South Sudan formally declared independence from Sudan at a ceremony in Juba attended by heads of state from across Africa, six months after an overwhelming referendum vote for separation.
The new country emerged from two long civil wars that had killed an estimated two million people. It inherited most of the region's oil production but almost none of the pipelines or refining capacity, leaving it dependent on agreement with Khartoum over transit fees.
Independence was greeted with celebration and considerable caution. The country had among the world's lowest rates of school enrolment and paved road coverage at the moment of its founding.
