Map of Sierra Leone | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

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Background: On 25 May 1997, the democratically-elected government of President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH was overthrown by a disgruntled coalition of army personnel from the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) under the command of Major Johnny Paul KOROMA; President KABBAH fled to exile in Guinea. The Economic Community of West African States Cease-Fire Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) forces, led by a strong Nigerian contingent, undertook the suppression of the rebellion. They were initially unsuccessful, but, by October 1997, they forced the rebels to agree to a cease-fire and to a plan to return the government to democratic control. President KABBAH returned to office on 10 March 1998 to face the task of restoring order to a demoralized population and a disorganized and severely damaged economy. Many of the leaders of the coup were tried and executed in October 1998. In January 1999, the situation had deteriorated even further, with commerce at a standstill, hundreds of thousands of people driven from their homes, and bitter fighting between the AFRC/RUF and ECOMOG troops intensifying by large-scale import of arms.


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Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia

Geographic coordinates: 8 30 N, 11 30 W

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 71,740 km²
Land: 71,620 km²
Water: 120 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than South Carolina

Land boundaries
Total: 958 km
Border countries: (2) Guinea 652 km; , Liberia 306 km

Coastline: 402 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

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
Extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m

Natural resources: diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite

Land use
Arable land: 7%
Permanent crops: 1%
Permanent pastures: 31%
Forests and woodland: 28%
Other: 33% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 290 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (November to May; sandstorms, dust storms

Geography


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Population: 5,296,651 (July 1999 est.)
Growth rate: 4.34% (1999 est.)
Below poverty line: 68% (1989 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Sierra Leonean(s)
Adjective: Sierra Leonean

Ethnic groups: 20 native African tribes 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole 10% (descendents of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-eighteenth century), refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians

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 descendents 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%)

Religions: Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 45% (male 1,182,181; female 1,219,956)
15-64 years: 52% (male 1,307,475; female 1,423,046)
65 years and over: 3% (male 82,374; female 81,619) (1999 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 4.34% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 45.62 births/1000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 16.77 deaths/1000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 14.5 migrant(s)/1000 population (1999 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

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
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban
International agreements signed but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 126.23 deaths/1000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 49.13 years
Male: 46.07 years
Female: 52.27 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.16 children born/woman (1999 est.)

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
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.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Sierra Leone
Conventional short form: Sierra Leone

Government type: constitutional democracy

Capital: Freetown

Administrative divisions: 3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western*

Dependent areas

Independence: 27 April 1961 (from UK)

National holiday: Republic 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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
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 held 26-27 February 1996 (next to be held NA 2001); note_president's tenure of office is limited to two five-year terms
Election results: Ahmad Tejan KABBAH elected president; percent of vote_first round_KABBAH 36.0%, second round_KABBAH 59.5%

Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives (80 seats_68 elected by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; members serve five-year terms)
Elections: last held 26-27 February 1996 (next to be held 2001)
Election results: percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_SLPP 27, UNPP 17, PDP 12, APC 5, NUP 4, DCP 3; note_first elections since the former House of Representatives was shut down by the military coup of 29 April 1992

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador John Ernest LEIGH
In the us chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20,009
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 939-9,261 through 9,263
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 483-1793
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph MELROSE; note_embassy closed in late December 1998
From the us embassy: Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets, Freetown
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [232] (22) 226,481 through 226,485
From the us FAX: [232] (22) 225,471

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Sierra Leone has 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. The period of AFRC/RUF junta rule (May 1997-February 1998) led to UN sanctions and 20% drop in GDP in 1997. The continued fighting at yearend 1997 set back what small progress had been made by the KABBAH government in recovering from the junta period and reestablishing a viable economy. 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. Bauxite and rutile mines have been shut down by civil strife. The major source of hard currency is found in the mining of diamonds, the large majority of which are smuggled out of the country. The fate of the economy in 1999 depends on the outcome of negotiations to end the civil strife.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 0.7% (1998 est.)

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 52%
Industry: 16%
Services: 32% (1996)

Agriculture products: rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish

Industries: mining (diamonds; small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear; petroleum refining

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 1.369 million (1981 est.)
Note: only about 65,000 wage earners (1985)
By occupation agriculture: 65%
By occupation industry: 19%
By occupation services: 16% (1981est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 68% (1989 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $96 million
Expenditures: $150 million, including capital expenditures of $N/A (1996 est.)

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 July_30 June

Current account balance

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: $41 million (f.o.b., 1998)
Commodities: diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish
Partners: Belgium 49%, Spain 10%, US 8%, UK 3% (1997)

Imports: $166 million (f.o.b., 1998)
Commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants
Partners: UK 16%, US 9%, Cote d'Ivoire 8%, Belgium-Luxembourg 3% (1997)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $1.15 billion (1998)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: leones (Le) per US$1_1,630.5 (January 1999), 1,597.2 (1998), 981.48 (1997), 920.73 (1996), 755.22 (1995), 586.74 (1994)


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 230 million kWh (1996)
By source fossil fuel: 100%
By source hydro: 0%
By source nuclear: 0%
By source other: 0% (1996)

Electricity consumption: 230 million kWh (1996)

Electricity exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system: marginal telephone and telegraph service
Domestic: national microwave radio relay system made unserviceable by military activities
International: satellite earth station_1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $46 million (FY96/97)
Percent of gdp: 2% (FY96/97)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 10 (1998 est.)
With paved runways total: 2
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (1998 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 8
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 5
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 3 (1998 est.)

Airports with paved runways
Total: 2
Over 3047 m: 1
914 to 1523 m: 1 (1998 est.)

Airports with unpaved runways
Total: 8
914 to 1523 m: 5
Under 914 m: 3 (1998 est.)

Heliports: 1 (1998 est.)

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 84 km used on a limited basis because the mine at Marampa is closed
Narrow gauge: 84 km 1.067-m gauge

Roadways

Waterways: 800 km; 600 km navigable year round

Merchant marine: none

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs