The Republic of South Sudan came into existence on 9 July 2011.
Its creation follows a referendum in January 2011 where the majority of southern Sudanese voted to secede from the north.
The referendum was part of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in January 2005, which ended 21 years of civil war during which time 2 million people died.
Roughly the size of France, South Sudan is ethnically diverse with the largest ethnic groups being the Dinka, Nuer and Shilluk peoples.
The world’s newest state faces widespread poverty with most of the population relying on subsistence agriculture.
There is very little infrastructure in terms of roads, health facilities and schools. The areas in which Tearfund works directly suffered greatly during the civil war and are prone to drought and flooding.
To add to the pressures on the new government of South Sudan, many thousands of people have returned to the country from Sudan.