Sierra Leone

military governmentIndependence 27 April 1961 (from UK)

Sierra Leone as the 1992 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 71 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalFreetown

Area71,740 km2

Populationas each edition published it

4.46 million July 1992 · 4.17m in 1990

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 2.61% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 17.5 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 45.87 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

6.1 children per woman 1992 · 6.2 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

148 deaths per 1,000 live births 1992 · 154 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $330 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition -1% in 1993

Geography

12 fields

Total area

71,740km2

Comparative area: slightly smaller than South Carolina

Coastline

402km

Territorial sea: 200 nm

Land boundaries

958km total

Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km

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

Natural resources

diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite

Land use

arable land 25%;
permanent crops 2%;
meadows and pastures 31%;
forest and woodland 29%;
other 13%;
includes irrigated NEGL%

Environment

extensive mangrove swamps hinder access to sea;
deforestation;
soil degradation

People

14 fields

Population

4,456,737

(July 1992), growth rate -0.2% (1992)

Per 1,000 population(1992)

Birth

46Death

20Net migration

-28

Religions

Muslim 30%indigenous beliefs 30%Christian 10%other or none 30%

Labor force

1,369,000

(est.); agriculture 65%, industry 19%, services 16% (1981); only about 65,000 earn wages (1985); 55% of population of working age

Literacy

21%

(male 31%, female 11%) age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic (1990 est.)

Nationality

noun - Sierra Leonean(s); adjective - Sierra Leonean

Ethnic divisions

native African 99% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%);
Creole, European, Lebanese, and Asian 1%;
13 tribes

Languages

English (official);
regular use limited to literate minority;
principal vernaculars are Mende in south and Temne in north;
Krio is the language of the resettled ex-slave population of the Freetown area and is lingua franca

Government

Military government

18 fields

Administrative divisions

Western Area and 3 provinces; Eastern, Northern, Southern

Legal system

based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

unicameral House of Representatives (suspended after coup of 29 April 1992)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (suspended after coup of 29 April 1992)

Chief of State and Head of Government: President Gen. Joseph Saidu MOMOH was ousted in coup of 29 April 1992; succeeded by Chairman of the National Provisional Ruling Council Valentine STRASSER (since 29 April 1992)

Political parties and leaders

status of existing political parties are unknown following 29 April 1992 coup

Suffrage

universal at age 18

Elections

suspended after 29 April 1992 coup; Chairman STRASSER promises multi-party elections sometime in the future

Member of

ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador (vacant);
Chancery at 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009;
telephone (202) 939-9261

US:: Ambassador Johnny YOUNG;
Embassy at the corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Street, Freetown;
telephone [232] (22) 226-481;
FAX [232] (22) 225471

Flag

three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue

Economy

The economic and social infrastructure is not well developed.

16 fields

Inflation, consumer prices

110%

(1990)

External debt

$572million

(1990)

Budget

Revenues

$134 millionExpenditures

$187 million

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $32 million (FY91 est.)

Overview

The economic and social infrastructure is not well developed. Subsistence agriculture dominates the economy, generating about one-third of GDP and employing about two-thirds of the working population. Manufacturing, which accounts for roughly 10% of GDP, consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market.

Diamond mining provides an important source of hard currency. The economy suffers from high unemployment, rising inflation, large trade deficits, and a growing dependency on foreign assistance. The government in 1990 was attempting to get the budget deficit under control and, in general, to bring economic policy in line with the recommendations of the IMF and the World Bank.

Since March 1991, however, military incursions by Liberian rebels in southern and eastern Sierra Leone have severely strained the economy and have undermined efforts to institute economic reforms.

GDP

exchange rate conversion - $1.4 billion, per capita $330; real growth rate 3% (FY91 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Exports

$138 million (f.o.b., 1990)

commodities:: rutile 50%, bauxite 17%, cocoa 11%, diamonds 3%, coffee 3%
partners:: US, UK, Belgium, FRG, other Western Europe

Imports

$146 million (c.i.f., 1990)

commodities:: capital goods 40%, food 32%, petroleum 12%, consumer goods 7%, light industrial goods
partners:: US, EC, Japan, China, Nigeria

Industrial production

Electricity

85,000 kW capacity; 185 million kWh produced, 45 kWh per capita (1991)

Industries

mining (diamonds, bauxite, rutile), small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear), petroleum refinery

Agriculture

accounts for over 30% of GDP and two-thirds of the labor force;
largely subsistence farming;
cash crops - coffee, cocoa, palm kernels;
harvests of food staple rice meets 80% of domestic needs;
annual fish catch averages 53,000 metric tons

Economic aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $161 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $848 million;
OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $18 million;
Communist countries (1970-89), $101 million