Gezira State

Al Jazirah (ولاية الجزير, also Gezira) is one of the 18 states of Sudan. The state is located between the Blue Nile and the White Nile, in the central-eastern region of the country. Its territory occupies an area of 23,373 km², an area similar to that of the island of Sardinia. Its estimated population is 3,300,000 (2000). The name comes from Arabic and means "peninsula." Wad Madani is the capital of the state.

It is a well populated region and suitable for agriculture. The area is in the southern tip of Nubia and little is known about its ancient history; Only some archaeological work has been carried out in this area. It was part of the kingdom of Alodia for several centuries and with the collapse of said State at the beginning of the XVI century it became the center of the Kingdom of Sennar Funj.

The region has benefited from the Gezira Scheme, a program to promote cotton cultivation started in 1925. At that time the Sennar dam and numerous irrigation canals were built. Al Jazirah became the most important agricultural region in Sudan, with more than 10,000 km² under cultivation. The initial development project was semi-private, but the government nationalized it in 1950. Cotton production grew in the 1970s, but in the 1990s wheat production, which had increased, has replaced one-third of the previously dedicated area. to cotton.