Rhino City Planned in Sudan

South Sudan is expected to become the world's newest independent country after a referendum next year, and planners are working to give it an eye-catching capital. Officials unveiled a $10 billion plan yesterday to rebuild the city of Juba in the shape of a rhino, and rebuild the region's second-largest city in the shape of a giraffe, the Independent reports.

Officials say they're in talks with construction companies to make Rhino City a reality, but most observers believe it's unlikely it will ever take shape. South Sudan has been devastated by a 21-year civil war that left Juba little more than a tent city, and the cost of the plan dwarfs the region's annual budget. "This is just one of a collection of crazy ideas," a Juba-based contractor familiar with the blueprints said. "It's very unlikely to ever happen." (More Sudan stories.)