Nubians

a people living along the banks of the Nile, in the northern part of the Republic of Sudan, and in the Arabic Republic of Egypt north of the Aswan Dam. Total population, 1.5 million (1970, estimate). A small number of Nubians also live in the hills of Kordofan. Nubians speak both Nubian and Arabic. They are Sunni Muslims by religion.

The modern Nubians are direct descendants of the population of ancient Nubia. They have long been engaged in irrigated farming (durra, wheat, barley, vegetables, cotton) and the cultivation of the date palm. They raise bulls, camels, horses, donkeys, and a small number of goats and sheep. A considerable number of Nubians have settled in the large cities of Sudan, where they are engaged in crafts and trade or work in enterprises and state cotton plantations.