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

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Background: Democracy is slowly being reestablished after the civil war from 1991 to 2002 that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (about a third of the population). The military which took over full responsibility for security following the departure of UN peacekeepers at the end of 2005 is increasingly developing as a guarantor of the country's stability. The armed forces remained on the sideline during the 2007 and 2012 national elections but still look to the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone (UNIPSIL) - a civilian UN mission - to support efforts to consolidate peace. The new government's priorities include furthering development creating jobs and stamping out endemic corruption.


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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

Area
Rank: 119
Land: 71,620 km²
Water: 120 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than South Carolina

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

Coastline: 402 km

Maritime claims
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 highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1948 m

Natural resources: diamonds titanium ore bauxite iron ore gold chromite

Land use
Permanent crops: 1.88%
Other: 82.79% (2011)

Irrigated land: 293.6 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 160 km³ (2011)

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: 5,612,685 (July 2013 est.)
Rank: 111
Growth rate: 2.3% (2013 est.)
Growth rate rank: 36
Below poverty line: 70.2% (2004)

Nationality
Adjective: Sierra Leonean

Ethnic groups: Temne 35% Mende 31% Limba 8% Kono 5% Kriole 2% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century; also known as Krio) Mandingo 2% Loko 2% other 15% (includes refugees from Liberia's recent civil war and small numbers of Europeans Lebanese Pakistanis and Indians) (2008 census)

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% Christian 10% indigenous beliefs 30%

Demographic profile

Age structure
15-24 years: 19% (male 517,107/female 549,500)
25-54 years: 31.4% (male 847,115/female 914,650)
55-64 years: 4% (male 101,069/female 124,673)
65 years and over: 3.7% (male 89,643/female 117,916) (2013 est.)

Dependency ratios
Youth dependency ratio: 74.5 %
Elderly dependency ratio: 4.8 %
Potential support ratio: 20.9 (2013)

Median age
Male: 18.5 years
Female: 19.6 years (2013 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.3% (2013 est.)
Rank: 36

Birth rate: 37.77 births/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 17

Death rate: 11.26 deaths/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 34

Net migration rate: -3.48 migrant(s)/1000 population
Rank: 184

Population distribution

Urbanization
Rate of urbanization: 3.04% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: FREETOWN (capital) 875,000 (2009)

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 depleted natural resources; overfishing
International agreements signed but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
0-14 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.8 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 19 (2008 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 11
Male: 83.59 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 66.06 deaths/1000 live births (2013 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 199
Male: 54.47 years
Female: 59.56 years (2013 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.87 children born/woman (2013 est.)
Rank: 22

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 11% (2010)

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 0.02 physicians/1000 population (2010)

Hospital bed density: 0.4 beds/1000 population (2006)

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 1.6% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 34
People living with hivaids: 49,000 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 58
Deaths: 2,800 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 47

Major infectious diseases
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea hepatitis A and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria dengue fever and yellow fever
Water contact disease: schistosomiasis
Animal contact disease: rabies
Aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever (2013)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 6.8% (2008)
Rank: 144

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 21.3% (2008)
Rank: 28

Education expenditures: 3.6% of GDP (2011)
Rank: 125

Literacy
Total population: 43.3%
Male: 54.7%
Female: 32.6% (2011 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Male: 13 years
Female: 11 years (2007)

Youth unemployment


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

Government type: constitutional democracy

Capital
Geographic coordinates: 8 29 N 13 14 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 the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 27 April (1961)

Constitution: several previous; latest in effect 1 October 1991; amended several times last in 2010; note - in mid-2013 a committee was formed to review the constitution (2013)

Legal system: mixed legal system of English common law and customary law

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Head of government: President Ernest Bai KOROMA (since 17 September 2007)
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 on 17 November 2012 (next to be held in 2017)
Election results: Ernest Bai KOROMA elected to a second term; percent of vote - Ernest Bai KOROMA 58.7% Julius Maada BIO 37.4% other 3.9%

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (124 seats; 112 members elected by popular vote 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; members to serve five-year terms)
Elections: last held on 17 November 2012 (next to be held in 2017)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - APC 69 SLPP 43

Judicial branch
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court chief justice and other judges of the Judicature appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission (a 7-member independent body of judges presidential appointees and the Commission chairman) and subject to the approval of Parliament; all Judicature judges appointed until retirement at age 65
Subordinate courts: magistrates' courts; District Appeals Court; local courts

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AU C ECOWAS EITI (candidate country) FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO (pending member) ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO (correspondent) ITU ITUC (NGOs) MIGA NAM OIC OPCW UN UNAMID UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNIFIL UNISFA UNMIT UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
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 embassy: Southridge-Hill Station Freetown
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [232] (76) 515 000 or (76) 515 000
From the us FAX: [232] (76) 515 355

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top) white and blue; green symbolizes agriculture mountains and natural resources white represents unity and justice and blue the sea and the natural harbor in Freetown

National symbols: lion

National anthem
Lyrics and music: Clifford Nelson FYLE/John Joseph AKA

National heritage


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Economy overview: Sierra Leone is an extremely poor nation with tremendous inequality in income distribution. While it possesses substantial mineral agricultural and fishery resources its physical and social infrastructure has yet to recover from the civil war and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development. Nearly half 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 completed a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility program that helped stabilize economic growth and reduce inflation and in 2010 approved a new program worth $45 million over three years. Political stability has led to a revival of economic activity such as the rehabilitation of bauxite and rutile mining which are set to benefit from planned tax incentives. A number of offshore oil discoveries were announced in 2009 and 2010. The development of these reserves which could be significant is still several years away however growth skyrocketed to more than 20% in 2012 as exploitation activities began.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 156

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 2

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 206

Gross national saving:
Rank: 90

Gdp composition by end use
Government consumption: 9.5%
Investment in fixed capital: 39.9%
Investment in inventories: 0%
Exports of goods and services: 13.4%
Imports of goods and services: -47.4%: (2012 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Industry: 15%
Services: 33.2% (2012 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: 2.207 million (2007 est.)
Rank: 118
By occupation industry: NA%
By occupation services: NA%

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 70.2% (2004)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Highest 10: 33.6% (2003)

Distribution of family income gini index: 62.9 (1989)
Rank: 4

Budget
Expenditures: $773.5 million (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -5.3% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 172

Taxes and other revenues: 15.4% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 190

Public debt: 41.1% of GDP (2011 est.)
Rank: 100

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 16.2% (2011 est.)
Rank: 208

Central bank discount rate: NA%

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 21% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 16

Stock of narrow money: $276.2 million (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 169

Stock of broad money: $621.3 million (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 165

Stock of domestic credit: $369.9 million (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 168

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance: $-1.212 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 114

Exports: $381.5 million (2011 est.)
Rank: 160
Commodities: diamonds rutile cocoa coffee fish
Partners: China 51.1% Belgium 18.2% Japan 7.7% Turkey 4.8% (2012)

Imports: $1.631 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 170
Commodities: foodstuffs machinery and equipment fuels and lubricants chemicals
Partners: China 16.5% India 10.2% South Africa 7.6% US 6.7% UK 6.7% Belgium 4.6% (2012)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $1.049 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 156

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $979.1 million (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 97

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 145 million kWh (2010 est.)
Production rank: 189
Consumption: 134.9 million kWh (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 192
Exports: 0 kWh (2012 est.)
Exports rank: 129
Imports: 0 kWh (2012 est.)
Imports rank: 132
Installed generating capacity: 102,000 kW (2010 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 170
Generation sources fossil fuels: 47.1% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 161
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 176
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 52.9% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 39
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 122

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 25.39 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 128
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 182
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 120
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2013 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 184

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products production rank: 129
Products consumption: 8,768 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 155
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products exports rank: 129
Products imports: 9,373 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products imports rank: 131

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Production rank: 189
Consumption: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 193
Exports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 180
Imports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 129
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2013 es)
Proven reserves rank: 191

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 1.492 million Mt (2011 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 153

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 18,000 (2012)
Main lines in use rank: 190
Mobile cellular: 2.21 million (2012)
Mobile cellular rank: 143

Telephone system
Domestic: the national microwave radio relay trunk system connects Freetown to Bo and Kenema; while mobile-cellular service is growing rapidly from a small base service area coverage remains limited
International: country code - 232; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2009)

Broadcast media: 1 government-owned TV station; 1 private TV station began operating in 2005; a pay-TV service began operations in late 2007; 1 government-owned national radio station; about two dozen private radio stations primarily clustered in major cities; transmissions of several international broadcasters are available (2007)

Internet
Country code: .sl
Hosts: 282 (2012)
Hosts rank: 191
Users: 14,900 (2009)
Users rank: 199

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 0.6% of GDP (2011)
Rank: 155

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service (younger with parental consent); women are eligible to serve; no conscription; candidates must be HIV negative (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 8 (2013)
Rank: 164
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 7 (2013)

Heliports: 2 (2013)

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Rank: 131
Paved: 904 km
Unpaved: 10,396 km (2002)

Waterways: 800 km (600 km navigable year round) (2011)
Rank: 72

Merchant marine
Rank: 34
By type: bulk carrier 22 cargo 120 carrier 2 chemical tanker 19 container 6 liquefied gas 3 passenger/cargo 2 petroleum tanker 28 refrigerated cargo 7 roll on/roll off 4 specialized tanker 1 vehicle carrier 1
Foreign owned: 98 (Bangladesh 1 China 19 Cyprus 2 Egypt 3 Estonia 2 Hong Kong 7 Japan 4 Lebanon 2 North Korea 2 Romania 2 Russia 7 Singapore 9 Syria 13 Taiwan 7 Turkey 9 UAE 1 UK 1 Ukraine 5 Yemen 2) (2010)

Ports and terminals: Freetown Pepel Sherbro Islands


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Disputes international: as domestic fighting among disparate ethnic groups rebel groups warlords and youth gangs in Cote d'Ivoire Guinea Liberia and Sierra Leone gradually abates the number of refugees in border areas has begun to slowly dwindle; Sierra Leone considers excessive Guinea's definition of the flood plain limits to define the left bank boundary of the Makona and Moa rivers and protests Guinea's continued occupation of these lands including the hamlet of Yenga occupied since 1998

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs