| 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. |
| Location: |
Western Africa,
bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and
Liberia |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
8 30 N, 11 30 W |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: Republic of Sierra Leone
conventional short form: Sierra Leone |
| Government
type: |
constitutional
democracy |
| 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 |
| 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% |
| 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) |
| 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 |
| 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) |
| 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
- 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.) |
| 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) |
| Disputes
- international: |
civil war has
engendered massive refugee movements into neighboring Guinea
and Liberia |
|
