The journey so far

Women make up about 65 per cent of the population in South Sudan, but lack the political representation necessary to stop violence, discrimination and abuse [EPA]

In the mid-1950s fewer than 150,000 Sudanese children were enrolled in primary school, compared with more than two million today. However, the south still has fewer schools than the north [GALLO/GETTY]

Sudanesee children traditionally enter the professions of their parents. For the majority of the population this means working in the farming sector as 80 per cent of the workforce is in agriculture [GALLO/GETTY]

An estimated two million people have been killed and up to one-and-a-half million Southern Sudanese displaced during the north-south civil war which began in the 1950s. The north is largely Arab and Muslim, and the mainly Christian south resented its attempts to "Arabise" the country, replacing indigenous languages and culture with Arabic [GALLO/GETTY]

Historically, the majority Muslim population of northern Sudan have had better access to education and economic opportunities, making them generally better off than southerners. In the south, much of the upper class and political elite are Christian and attended missionary schools [GALLO/GETTY]

In January, Southern Sudanese participated in a referendum agreed as part of an historic 2005 peace treaty that brought an end to decades of civil war [GALLO/GETTY]

People participate in a rally to show support for the independence referendum in the southern Sudanese city of Juba [GALLO/GETTY]

An overwhelming majority of southerners voted for independence from the north, splitting Africa(***)s largest country in two [GALLO/GETTY]

The vote was widely regarded as free, fair and credible [GALLO/GETTY]

Players and fans attend a ceremony as a Referendum Cup football match finishes. The tournament was organised to mark the end of the referendum vote in Yambio, a poor and isolated southern town [GALLO/GETTY]

A man carries bedding into a camp for internally displaced Sudanese from Khartoum at a port in the southern Sudanese city of Juba as thousands poured into the south from the north before the referendum [GALLO/GETTY]

Beneath the official celebrations, discussions about what liberation truly means continue to unfold across Africa [Getty Images]

Members of a branch of the Sudanese People(***)s Liberation Army (SPLA) play in a band during a pro-independence march in Juba [GALLO/GETTY]

The return of internally displaced southern Sudanese people (IDPs) to the south has been slower than anticipated, and, until now, only around 300,000 IDPs have returned. The region is still plagued by insecurity and offers limited access to water, health care, education and opportunities to make a livelihood [EPA]

South Sudan also gained control of the majority of Sudan(***)s oil as it became the world(***)s newest nation just after midnight on July 9, 2011 [EPA]

Celebrations across South Sudan greeted Africa(***)s 54th country as it became the world(***)s 193rd [EPA]

The oil-rich area of Abyei remains contested between Sudan and South Sudan until the two countries reach a resolution that will not affect the rights of ancestral residents [EPA]

The newly independent south faces considerable humanitarian challenges, including continued violence along its new northern border, high levels of displacement and disease, and acute gaps in basic service delivery [GALLO/GETTY]