Wau

Wau was initially established by the French Marchand Mission as Fort Desaix and later was established as a zariba (fortified base) by slave-traders in the 19th century. During the time of condominium rule, the city became an administrative center. One of the first insurgent Anyanya attacks on the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) took place at the Wau barracks in January 1964. During the Second Sudanese Civil War, Wau remained a SAF garrison town. It was the scene of extensive fighting in the spring of 1998. Battles erupted again in the town in the spring of the 1980s, killing several hundred people. This forced the Dinka in Wau to seek safety on the eastern side of Wau. The Dinka were said to have migrated to the state today known as Warrap. In 2010, the Ministry of Housing, Physical Planning and Environment proposed to re-make the city into the shape of a giraffe. …

Like other parts of South Sudan and the East Sudanian savanna, Wau has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw), with a wet season and a dry season, and the temperature is hot year-round. The average annual mean temperature is 27.8 °C (82.0 °F), the average annual high temperature is 34.7 °C (94.5 °F), and the average annual low temperature is 20.9 °C (69.6 °F). The hottest time of year is from March to May, just before the wet season starts. March is the hottest month, having the highest average high at 38.1 °C (100.6 °F) and the highest mean at 30.4 °C (86.7 °F). April has the highest average low at 23.8 °C (74.8 °F). August and July have the lowest average high at 31.4 °C (88.5 °F), with August having the lowest mean at 26.2 °C (79.2 °F). December has the lowest average low at 17.9 °C (64.2 °F). Wau receives 1,074.5 millimetres (42.30 in) of rain over 102. …

Wau is a vibrant economic center by the standards of the newly established Republic of South Sudan, and serves as a hub for trade between Darfur, Bahr al Ghazal, and Equatoria. The major contributors to the local economy include: Buffalo Commercial Bank branch Equity Bank branch Ivory Bank branch Kenya Commercial Bank branch Catholic University of South Sudan, Wau campus University of Bahr El-Ghazal Wau Airport Wau County Government Wau state Government RCS - Radio & Satellite Communication Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (South Sudan Subsidiary Comp.) expected shortly Wau Railway Station is the terminus of a narrow gauge branch line of the Sudan Railways. A plan exists, as of 2008, to open a standard gauge line north from Gulu in Uganda to Wau. Trains from Khartoum to Mombasa would be possible only if one of the lines were regauged. …