London to Dar es Salaam

A satellite image of South Sudan the lush, vegetated landscape.

These Nuba school children in Kau, near Malakal are lucky - less than 1% of children in Southern Sudan complete primary school.

Pyramids in Bagrawiyah, northern Sudan near Meroë, the ancient capital of Kush. The desert environment is a stark contrast to the wet, lush vegetation seen in the south.

The Sahel, marked in orange on the map, is the biogeographic zone of transition between the Sahara desert in the North and the Sudanian savannahs in the south.

A local farmer near Juba, Southern Sudan, harvests sorghum produced from seeds donated by the Food and Agriculture Organization as part of a wider aid package.

Villages near Yambio town, in Southern Sudan, from the air. Most of the South is very rural and villages do not have access to sanitation and treated, piped water.

A World Food Programme aircraft drops food aid for the Oriny villagers in Sudan - the South is especially heavily reliant on international aid after years of war and conflict.

This MODIS satellite image of Sudan during the floods of 2007 shows the stark difference between the very dry north and the swollen rivers and pooling surface water in the South.

Villages in Southern Sudan were inundated by flood waters of the extremely heavy early rains in July and August 2008, displacing thousands of residents.

A map showing population density across Sudan. The purple hotspot to the east is Khartoum, with the area around it and the Blue and White Nile much more densely populated.

A map of South Sudan, showing the Sudd region and the major rivers that cross the new country.

Staff deliver food donated by the UN World Food Programme and World Vision to the Malakal Teaching Hospital in Sudan - Sudan is heavily reliant on international aid.

Farming along White and Blue Nile Rivers, near Khartoum - thin strips along the Nile Rivers in the North are able to be cultivated in what is otherwise a very dry and harsh landscape.

Magnificent black crowned cranes migrate through the Sudd in Southern Sudan during the rain season in search of food and water.

1935 - The Sudd on the Nile near Malakal. Rafts of vegetation can be seen thickly floating above the river water.

A satellite image of the Sudd, at the confluence of the Bahr el Jebel (White Nile River) and one of its main tributaries, the Bahr al Ghazal. This is taken during the dry season.

White-eared kob and zebra migrating through Boma National Park in 1983 - years of conflict across Sudan has placed many animals at risk.

Sudan's valuable wetlands may be under threat, with an increased focus on oil extraction and a growing need to extract water upstream for agricultural, domestic and business use.

Shoebills are large, stork like birds which prey on fish, frogs and even baby crocodiles found in swampy wetland.

Great White Pelicans in flight: although they can exist in Sudan throughout the year, they are increasingly forced to travel longer distances in search of food where they compete with humans.

Hundreds of thousands of white-eared kob migrate across Southern Sudan in a seasonal search for dry ground, new pasture and water.

The flooded grasslands of the Sudd and Southern Sudan support very large bird populations, including these magnificent black-crowned cranes.

The flooded grasslands of the Sudd and Southern Sudan support significant permanent and migrant bird populations, including these saddle-billed storks.

Kob, a type of antelope, are perfectly adapted to the flood plain environment of Southern Sudan and have been hunted by local people for centuries.

The core of Dinder National Park, like the nearby flooded Sudd area, is comprised of wetlands that are critical sources of water in the dry season for animals and birds.

High rainfall woodland savannah with a small seasonal wetland in Wau district, Western Bahr el Ghazal.

Street posters in Juba, the Southern Sudanese capital, encourage citizens to "Come and Vote" in the January 2011 referendum on an independent Southern Sudan.

An officer of the Republic of South Sudan holds the new nation's flag during the historic Independence Ceremony, celebrating the emergence of Southern Sudan as a new country in July 2011.

An aerial view of the Unity Oil Field operated by the Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company in Bentiu, Southern Sudan.

Many voters slept at polling stations to be among the first to vote in the Southern Sudan referendum - these voters carry flags with the open hand symbolising secession.

The countdown is over: a clock heralds the start of voting in the referendum for Southern independence in Juba.

Children of South Sudan practice their dance routine for the performance at the football match between South Sudan and Kenya during the independence celebrations in July 2011.

Dust rises from the ground as a helicopter of the UN Mission in Sudan takes off, carrying voting materials destined for the district of Tali in Central Equatoria State.

An oil production platform in Heglig in Southern Sudan. Large amounts of overseas investment, especially from China, have flooded in to the region in recent years to exploit these reserves.

Voters register at a voting registration centre set up in a school in Wau in Southern Sudan, their fingers marked with ink to avoid electoral fraud.

Voters will walk for miles from their dispersed villages and settlements to reach local voting stations and exercise their right to vote for unity or independence.

A banner supporting independence adorns a minibus on the eve of the referendum: voters use a thumb print next to their chosen symbol to confirm their intention.

A jubilant Southern Sudanese resident has the flag of the Republic of South Sudan painted on his face to celebrate the birth of the new nation.

The new combined forces of the Republic of South Sudan assemble for a parade to celebrate the birth of a new nation in July 2011 as the South gains independence from the North.

In Juba, capital of South Sudan, voters turn out in large numbers on the first day of polling in the long-awaited Southern Sudan self-determination referendum.

South Sudanese attend a rally organized by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) in Juba prior to the January 2011 vote on an independent Southern Sudan.

Southern Sudanese boys point to a local truck with a reassuring electoral sticker: “Your Vote Is SECRET”, encouraging locals to vote in the January 2011 secession referendum.

Oil well drilling pits at Heglig in Southern Sudan - as the oil deposits are concentrated on the border between north and south, this is a very contentious issue during the referendum period.