The government is slowly reestablishing its authority after the 1991 to
2002 civil war that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the
displacement of more than 2 million people (about one-third of the
population). The last UN peacekeepers withdrew in December 2005, leaving full
responsibility for security with domestic forces, but a new civilian UN
office remains to support the government. Mounting tensions related to
planned 2007 elections, deteriorating political and economic conditions in
Guinea
,
and the tenuous security situation in neighboring
Liberia
may present challenges to continuing progress in Sierra Leone's stability.
Geography of Sierra Leone
Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,
between
Guinea
and
Liberia
Coordinates:
8 30 N, 11 30 W
Area:
total: 71,740 sq km land: 71,620 sq km water: 120 sq km
Area comparative:
slightly smaller than South
Carolina
Land boundaries:
total: 958 km border countries:
Guinea
652 km,
Liberia
306 km
tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to
December); winter dry season (December to April)
Terrain:
coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country,
upland plateau, mountains in east
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean
0 m highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m
Natural resources:
diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold,
chromite
Natural hazards:
dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara
(December to February); sandstorms, dust storms
Environment current issues:
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
depleting natural resources; overfishing
Geography - note:
rainfall along the coast can reach 495 cm (195 inches) a
year, making it one of the wettest places along coastal, western Africa
Population of Sierra Leone
Population:
6,005,250 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 44.8% (male 1,321,563/female
1,370,721) 15-64 years: 52% (male 1,494,502/female 1,625,733) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 90,958/female 101,773)
Median age:
17.4 years
Growth rate:
2.3%
Infant mortality:
160.39 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 40.22 years male: 38.05 years female: 42.46 years
Fertility rate:
6.08 children born/woman
Nationality:
noun: Sierra Leonean(s) adjective: Sierra Leonean
Ethnic groups:
20 native African tribes 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:
Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10%
Languages:
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: age 15 and over can read and write
English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic total population: 29.6% male: 39.8% female: 20.5%
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic
of Sierra Leone
Government type:
constitutional democracy
Capital:
Freetown
Administrative divisions:
3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern,
Western*
Independence:
27 April 1961 (from
UK
)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 27 April (1961)
Constitution:
1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times
Legal system:
based on English law and customary laws indigenous to
local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH;
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government 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);
Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament (124 seats - 112 elected by
popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections;
members serve five-year terms)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Appeals Court;
High Court
Economy
Sierra Leone is an extremely poor African nation with tremendous
inequality in income distribution. While it possesses substantial mineral,
agricultural, and fishery resources, its economic and social infrastructure
is not well developed, and serious social disorders continue to hamper
economic development. About two-thirds 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 mining.
GDP:
$4.921 billion (2005 est.)
GDP growth rate:
6.3%
GDP per capita:
$800
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: 49% industry: 31% services: 21%
Budget:
revenues: $96 million expenditures: $351 million (2000 est.)
