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Background:
|
 The
1991 to 2002 civil war between the government and the
Revolutionary United Front (RUF) resulted in tens of thousands
of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people
(well over one-third of the population), many of whom are now
refugees in neighboring countries. With the support of the UN
peacekeeping force and contributions from the World Bank and
international community, demobilization and disarmament of the
RUF and Civil Defense Forces (CDF) combatants has been
completed. National elections were held in May 2002 and the
government continues to slowly reestablish its authority.
However, the gradual withdrawal of most UN Mission in Sierra
Leone (UNAMSIL) peacekeepers in 2004 and the tenuous security
situation in neighboring Liberia may present challenges to the
continuation of Sierra Leone's stability. |
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Location:
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Western Africa,
bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia |
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Geographic coordinates:
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8 30 N, 11 30 W |
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Map references:
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Africa |
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Area:
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total:
71,740 sq km
land: 71,620 sq km
water: 120 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller
than South Carolina |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 958
km
border countries: Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km |
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Coastline:
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402 km |
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Climate:
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tropical; hot,
humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry
season (December to April) |
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Terrain:
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coastal belt of
mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau,
mountains in east |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m |
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Natural resources:
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diamonds,
titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite |
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Land use:
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arable land:
6.76%
permanent crops: 0.78%
other: 92.46% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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290 sq km (1998
est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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dry, sand-laden
harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February);
sandstorms, dust storms |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification |
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Geography - note:
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rainfall along
the coast can reach 495 cm (195 inches) a year, making it one
of the wettest places along coastal, western Africa |
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Population:
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5,883,889 (July
2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years:
44.8% (male 1,291,621; female 1,343,827)
15-64 years: 52% (male 1,458,610; female 1,599,109)
65 years and over: 3.2% (male 91,232; female 99,490)
(2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
17.5 years
male: 17.2 years
female: 17.8 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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2.27% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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43.34
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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20.62
deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000
population
note: refugees currently in surrounding countries are
slowly returning (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
145.24 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 127.32 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 162.64 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 42.69 years
male: 40.23 years
female: 45.21 years (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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7% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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170,000 (2001
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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11,000 (2001
est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Sierra Leonean(s)
adjective: Sierra Leonean |
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Ethnic groups:
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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 |
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Religions:
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Muslim 60%,
indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10% |
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Languages:
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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%) |
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Literacy:
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definition:
age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or
Arabic
total population: 31.4%
male: 45.4%
female: 18.2% (1995 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Republic of Sierra Leone
conventional short form: Sierra Leone |
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Government type:
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constitutional
democracy |
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Capital:
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Freetown |
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Administrative divisions:
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3 provinces and 1
area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western* |
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Independence:
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27 April 1961
(from UK) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day,
27 April (1961) |
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Constitution:
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1 October 1991;
subsequently amended several times |
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Legal system:
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based on English
law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Executive branch:
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chief of
state: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996,
reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the
chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since
29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); 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; election last held 14 May 2002 (next to be
held NA May 2007); note - president's tenure of office is
limited to two five-year terms
election results: Ahmad Tejan KABBAH reelected
president; percent of vote - Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (SLPP) 70.6%,
Ernest KOROMA (APC) 22.4% |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral
Parliament (124 seats - 112 elected by popular vote, 12 filled
by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; members
serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held NA
May 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - SLPP
70.06%, APC 22.35%, PLP 3%, others 4.59%; seats by party -
SLPP 83, APC 27, PLP 2 |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court;
Appeals Court; High Court |
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Political parties and leaders:
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All People's
Congress or APC [Ben KANU]; Peace and Liberation Party or PLP
[Darlington MORRISON, interim chairman]; Sierra Leone People's
Party or SLPP [Sama BANYA]; numerous others |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Trade Unions and
Student Unions |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Ibrahim M. KAMARA
FAX: [1] (202) 483-1793
telephone: [1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263
chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Peter Russell CHAVEAS
embassy: Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets,
Freetown
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [232] (22) 226481 through 226485
FAX: [232] (22) 225471 |
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Economy - overview:
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Sierra
Leone is an extremely poor African nation with tremendous
inequality in income distribution. It does have substantial
mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources. However, the
economic and social infrastructure is not well developed, and
serious social disorders continue to hamper economic
development, following a 11-year civil war. 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. Plans continue to reopen bauxite and rutile mines shut
down during the conflict. The major source of hard currency
consists of the mining of diamonds. 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 to
supplement government revenues. |
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GDP:
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purchasing
power parity - $3.057 billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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6.5%
(2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing
power parity - $500 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
49%
industry: 31%
services: 21% (2001 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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68%
(1989 est.) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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1%
(2002 est.) |
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Labor force:
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1.369
million (1981 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture
NA%, industry NA%, services NA% |
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Unemployment rate:
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NA% |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$96 million
expenditures: $351 million, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
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Industries:
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mining
(diamonds); small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles,
cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA%
(1997 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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250.1
million kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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232.6
million kWh (2001) |
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Oil - production:
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0
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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6,500
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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rice,
coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry,
cattle, sheep, pigs; fish |
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Exports:
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$49
million f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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diamonds,
rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish (1999) |
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Exports - partners:
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Belgium
41.6%, Germany 31.7%, UK 4%, US 4% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$264
million f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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foodstuffs,
machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals
(1995) |
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Imports - partners:
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Germany
26.1%, UK 10.7%, Netherlands 7.5%, US 5.7%, Cote d'Ivoire
4.9%, Italy 4.3% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$1.5
billion (2002 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$103
million (2001 est.) |
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Currency:
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leone
(SLL) |
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Currency code:
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SLL |
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Exchange rates:
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leones
per US dollar - 2,347.94 (2003), 2,099.03 (2002), 1,986.15
(2001), 2,092.12 (2000), 1,804.19 (1999) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar
year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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24,000 (2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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66,300 (2002) |
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Telephone system:
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general
assessment: marginal telephone and telegraph service
domestic: the national microwave radio relay trunk
system connects Freetown to Bo and Kenema
international: country code - 232; satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 1, FM 9,
shortwave 1 (1999) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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2 (1999) |
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Internet country code:
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.sl |
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Internet hosts:
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277 (2002) |
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Internet users:
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8,000 (2002) |
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Railways:
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total: 84
km
narrow gauge: 84 km 1.067-m gauge
note: Sierra Leone has no common carrier railroads; the
existing railroad is private and used on a limited basis while
the mine at Marampa is closed (2001) |
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Highways:
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total:
11,330 km
paved: 895 km
unpaved: 10,435 km (1999) |
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Waterways:
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800 km (of which
600 km is navigable year round) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Bonthe, Freetown,
Pepel |
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Merchant marine:
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total: 2
ships (1,000 GRT or over) 7,435 GRT/8,750 DWT
by type: cargo 2 (2003 est.) |
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Airports:
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10 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 9
under 914 m: 2 (2003 est.)
914 to 1,523 m: 7 |
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Heliports:
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2 (2003 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Army (RSLAF) |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males age
15-49: 1,265,140 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males age
15-49: 614,338 (2004 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$11.7 million
(2003) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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1.5% (2003) |
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Disputes - international:
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domestic fighting
among disparate rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in
Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone have created insurgencies,
street violence, looting, arms trafficking, ethnic conflicts,
and refugees in border areas; in 2003, Guinea and Sierra Leone
established a boundary commission to resolve a dispute over
the town of Yenga |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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