from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Sierra Leone
Introduction
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.
Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,
between Guinea and Liberia
Geographic 8 30 N, 11 30 W
coordinates:
Map Africa
references:
Area: total: 71,740 sq km
land: 71,620 sq km
water: 120 sq km
Area - slightly smaller than South Carolina
comparative:
Land total: 958 km
boundaries: border countries: Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km
Coastline: 402 km
Maritime territorial sea: 12 nm
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 lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
extremes: highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m
Natural diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold,
resources: chromite
Land use: arable land: 7.95%
permanent crops: 1.05%
other: 91% (2005)
Irrigated 300 sq km (2003)
land:
Natural dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara
hazards: (December to February); sandstorms, dust storms
Environment - rapid population growth pressuring the environment;
current overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing,
issues: and slash-and-burn agriculture have resulted in
deforestation and soil exhaustion; civil war depleting
natural resources; overfishing
Environment - party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change,
international Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea,
agreements: Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Geography - rainfall along the coast can reach 495 cm (195 inches)
note: a year, making it one of the wettest places along
coastal, western Africa
People
Population: 6,005,250 (July 2006 est.)
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.)
Median age: total: 17.4 years
male: 17.1 years
female: 17.7 years (2006 est.)
Population 2.3% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 45.76 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 23.03 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration 0.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population
rate: note: refugees currently in surrounding countries are
slowly returning (2006 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant total: 160.39 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 177.47 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 142.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 40.22 years
expectancy at male: 38.05 years
birth: female: 42.46 years (2006 est.)
Total 6.08 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 7% (2001 est.)
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 170,000 (2001 est.)
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - 11,000 (2001 est.)
deaths:
Major degree of risk: very high
infectious food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal
diseases: 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)
Nationality: noun: Sierra Leonean(s)
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
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: 29.6%
male: 39.8%
female: 20.5% (2000 est.)
Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Sierra Leone
conventional short form: Sierra Leone
local long form: Republic of Sierra Leone
local short form: Sierra Leone
Government constitutional democracy
type:
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 3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern,
divisions: Western*
Independence: 27 April 1961 (from UK)
National Independence Day, 27 April (1961)
holiday:
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 chief of state: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29
branch: 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 unicameral Parliament (124 seats - 112 elected by
branch: popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in
separate elections; members serve five-year terms)
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 Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court
branch:
Political All People's Congress or APC [Ben KANU]; Peace and
parties and Liberation Party or PLP [Darlington MORRISON, interim
leaders: chairman]; Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP [Sama
BANYA]; numerous others
Political trade unions and student unions
pressure
groups and
leaders:
International ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
organization ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
participation: IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC,
OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Ibrahim M. KAMARA
representation chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
in the US: telephone: [1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263
FAX: [1] (202) 483-1793
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas N. HULL
representation embassy: Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets,
from the US: Freetown
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [232] (22) 226481 through 226485
FAX: [232] (22) 225471
Flag three equal horizontal bands of light green (top),
description: white, and light blue
Economy
Economy - Sierra Leone is an extremely poor African nation with
overview: 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.
GDP $4.939 billion (2005 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official $1.128 billion (2005 est.)
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 7.5% (2005 est.)
growth rate:
GDP - per $800 (2005 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 49%
composition by industry: 31%
sector: services: 21% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 1.369 million (1981 est.)
Labor force - agriculture: NA%
by occupation: industry: NA%
services: NA%
Unemployment NA%
rate:
Population 68% (1989 est.)
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: 0.5%
income or highest 10%: 43.6% (1989)
consumption by
percentage
share:
Distribution 62.9 (1989)
of family
income - Gini
index:
Inflation rate 1% (2002 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Budget: revenues: $96 million
expenditures: $351 million; including capital
expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Agriculture - rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts;
products: poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish
Industries: diamond mining; small-scale manufacturing (beverages,
textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining,
small commercial ship repair
Industrial NA%
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 260.6 million kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 100%
production by hydro: 0%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - 242.4 million kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 0.8361 bbl/day (2003 est.)
production:
Oil - 6,510 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Exports: $185 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish
commodities:
Exports - Belgium 66.2%, Germany 13.5%, US 4.6% (2005)
partners:
Imports: $531 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and
commodities: lubricants, chemicals
Imports - Germany 18.9%, Cote d'Ivoire 11.2%, UK 8.5%, US 6.9%,
partners: China 5.6%, Netherlands 5.4%, South Africa 4.1% (2005)
Debt - $1.61 billion (2003 est.)
external:
Economic aid - $297.4 million (2003 est.)
recipient:
Currency leone (SLL)
(code):
Currency code: SLL
Exchange leones per US dollar - 2,889.6 (2005), 2,701.3 (2004),
rates: 2,347.9 (2003), 2,099 (2002), 1,986.2 (2001)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones - 24,000 (2002)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 113,200 (2003)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: marginal telephone and telegraph
system: 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)
Radio AM 1, FM 9, shortwave 1 (1999)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 1.12 million (1997)
Television 2 (1999)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: 53,000 (1997)
Internet .sl
country code:
Internet 20 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 1 (2001)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 10,000 (2005)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 10 (2006)
Airports - total: 1
with paved over 3,047 m: 1 (2006)
runways:
Airports - total: 9
with unpaved 914 to 1,523 m: 7
runways: under 914 m: 2 (2006)
Heliports: 2 (2006)
Roadways: total: 11,300 km
paved: 904 km
unpaved: 10,396 km (2002)
Waterways: 800 km (600 km year round) (2005)
Merchant total: 54 ships (1000 GRT or over) 185,037 GRT/249,996
marine: 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 Freetown, Pepel, Sherbro Islands
terminals:
Military
Military Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF): Army
branches: (includes Air Wing, Maritime Wing)
Military 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)
service age
and
obligation:
Manpower males age 18-49: 1,086,091 (2005 est.)
available for
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 18-49: 539,697 (2005 est.)
for military
service:
Military $14.25 million (2005 est.)
expenditures -
dollar figure:
Military 1.7% (2005 est.)
expenditures -
percent of
GDP:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - domestic fighting among disparate rebel groups,
international: 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 refugees (country of origin): 65,433 (Liberia) (2005)
internally
displaced
persons: