Map of Sierra Leone | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: 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.


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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: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 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
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: 7.95%
Permanent crops: 1.05%
Other: 91% (2005)

Irrigated land: 300 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: dry sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February); sandstorms dust storms

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


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Population: 6,005,250 (July 2006 est.)
Growth rate: 2.3% (2006 est.)
Below poverty line: 68% (1989 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Sierra Leonean
Adjective: Sierra Leonean

Ethnic groups: 20 African ethnic groups 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

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
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) (2006 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 17.4 years
Male: 17.1 years
Female: 17.7 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.3% (2006 est.)

Birth rate: 45.76 births/1000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate: 23.03 deaths/1000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate
Note: refugees currently in surrounding countries are slowly returning (2006 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, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 0.96 male/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male/female
Total population: 0.94 male/female (2006 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 160.39 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 177.47 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 142.8 deaths/1000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 40.22 years
Male: 38.05 years
Female: 42.46 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.08 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 7% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: 170,000 (2001 est.)
Deaths: 11,000 (2001 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks in some locations
Water contact disease: schistosomiasis
Aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever (2005)

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: 29.6%
Male: 39.8%
Female: 20.5% (2000 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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

Government type: constitutional democracy

Capital
Name: Freetown
Geographic coordinates: 8 30 N, 13 15 W
Time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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

Dependent areas

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

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 (eligible for a second term); election last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held 28 July 2007)
Election results: Ahmad Tejan KABBAH reelected president; percent of vote - Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (SLPP) 70.6%, Ernest KOROMA (APC) 22.4%

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held 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

Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court

Political parties and leaders: 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

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AU C ECOWAS FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICCt ICFTU ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM ITU MIGA NAM OIC OPCW UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WCL WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Ibrahim M. KAMARA
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 Thomas N. HULL
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 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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $4.939 billion (2005 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 7.5% (2005 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $800 (2005 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 49%
Industry: 31%
Services: 21% (2001 est.)

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

Industries: diamond mining; small-scale manufacturing (beverages textiles cigarettes footwear); petroleum refining small commercial ship repair

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
Lowest 10: 0.5%
Highest 10: 43.6% (1989)

Distribution of family income gini index: 62.9 (1989)

Budget
Revenues: $96 million
Expenditures: $351 million; including capital expenditures of $N/A (2000 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1% (2002 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: $185 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Commodities: diamonds rutile cocoa coffee fish
Partners: Belgium 66.2% Germany 13.5% US 4.6% (2005)

Imports: $531 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Commodities: foodstuffs machinery and equipment fuels and lubricants chemicals
Partners: Germany 18.9% Cote d'Ivoire 11.2% UK 8.5% US 6.9% China 5.6% Netherlands 5.4% South Africa 4.1% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $1.61 billion (2003 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: leones per US dollar - 2,890 (2005) 2,701 (2004) 2,348 (2003) 2,099 (2002) 1986.2 (2001)


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Electricity
Production: 260.6 million kWh (2003)
Consumption: 242.4 million kWh (2003)
Exports: 0 kWh (2003)
Imports: 0 kWh (2003)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2003 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2003 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 24,000 (2002)
Mobile cellular: 113,200 (2003)

Telephone system
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)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .sl
Hosts: 20 (2006)
Users: 10,000 (2005)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: 1.7% (2005 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 10 (2006)
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1 (2006)
With unpaved runways total: 9
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 7
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 2 (2006)

Heliports: 2 (2006)

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 11,300 km
Paved: 904 km
Unpaved: 10,396 km (2002)

Waterways: 800 km (600 km year round) (2005)

Merchant marine
Total: 54 ships (1000 GRT or over) 185,037 GRT/249,996 DWT
By type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 36, chemical tanker 3, combination ore/oil 3, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 2
Foreign owned: 14 (China 2, Cyprus 1, Egypt 1, Russia 1, Syria 1, UAE 3, Ukraine 4, US 1) (2006)

Ports and terminals: Freetown Pepel Sherbro Islands


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Disputes international: domestic fighting among disparate rebel groups warlords and youth gangs in Cote d'Ivoire Guinea Liberia and Sierra Leone perpetuate insurgencies street violence looting arms trafficking ethnic conflicts and refugees in border areas; UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) has maintained over 4,000 peacekeepers in Sierra Leone since 1999; Sierra Leone pressures Guinea to remove its forces from the town of Yenga occupied since 1998

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 65,433 (Liberia) (2005)

Illicit drugs