Upper Nile was one of the  states of South Sudan. The current governor of Upper Nile, and its first governor since the independence of South Sudan, is Simon Kun Puoch. The White Nile flows through the state, giving it its name. The state also shares a similar name with the region of Greater Upper Nile, of which it is part along with the states of Unity and Jonglei. It has an area of . Malakal is the capital of the state. The town of Kodok, the location of the Fashoda incident that ended the "Scramble for Africa", is located here. Upper Nile seceded from Sudan as part of the Republic of South Sudan on 9 July 2011.