Wad Madani, city, eastern Sudan, on the Blue Nile, south of the confluence of the Nahr ar Rahad (Rahad River). A road hub on a railroad, it is a major cotton-growing and market-gardening center and contains a cattle market. Cigarettes and retreaded tires are manufactured here, and in the area cotton, vegetables, fruits, wheat, corn, barley, and durra sorghum are produced. It is the principal city of the irrigated Al Jazirah (Gezira) region and the headquarters of the Irrigation Service. Wad Madani is the seat of the University of Gezira (1975). Population (1993) 218,714.
