Juba became the capital of the world’s newest country in 2011, when South Sudan became independent from Sudan. The independence declaration took place on 9 July 2011, making Juba the capital of the newly sovereign Republic of South Sudan.
Juba stands on the White Nile in Central Equatoria State and is also South Sudan’s largest city. The settlement was established in the early 1920s by the Church Missionary Society near a Bari village, and it later became an important administrative and military center.
Juba had already served as the capital of the autonomous Government of Southern Sudan after the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement. That agreement ended decades of civil war and paved the way for the referendum in which southern Sudanese voters overwhelmingly supported independence.
A common mix-up is Ramciel, a proposed planned capital intended to replace Juba. The government announced that proposal in 2011, partly because Juba’s location and infrastructure were considered unsuitable for a long-term national capital, but Juba remained the country’s capital.