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Located in Northern Africa, Sudan is slightly more than one-quarter the size of the United States and borders the Red Sea and Egypt. There is a tropical climate in the south and arid desert in the north. The country is divided religiously as well, with the south made up of traditional African religions and Christianity, while an Arabic, Muslim population dominates the north. Sudan gained independence from Egypt and the United Kingdom in 1956 and has struggled with political, economic, and most importantly religious instability since its beginning. A civil war lasting over 20 years has taken its toll on the country causing thousands of Sudanese to flee to refugee camps in neighboring countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda. The Southern Sudanese who remained in the country have been left with inadequate access to clean water, education, and health care across the country. In 2005 the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed bringing relative stability to the region and offering possible independence for Southern Sudan in 2011. With advancing efforts toward independence and with the closing of refugee camps at the end of 2008, thousands of Southern Sudanese people are returning to their war-ravaged home areas.