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  Sierra Leone  
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This page was last updated on 18 December 2008


Map of Sierra Leone



Legend: DefinitionDefinition Field ListingField Listing Rank OrderRank Order
   Introduction    Sierra Leone Top of Page
Background:
Definition Field Listing
Democracy is slowly being reestablished after the civil war from 1991 to 2002 that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (about one-third of the population). The military, which took over full responsibility for security following the departure of UN peacekeepers at the end of 2005, is increasingly developing as a guarantor of the country's stability. The armed forces remained on the sideline during the 2007 presidential election, but still look to the UN Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL) - a civilian UN mission - to support efforts to consolidate peace. The new government's priorities include furthering development, creating jobs, and stamping out endemic corruption.
   Geography    Sierra Leone Top of Page
Location:
Definition Field Listing
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia
Geographic coordinates:
Definition Field Listing
8 30 N, 11 30 W
Map references:
Definition Field Listing
Africa
Area:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 71,740 sq km
land: 71,620 sq km
water: 120 sq km
Area - comparative:
Definition Field Listing
slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries:
Definition Field Listing
total: 958 km
border countries: Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km
Coastline:
Definition Field Listing
402 km
Maritime claims:
Definition Field Listing
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm
Climate:
Definition Field Listing
tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)
Terrain:
Definition Field Listing
coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east
Elevation extremes:
Definition Field Listing
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m
Natural resources:
Definition Field Listing
diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite
Land use:
Definition Field Listing
arable land: 7.95%
permanent crops: 1.05%
other: 91% (2005)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing
300 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
Definition Field Listing
160 cu km (1987)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
Definition Field Listing
total: 0.38 cu km/yr (5%/3%/92%)
per capita: 69 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
Definition Field Listing
dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February); sandstorms, dust storms
Environment - current issues:
Definition Field Listing
rapid population growth pressuring the environment; overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil exhaustion; civil war depleted natural resources; overfishing
Environment - international agreements:
Definition Field Listing
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Geography - note:
Definition Field Listing
rainfall along the coast can reach 495 cm (195 inches) a year, making it one of the wettest places along coastal, western Africa
   People    Sierra Leone Top of Page
Population:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
6,294,774 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing
0-14 years: 44.6% (male 1,377,981/female 1,429,993)
15-64 years: 52.2% (male 1,573,990/female 1,708,840)
65 years and over: 3.2% (male 94,359/female 109,611) (2008 est.)
Median age:
Definition Field Listing
total: 17.5 years
male: 17.2 years
female: 17.8 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.282% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
45.08 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
22.26 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: refugees currently in surrounding countries are slowly returning (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
Definition Field Listing
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 156.48 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 173.59 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 138.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total population: 40.93 years
male: 38.64 years
female: 43.28 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
5.95 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
7% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
170,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
11,000 (2001 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
Definition Field Listing
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever (2008)
Nationality:
Definition Field Listing
noun: Sierra Leonean(s)
adjective: Sierra Leonean
Ethnic groups:
Definition Field Listing
20 African ethnic groups 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole (Krio) 10% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century), refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians
Religions:
Definition Field Listing
Muslim 60%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs 30%
Languages:
Definition Field Listing
English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%)
Literacy:
Definition Field Listing
definition: age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic
total population: 35.1%
male: 46.9%
female: 24.4% (2004 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
Definition Field Listing
total: 7 years
male: 8 years
female: 6 years (2001)
Education expenditures:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.8% of GDP (2005)
   Government    Sierra Leone Top of Page
Country name:
Definition Field Listing
conventional long form: Republic of Sierra Leone
conventional short form: Sierra Leone
local long form: Republic of Sierra Leone
local short form: Sierra Leone
Government type:
Definition Field Listing
constitutional democracy
Capital:
Definition Field Listing
name: Freetown
geographic coordinates: 8 30 N, 13 15 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
Definition Field Listing
3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western*
Independence:
Definition Field Listing
27 April 1961 (from UK)
National holiday:
Definition Field Listing
Independence Day, 27 April (1961)
Constitution:
Definition Field Listing
1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times
Legal system:
Definition Field Listing
based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
Definition Field Listing
chief of state: President Ernest Bai KOROMA (since 17 September 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Ernest Bai KOROMA (since 17 September 2007)
cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the president with the approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible to the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 11 August 2007 and 8 September 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
election results: second round results; percent of vote - Ernest Bai KOROMA 54.6%, Solomon BEREWA 45.4%
Legislative branch:
Definition Field Listing
unicameral Parliament (124 seats; 112 members elected by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 11 August 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - APC 59, SLPP 43, PMDC 10
Judicial branch:
Definition Field Listing
Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court
Political parties and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
All People's Congress or APC [Ernest Bai KOROMA]; Peace and Liberation Party or PLP [Darlington MORRISON]; People's Movement for Democratic Change or PMDC [Charles MARGAI]; Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP [Solomon BEREWA]; numerous others
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
other: student unions; trade unions
International organization participation:
Definition Field Listing
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIT, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Bockari Kortu STEVENS
chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263
FAX: [1] (202) 483-1793
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador June Carter PERRY
embassy: Southridge-Hill Station, Freetown
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [232] (22) 515 000 or [232] (76) 515 000
FAX: [232] (22) 515 355
Flag description:
Definition Field Listing
three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue
   Economy    Sierra Leone Top of Page
Economy - overview:
Definition Field Listing
Sierra Leone is an extremely poor nation with tremendous inequality in income distribution. While it possesses substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources, its physical and social infrastructure is not well developed, and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development. Nearly half of the working-age population engages in subsistence agriculture. Manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. Alluvial diamond mining remains the major source of hard currency earnings accounting for nearly half of Sierra Leone's exports. The fate of the economy depends upon the maintenance of domestic peace and the continued receipt of substantial aid from abroad, which is essential to offset the severe trade imbalance and supplement government revenues. The IMF has completed a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility program that helped stabilize economic growth and reduce inflation. A recent increase in political stability has led to a revival of economic activity such as the rehabilitation of bauxite and rutile mining.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$3.991 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
Definition Field Listing
$1.664 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
7% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$600 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 49%
industry: 31%
services: 21% (2001 est.)
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.369 million (1981 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Unemployment rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Definition Field Listing
lowest 10%: 0.5%
highest 10%: 43.6% (1989)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
Definition Field Listing
62.9 (1989)
Budget:
Definition Field Listing
revenues: $96 million
expenditures: $351 million (2000 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
11.7% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
25% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$184.6 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$177.7 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$162.9 million (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
Definition Field Listing
rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish
Industries:
Definition Field Listing
diamond mining; small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining, small commercial ship repair
Industrial production growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA%
Electricity - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
250 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
232.5 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
Definition Field Listing
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
Definition Field Listing
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0.7008 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
8,430 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
432.3 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
8,271 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
-$63 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$216 million f.o.b. (2006)
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
Belgium 49.3%, US 20.5%, Netherlands 4.5%, Canada 4.1% (2007)
Imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$560 million f.o.b. (2006)
Imports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
Cote d'Ivoire 10%, China 10%, US 9.5%, UK 6.2%, Netherlands 5.1%, India 4.7% (2007)
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$1.61 billion (2003 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$NA
Currency (code):
Definition Field Listing
leone (SLL)
Exchange rates:
Definition Field Listing
leones (SLL) per US dollar - NA (2007), 2,961.7 (2006), 2,889.6 (2005), 2,701.3 (2004), 2,347.9 (2003)
   Communications    Sierra Leone Top of Page
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
24,000 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
776,000 (2007)
Telephone system:
Definition Field Listing
general assessment: marginal telephone service
domestic: the national microwave radio relay trunk system connects Freetown to Bo and Kenema; mobile-cellular service is growing rapidly from a small base
international: country code - 232; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
AM 1, FM 9, shortwave 1 (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
2 (1999)
Internet country code:
Definition Field Listing
.sl
Internet hosts:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
8 (2008)
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
13,000 (2007)
   Transportation    Sierra Leone Top of Page
Airports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
10 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Heliports:
Definition Field Listing
2 (2007)
Roadways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 11,300 km
paved: 904 km
unpaved: 10,396 km (2002)
Waterways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
800 km (600 km year round) (2005)
Merchant marine:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 182
by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 143, carrier 2, chemical tanker 3, container 6, liquefied gas 2, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 10, roll on/roll off 3, specialized tanker 2
foreign-owned: 95 (Belgium 1, China 15, Egypt 3, Greece 1, Hong Kong 1, Lebanon 1, Nigeria 1, Panama 1, Romania 3, Russia 11, Syria 18, Taiwan 1, Turkey 15, Ukraine 10, UAE 8, UK 2, US 1, Yemen 2) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Definition Field Listing
Freetown, Pepel, Sherbro Islands
   Military    Sierra Leone Top of Page
Military branches:
Definition Field Listing
Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF): Army (includes Navy (Maritime Wing), Air Wing) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
Definition Field Listing
17 years 6 months of age for voluntary military service (younger with parental consent); no conscription (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 16-49: 1,315,561 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 16-49: 671,418 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
Definition Field Listing
male: 70,068
female: 73,930 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.3% of GDP (2006)
   Transnational Issues    Sierra Leone Top of Page
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing
as domestic fighting among disparate ethnic groups, rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone gradually abate, the number of refugees in border areas has begun to slowly dwindle; UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) has maintained over 4,000 peacekeepers in Sierra Leone since 1999; Sierra Leone considers excessive Guinea's definition of the flood plain limits to define the left bank boundary of the Makona and Moa rivers and protests Guinea's continued occupation of these lands including the hamlet of Yenga occupied since 1998
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
Definition Field Listing
refugees (country of origin): 27,311 (Liberia) (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008


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