Map of Sierra Leone | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: Since 1991 civil war between the government and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) has 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. A peace agreement signed on 7 July 1999 offers hope that the country will be able to rebuild its devastated economy and infrastructure but previous peace efforts have failed. As of late 1999 up to 6,000 UN peacekeepers were in the process of deploying to bolster the peace accord.


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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
Comparative: slightly smaller than South Carolina

Land boundaries

Coastline: 402 km

Maritime claims

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

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: 5,232,624 (July 2000 est.)
Growth rate: 3.67% (2000 est.)
Below poverty line: 68% (1989 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic groups: 20 native African tribes 90% (Temne 30% Mende 30% other 30%) Creole 10% (descendants 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 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%)

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

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 3.67% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 45.63 births/1000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 19.58 deaths/1000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 10.61 migrant(s)/1000 population (2000 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

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 148.66 deaths/1000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total fertility rate: 6.08 children born/woman (2000 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

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

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

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)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: All People's Congress or APC [Edward Mohammed TURAY chairman]; Democratic Centre Party or DCP [Adu Aiah KOROMA]; National Democratic Alliance or NDA [Amadu M. B. JALLOH]; National Republican Party or NRP [Sahr Stephen MAMBU]; National Unity Party or NUP [Dr. John KARIMU chairman]; People's Democratic Party or PDP [Thaimu BANGURA chairman]; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Abass Chernok BUNDU chairman]; Revolutionary United Front Party or RUFP [Foday SANKOH chairman]; Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP [President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH chairman]; United National People's Party or UNPP [John KARIFA-SMART in exile Raymond KAMARA acting leader]

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

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. 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 resurgence of internal warfare in 1999 brought another substantial drop in GDP. The fate of the economy in 2000 depends on the mid-1999 peace accord holding and the rebels reopening territory under their control.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: -10% (1999 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $500 (1999 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

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.)
By occupation agriculture: NA%
By occupation industry: NA%
By occupation services: NA%

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

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Inflation rate consumer prices: 30% (1999 est.)

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: Benelux 49% Spain 10% US 8% UK 3% (1997)

Imports: $166 million (f.o.b. 1998)
Commodities: foodstuffs machinery and equipment fuels and lubricants chemicals
Partners: UK 24% Cote d'Ivoire 14% Benelux 10% US 8% (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 - 2,325 (January 2000) 1804.20 (1999) 1563.62 (1998) 981.48 (1997) 920.73 (1996) 755.22 (1995)


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Electricity
Production: 235 million kWh (1998)
Consumption: 219 million kWh (1998)
Exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Imports: 0 kWh (1998)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 17,000 (1995)
Mobile cellular: NA

Telephone system: marginal telephone and telegraph service

Broadcast media

Internet
Service providers isps: NA

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 (1999 est.)

Heliports: 1 (1999 est.)

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 800 km; 600 km navigable year round

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs