North Darfur State (Arabic: ولاية شمال دارفور Wilāyat Šamāl Dārfūr; Shamal Darfor) is one of the wilayat or states of Sudan. It is one of the five states composing the Darfur region. It has an area of 296,420 km² and an estimated population of approximately 2,304,950 in 2018. Al-Fashir is the capital of the state. Other significant towns include Ailliet,^[3][4] Kebkabiya,^[5][6] Kutum, Mellit (Malit),^[6][7] Tawilah^[8] and Umm Keddada (Umm Kadadah).^[6][9]

Quick Facts ولاية شمال دارفورShamal Darfor, Country ...

North Darfur State ولاية شمال دارفور Shamal Darfor
State
Farmer irrigating crops in North Darfur
Flag Seal
Location in Sudan.
Coordinates: 16°4′N 25°28′E
Country	Sudan
Region	Darfur
Capital	Al-Fashir
Government
• Governor	Nimir Mohammed Abdel Rahman
Area
• Total	296,420 km2 (114,450 sq mi)
Population  (2018)
• Total	2,304,950[1]
• Density	5.34/km2 (13.8/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (CAT)
HDI (2017)	0.491[2] low

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North Darfur shares much of the history of Darfur. It was the center of the Sultanate of Darfur and contained both its capital al-Fashir and its biggest trading city Kobbei.

Former lieutenant general, Armed Forces Chief of Staff, and defense minister Ibrahim Suleiman Hassan served as governor of North Darfur from 2001 to 2003, until being dismissed by al-Bashir.^{[citation needed]}

North Darfur has been a central state during the 2023 Sudan clashes.^[10]

North Darfur occupies more than half of the territory of the Darfur region, and includes part of the Marrah Mountains (Jebel Marra). The northern part is entirely desert. To the south there is slightly more rainfall with the eastern side being plains with low sandy hills, while the volcanic Marrah Mountains occupy most of the western side of the south. In the southern portion the most important crops are millet, maize and peanuts.^[6]

North Darfur is bounded on the northwest by Libya, on the north by Northern State, on the east by Northern State and North Kurdufan, on the southeast by South Kurdufan, on the south by South Darfur, and on the west by West Darfur and the Republic of Chad.