Sierra Leone
Official Country Name
Republic of Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone Overview
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. A new civilian UN mission - the UN Integrated Office in Siera Leone (UNIOSIL) - was established to support the government's efforts to consolidate peace. The most pressing long-term threat to stability in Sierra Leone is the potential for political insecurity surrounding July 2007 elections.
Sierra Leone Economy
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 and rutile mining.
Sierra Leone Location
Sierra Leone is located in Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia
Region
Sierra Leone is located in Africa
Sierra Leone Population
Sierra Leone has population of 6,005,250 (July 2006 est.)
Sierra Leone Climate
Sierra Leone has tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)
Sierra Leone Terrain
coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east
Sierra Leone Natural Resources
diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite
Ethnic Groups in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone has the following 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
Sierra Leone Religions
Muslim 60%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs 30%
Sierra Leone 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%)
Sierra Leone Capital
Sierra Leone capital is Freetown
Sierra Leone Currency
Sierra Leone currency is leone
Map of Sierra Leone
