Sun, 8 Jul 2012 22:48 GMT

July 9 (Reuters) - South Sudan, the world's newest state, on Monday marks the first anniversary of its independence from the north.

The division of Sudan, which until last year was the biggest country in Africa, followed a 2005 peace deal that ended a north-south civil war. (For an Interactive look "A land divided: the troubled history of Sudan and South Sudan" - please click on http://link.reuters.com/qex29s)

Here are some facts about South Sudan:

HEAD OF STATE: Salva Kiir

POPULATION: 8.26 million

Read the full report on AlertNet.