Sierra Leone

Republic of Sierra Leone

military government

Sierra Leone as the 1993 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 74 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

LocationWestern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean between Guinea and

Populationas each edition published it

4.51 million July 1993 est. · 4.17m in 1990

Population growth% a year

2.61% 1993 est. · 2.24% in 2025

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 17.5 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

45.87 years 1993 est. · 59.4 yrs in 2025

Fertility ratechildren per woman

6.01 children per woman 1993 est. · 6.2 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

145 deaths per 1,000 live births 1993 est. · 154 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$330 $3,100 in 2025

GDP real growth% a year

-1% 4% in 2025

Geography

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

13 fields

Land useshare of 71,740 km2

arable land 25%permanent crops 2%meadows and pastures 31%forest and woodland 29%other 13%irrigated 340 km2 (1989 est.)

Area

71,740km2

land area: 71,620 km2comparative area: slightly smaller than South Carolina

Coastline

402km

territorial sea: 200 nm

Land boundaries

958km

total · Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km

Location

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

Map references

Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

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

Environment

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

People

14 fields

Population

4,510,571

(July 1993 est.)growth rate: 2.61% (1993 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1993 est.)

Birth

45.47Death

19.39Net migration

Male · female(1993 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years45.87

43.1 · 48.71

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy21%

31% · 11%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write English, Merde, Temne, or Arabic (1990)

Religions

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

Labor force

1.369million

(1981 est.)by occupation: agriculture 65%, industry 19%, services 16% (1981 est.)note: only about 65,000 wage earners (1985); 55% of population of working age

Infant mortality rate

145 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Nationality

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

Ethnic divisions

13 native African tribes 99% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 39%), Creole, European, Lebanese, and Asian 1%

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

Government

Military government

19 fields

Names

conventional long form:: Republic of Sierra Leone
conventional short form:: Sierra Leone

Digraph

Type

military government

Capital

Freetown

Administrative divisions

3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western*, Independence: 27 April 1961 (from UK)

Constitution

1 October 1991; amended September 1991

Legal system

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

National holiday

Republic Day, 27 April (1961)

Political parties and leaders

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Elections

suspended after 29 April 1992 coup; Chairman STRASSER promises multi-party elections sometime within three years

Executive branch

National Provisional Ruling Council

Legislative branch

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

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (suspended after coup of 29 April 1992)

Leaders

Chief of State and Head of Government: Chairman of the Supreme Council of State Capt. Valentine E. M. STRASSER (since 29 April 1992)

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 in US

chief of mission:: (vacant)
chancery:: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone:: (202) 939-9261

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:: Ambassador Lauralee M. PETERS
embassy:: Walpole and Siaka Stevens Street, Freetown
mailing address:: use embassy street address
telephone:: [232] (22) 226-481
FAX:: [232] (22) 225-471

Flag

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

Economy

The economic and social infrastructure is not well developed.

18 fields

GDP per capita, PPP

$330

(FY92 est.)

Real growth rate

-1%

(FY92 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate NA%

Inflation, consumer prices

(1992)

External debt

$633million

(FY92 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$68 millionExpenditures

$118 million

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $28 million (FY92 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.

National product

GDP - exchange rate conversion - $1.4 billion (FY92 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Exports

$75 million (f.o.b., FY92 est.)

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

Imports

$62 million (c.i.f., FY92 est.)

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

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