The Sudan or Sudan (US: / s u ˈ d æ n / ( listen)  UK: / s u ˈ d ɑː n  -ˈ d æ n /  Arabic: السودان ‎ as-Sūdān) also known as North Sudan since South Sudan's independence and officially the Republic of the Sudan (Arabic: جمهورية السودان ‎ Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān)  is a country in Northeast Africa