| Sierra Leone |
Introduction Geography People Government Economy Communications Transportation Military Transnational Issues

Sierra Leone | Introduction | Top of Page

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 in July 1999, collapsed in May 2000 after the RUF took over 500 UN peacekeepers hostage. The RUF stepped up attacks on Guinea in December 2000, despite a cease-fire that it signed with the Freetown government one month earlier. As of late 2000, up to 13,000 UN peacekeepers were protecting the capital and key towns in the south. A UK force of 750 was helping to reinforce security and train the Sierra Leone army.

Sierra Leone | Geography | Top of Page

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

Geographic coordinates: | 8 30 N, 11 30 W

Map references: | Africa

Area: | total: 71,740 sq km land: 71,620 sq km water: 120 sq km

Area - comparative: | slightly smaller than South Carolina

Land boundaries: | total: 958 km border countries: 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 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 sq km (1993 est.)

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

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

Environment - international agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sierra Leone | People | Top of Page

Population: | 5,426,618 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: | 0-14 years: 44.73% (male 1,190,207; female 1,237,326) 15-64 years: 52.12% (male 1,351,455; female 1,477,155) 65 years and over: 3.15% (male 84,364; female 86,111) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: | 3.61% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: | 45.11 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: | 19.19 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: | 10.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) note: by the end of 1999 refugees from Sierra Leone are assumed to be returning

Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: | 146.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 45.6 years male: 42.69 years female: 48.61 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: | 6.01 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 2.99% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 68,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 8,200 (1999 est.)

Nationality: | noun: Sierra Leonean(s) adjective: Sierra Leonean

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-18th century), refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians

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

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%)

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.)

Sierra Leone | Government | Top of Page

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*

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

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 and 15 March 1996 (next to be held NA September 2001); note - president's tenure of office is limited to two five-year terms election results: Ahmad Tejan KABBAH elected president; percent of vote - Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (SLPP) 59.5%, John KAREFA-SMART (UNPP) 40.5%

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 NA 2001) election results: percent of vote by party - SLPP 36.1%, UNPP 21.6%, PDP 15.3%, APC 5.7%, NUP 5.3%, DCP 4.8%, other 11.2%; 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; Appeals Court; High 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]

Political pressure groups and leaders: | Trade Unions and Student Unions

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 chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263 FAX: [1] (202) 483-1793

Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph H. MELROSE, Jr. embassy: Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets, Freetown mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [232] (22) 226481 through 226485 FAX: [232] (22) 225471

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

Sierra Leone | Economy | Top of Page

Economy - overview: | Sierra Leone is an extremely poor African nation with tremendous inequality in income distribution. It does have 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, with GNP recovering part of the way in 2000. The fate of the economy depends upon the maintenance of domestic peace and the continued receipt of substantial aid from abroad.

GDP: | purchasing power parity - $2.7 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: | 4.2% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: | purchasing power parity - $510 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 43% industry: 26% services: 31% (1999)

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

Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 0.5% highest 10%: 43.6% (1989)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 15% (2000 est.)

Labor force: | 1.369 million (1981 est.) note: only about 65,000 wage earners (1985)

Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%

Unemployment rate: | NA%

Budget: | revenues: $96 million expenditures: $351 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

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

Industrial production growth rate: | NA%

Electricity - production: | 240 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: | 223.2 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (1999)

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

Exports: | $65 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities: | diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish

Exports - partners: | Belgium 38%, US 6%, Italy 4%, UK 4% (1999)

Imports: | $145 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Imports - commodities: | foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals

Imports - partners: | UK 34%, US 8%, Italy 7%, Nigeria 5% (1999)

Debt - external: | $1.28 billion (1999)

Economic aid - recipient: | $203.7 million (1995)

Currency: | leone (SLL)

Currency code: | SLL

Exchange rates: | leones per US dollar - 1,653.39 (January 2001), 2,092.13 (2000), 1,804.20 (1999), 1,563.62 (1998), 981.48 (1997), 920.73 (1996)

Fiscal year: | calendar year

Sierra Leone | Communications | Top of Page

Telephones - main lines in use: | 17,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular: | 650 (1999)

Telephone system: | general assessment: marginal telephone and telegraph service domestic: national microwave radio relay trunk system, made unserviceable by military activities, is now operating from Freetown to Bo and Kenema (April 2001) international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: | AM 1, FM 9, shortwave 1 (1999)

Radios: | 1.12 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations: | 2 (1999)

Televisions: | 53,000 (1997)

Internet country code: | .sl

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 1 (2000)

Internet users: | 2,000 (2000)

Sierra Leone | Transportation | Top of Page

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

Highways: | total: 11,300 km paved: 904 km unpaved: 10,396 km (1997)

Waterways: | 800 km (of which 600 km navigable year round)

Ports and harbors: | Bonthe, Freetown, Pepel

Merchant marine: | total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,057 GRT/3,498 DWT ships by type: cargo 1 (2000 est.)

Airports: | 11 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: | total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)

Heliports: | 1 (2000 est.)

Sierra Leone | Military | Top of Page

Military branches: | Army

Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 1,161,790 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 563,631 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $46 million (FY96/97)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 2% (FY96/97)

Sierra Leone | Transnational Issues | Top of Page

Disputes - international: | civil war has engendered massive refugee movements into neighboring Guinea and Liberia