Sierra Leone
military governmentIndependence 27 April 1961 (from UK)
Sierra Leone as the 1994 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 111 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Geography
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean between Guinea and | Liberia
21 fieldstotal area
71,740 sq km
land area
71,620 sq km
comparative area
slightly smaller than South Carolina
territorial sea
200 nm
Climate
- tropical;
- hot, humid;
- summer rainy season (May to December);
- winter dry season (December to April)
arable land
25%
permanent crops
2%
meadows and pastures
31%
forest and woodland
29%
other
13%
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
natural hazards
dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (November to May)
international agreements
party to - Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban; signed, but not ratified - Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea
People
22 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1994 est.)
total population
46.4 years
male
43.58 years
female
49.3 years (1994 est.)
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%
Languages
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
total population
21%
male
31%
female
11%
by occupation
agriculture 65%, industry 19%, services 16% (1981 est.)
note
only about 65,000 wage earners (1985); 55% of population of working age
Government
Military government
26 fieldsconventional long form
Republic of Sierra Leone
conventional short form
Sierra Leone
Legal system
based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
chief of state and head of government
Chairman of the Supreme Council of State Capt. Valentine E. M. STRASSER (since 29 April 1992)
cabinet
Council of Secretaries; responsible to the NPRC
Legislative branch
unicameral House of Representatives (suspended after coup of 29 April 1992); Chairman STRASSER promises multi-party elections sometime in 1995
Political parties and leaders
status of existing political parties is unknown following 29 April 1992 coup
Member of
ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
chief of mission
Ambassador Thomas Kahota KARGBO
chancery
1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
chief of mission
Ambassador Lauralee M. PETERS
embassy
Walpole and Siaka Stevens Street, Freetown
mailing address
use embassy street address
Economy
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.
25 fieldsOverview
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. In 1990-93, the government, with the support of the IMF and the World Bank, has made substantial progress toward structural reform and better fiscal management. The government readily met all IMF/WB targets in December 1993.
The budget deficit had been dramatically reduced; the government workforce had been cut by 25%; large amounts of domestic debt had been retired; arrears to the IMF, World Bank, and other creditors had been reduced. On the negative side, continued incursions by the Liberian rebels, bandits, and army deserters in southern and eastern Sierra Leone have severely strained the economy and threaten economically critical regions of the country.
revenues
$68 million
expenditures
$118 million, including capital expenditures of $28 million (1992 est.)
commodities
rutile 51%, bauxite 19%, diamonds 15%, coffee 5%
partners
US, UK, Belgium, Germany, other Western Europe
commodities
foodstuffs 33%, machinery and equipment 19%, fuels 16%
partners
US, EC countries, Japan, China, Nigeria
capacity
85,000 kW
production
185 million kWh
consumption per capita
45 kWh (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
recipient
- 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
Exchange rates
leones (Le) per US$1 - 578.17 (January 1994), 567.46 (1993), 499.44 (1992), 295.34 (1991), 144.9275 (1990), 58.1395 (1989)
Communications
14 fieldsRailroads
84 km 1.067-meter narrow-gauge mineral line is used on a limited basis because the mine at Marampa is closed
total
7,400 km
paved
1,150 km
unpaved
crushed stone, gravel 490 km; improved earth 5,760 km
total
11
usable
7
with permanent-surface runways
3
with runways over 3,659 m
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m
1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m
3
Telecommunications
- marginal telephone and telegraph service;
- national microwave radio relay system unserviceable at present;
- 23,650 telephones;
- broadcast stations - 1 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV;
- 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
Defense Forces
Army, Navy, Police, Security Forces
3 fieldsCite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Sierra Leone.” The World Factbook 1994. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/sierra-leone/1994.