ever been "at home" in Wau. It is surrounded by a host of disorganized and diverse peoples . . . It was and remains a town belonging to no single ethnic group, deriving its importance only from its position as a commercial and administrative center . . . Located in the midst of the vast Nilotic plain hundreds of miles from nowhere, it was miserable under the best of circumstances . . .
During the Second Sudanese Civil War, it was a garrison town of the Khartoum-based Sudanese Armed Forces, and was the scene of extensive fighting in the spring of 1998. Battles erupted again in the town in the spring of 2007, killing several hundred people.
In 2010 the Ministry of Housing, Physical Planning and Environment (South Sudan) proposed to reshape the city as a giraffe.
In 2016, Wau experienced heavy clashes that displaced much of its Fertit population and led to widespread destruction.
Overview
The city of Wau is the headquarters of Wau State, in which it lies. It also served as the capital of the erstwhile Western Bahr el Ghazal State, one of the original ten (10) states which constitute the Republic of South Sudan. The city is a culturally, ethnically and linguistically diverse urban center.
Population
Its residents include peoples of Fertit, Dinka, Luo, and Arab ethnicity.
Its Cathedral of St. Mary (built 1905, before the erection of the former Apostolic Prefecture of Bahr el-Ghazal) is the episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wau, which serves the province's religious majority.
Demographics
In 2008, Wau was the third-largest city in South Sudan, by population, behind national capital Juba and Malakal, in Upper Nile State. At that time, the estimated population of the city of Wau was about 128,100. In 2011, the city's population was estimated at about 151,320.
Economy
Wau is a vibrant economic center by the pauper standards of the newly established Republic of South Sudan. The major contributors to the local economy include:
Transport and infrastructure
Geography and climate
Wau has two seasons: a dry season from November to March, and a rainy season the rest of the year, as depicted in the referenced box below:
Notable locals
Some of the notable people from Wau include