Statistical information Sierra Leone 1990
Sierra Leone in the World
Background
Sierra Leone - Geography 1990
top of pageLocation
Geographic coordinates
Map reference
Area
Land boundaries: 958 km total; Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km
Coastline: 402 km
Maritime claims: Territorial sea:200 nm
Climate: 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
Natural resources: diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite
Land use
Land use: 25% arable land; 2% permanent crops; 31% meadows and pastures; 29% forest and woodland; 13% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Irrigated land
Major rivers
Major watersheds area km²
Total water withdrawal
Total renewable water resources
Natural hazards
Geography
Sierra Leone - People 1990
top of pagePopulation: 4,165,953 (July 1990), growth rate 2.6% (1990)
Nationality: noun--Sierra Leonean(s; adjective--Sierra Leonean
Ethnic groups: 99% native African (30% Temne, 30% Mende; 1% Creole, European, Lebanese, and Asian; 13 tribes
Languages: English (official; regular use limited to literate minority; principal vernaculars are Mende in south and Temne in north; Krio is the language of the resettled ex-slave population of the Freetown area and is lingua franca
Religions: 30% Muslim, 30% indigenous beliefs, 10% Christian, 30% other or none
Demographic profile
Age structure
Age structure
Dependency ratios
Median age
Population growth rate
Birth rate: 47 births/1000 population (1990)
Death rate: 21 deaths/1000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1000 population (1990)
Population distribution
Urbanization
Major urban areas
Environment
Current issues: extensive mangrove swamps hinder access to sea; deforestation; soil degradation
Air pollutants
Sex ratio
Mothers mean age at first birth
Maternal mortality ratio
Infant mortality rate: 154 deaths/1000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 42 years male, 47 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 6.2 children born/woman (1990)
Contraceptive prevalence rate
Drinking water source
Current health expenditure
Physicians density
Hospital bed density
Sanitation facility access
Hiv/Aids
Major infectious diseases
Obesity adult prevalence rate
Alcohol consumption
Tobacco use
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
Education expenditures
Literacy: 31% (1986)
School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Youth unemployment
Sierra Leone - Government 1990
top of pageCountry name: conventional long form: Republic of Sierra Leone
Government type: republic under presidential regime
Capital: Freetown
Administrative divisions: 4 provinces; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western
Dependent areas
Independence: 27 April 1961 (from UK)
National holiday: Republic Day, 27 April (1961)
Constitution: 14 June 1978
Legal system: based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
International law organization participation
Citizenship
Suffrage: universal at age 21
Executive branch: Chief of State and Head of Government--President Gen. Joseph Saidu MOMOH (since 28 November 1985; First Vice President Abu Bakar KAMARA (since 4 April 1987; Second Vice President Salia JUSU-SHERIFF (since 4 April 1987)
Legislative branch: Army, Navy
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, Commonwealth, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITU, Mano River Union, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation
In the us: Ambassador George CAREW; Chancery at 1701 19th Street NW, Washington DC 20,009; telephone (202) 939-9,261; US--Ambassador Johnny YOUNG; Embassy at the corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Street, Freetown; telephone 26,481
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue
National symbols
National anthem
National heritage
Sierra Leone - Economy 1990
top of pageEconomy overview: The economic and social infrastructure is not well developed. Subsistence agriculture dominates the economy, generating about one-third of GDP and employing about two-thirds of the working population. Manufacturing accounts for less than 10% of GDP, consisting mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. Diamond mining provides an important source of hard currency. The economy suffers from high unemployment, rising inflation, large trade deficits, and a growing dependency on foreign assistance.
Real gdp purchasing power parity
Real gdp growth rate
Real gdp per capita
Gross national saving
Gdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end use
Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture products: accounts for over 30% of GDP and two-thirds of the labor force; largely subsistence farming; cash crops--coffee, cocoa, palm kernels; harvests of food staple rice meets 80% of domestic needs; annual fish catch averages 53,000 metric tons
Industries: mining (diamonds, bauxite, rutile), small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear), petroleum refinery
Industrial production growth rate: - 19% (FY88 est.)
Labor force:
1,369,000 (est.), 65% agriculture, 19%
industry, 16%
services (1981; only about 65,000 earn wages (1985; 55% of population of working age
industry, 16%
services (1981; only about 65,000 earn wages (1985; 55% of population of working age
Labor force
Unemployment rate: NA%
Youth unemployment
Population below poverty line
Gini index
Household income or consumption by percentage share
Distribution of family income gini index
Budget: revenues $86 million; expenditures $128 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY90 est.)
Taxes and other revenues
Public debt
Revenue
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
Inflation rate consumer prices
Central bank discount rate
Commercial bank prime lending rate
Stock of narrow money
Stock of broad money
Stock of domestic credit
Market value of publicly traded shares
Current account balance
Exports: $106 million (f.o.b., 1988)
Commodities: rutile 50%, bauxite 17%, cocoa 11%, diamonds 3%, coffee 3%
Partners: US, UK, Belgium, FRG, other Western Europe
Imports: $167 million (c.i.f., 1988)
Commodities: capital goods 40%, food 32%, petroleum 12%, consumer goods 7%, light industrial goods
Partners: US, EC, Japan, China, Nigeria
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
Debt external: $805 million (1989 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment at home
Stock of direct foreign investment abroad
Exchange rates: leones per US$1--87.7193 (January 1990), 58.1395 (1989), 31.2500 (1988), 30.7692 (1987), 8.3963 (1986), 4.7304 (1985)
Sierra Leone - Energy 1990
top of pageElectricity
Capacity: 83,000 kW capacity; 180 million kWh produced, 45 kWh per capita (1989)
Coal
Petroleum
Crude oil
Refined petroleum
Natural gas
Carbon dioxide emissions
Energy consumption per capita
Sierra Leone - Communication 1990
top of pageTelephones
Telephone system
Broadcast media
Internet
Broadband fixed subscriptions
Sierra Leone - Military 1990
top of pageMilitary expenditures
Percent of gdp: 1% of GDP (1986)
Military and security forces
Military service age and obligation
Space program
Terrorist groups
Sierra Leone - Transportation 1990
top of pageNational air transport system
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
Airports: 12 total, 8 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 3 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Heliports
Pipelines
Railways
Roadways
Waterways: 800 km; 600 km navigable year round
Merchant marine
Ports and terminals
Sierra Leone - Transnational issues 1990
top of pageDisputes international
Refugees and internally displaced persons
Illicit drugs
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