Sierra Leone

Republic of Sierra Leone

constitutional democracyIndependence 27 April 1961 (from UK)

Sierra Leone as the 1996 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 84 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
Position8 30 N, 11 30 W
Area71,740 sq km
LocationWestern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,
1996

Every edition of Sierra Leone

Populationas each edition published it
4.79 million July 1996 est. · 4.17m in 1990
Population growth% a year
4.14% 1996 est. · 2.61% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 17.5 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
47.47 years 1996 est. · 45.87 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
6.36 children per woman 1996 est. · 6.2 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
135.6 deaths per 1,000 live births 1996 est. · 154 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$960 1994 est. · $330 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
-4% 1994 est. · -1% in 1993

Geography

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

14 fields

Land useshare of 71,740 sq km

arable land 25%permanent crops 2%meadows and pastures 31%forest and woodland 29%other 13%irrigated 340 sq km (1989 est.)
Area
71,740sq km
land area: 71,620 sq kmcomparative area: slightly smaller than South Carolina
Coastline
402km
territorial sea: 200 nmcontinental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Land boundaries
958km
border countries: Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km

Location

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

Geographic coordinates

8 30 N, 11 30 W

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

lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point:
Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m

Natural resources

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

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
natural hazards:
dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (November to May); sandstorms, dust storms
international agreements:
  • party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Whaling;
  • signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Environmental Modification

People

15 fields
Population
4,793,121
(July 1996 est.)growth rate: 4.14% (1996 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1996 est.)

Birth
47.13Death
18.24Net migration
12.52

Male · female(1996 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years47.47
44.56 · 50.47
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy31.4%
45.4% · 18.2%
MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write in English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic (1995 est.)

Religions

Muslim 60%indigenous beliefs 30%Christian 10%

Age structure

0-14 years:
45% (male 1,057,824; female 1,092,291)
15-64 years:
52% (male 1,197,547; female 1,298,834)
65 years and over:
3% (male 75,066; female 71,559) (July 1996 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
0.97 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
1.05 male(s)/female
all ages:
0.95 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate

135.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate

6.36 children born/woman (1996 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%

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)

Government

Constitutional democracy

20 fields

Name of country

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

Type of government

constitutional democracy

Capital

Freetown

Administrative divisions

3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western*

Independence

27 April 1961 (from UK)

National holiday

Republic Day, 27 April (1961)

Constitution

1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state and head of government:
President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (inaugurated 29 March 1996); election held 26-27 February 1996 (next to be held NA 2000)
cabinet:
Ministers of State appointed by the president with the approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible to the president

House of Representatives

  • elections last held NA February 1996 (next to be held NA);
  • results - percent of vote by party NA;
  • seats (80 total, 68 elected, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections) 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

Political parties and leaders

  • 15 parties registered for the February 1996 elections;
  • National Peoples Party (NPP), Andrew TURAY;
  • Democratic Center Party (DCP), Abu KOROMA;
  • Peoples Progressive Party (PPP), Edward KAMARA, chairman;
  • Coalition for Progress Party (CPP), Geredine WILLIAMS-SARHO;
  • National Unity Movement (NUM);
  • United National Peoples Party (UNPP);
  • Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Thaimu BANGURA, chairman;
  • All Peoples Congress (APC), S. A. T. KOROMA, chairman;
  • National Republican Party (NRP);
  • Social Democratic Party (SDP);
  • Peoples National Convention (PNC), I. B. KARGBO, chairman;
  • National Unity Party (NUP), A. O. D. GEORGE, chairman;
  • Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP), Paul DUNBAR, chairman;
  • National Democratic Alliance (NDA);
  • National Alliance for Democracy Party (NADP)

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, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:
(vacant)
chancery:
1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone:
[1] (202) 939-9261

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:
Ambassador John L. HIRSCH
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

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

Economy

Sierra Leone has substantial mineral, | agricultural, and fishery resources.

20 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$960
(1994 est.)
Real growth rate
-4%
(1994 est.)industrial production growth: $NA
Labor force
1.369million
(1981 est.)by occupation: agriculture 65%, industry 19%, services 16% (1981 est.)note: only about 65,000 wage earners (1985)

GDP composition by sector(1994)

agriculture 40%industry 17%services 43% (1994)

Budget

Revenues
$75 millionExpenditures
$128 million
expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA (FY94/95 est.)

Installed generating capacity, 130,000 kW

Electricity production
220 millionElectricity consumption per capita
44 (1993)

Economic overview

Sierra Leone has substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources. However, the economic and social infrastructure is not well developed, and serious social disorders continue to push down production, exports, and the value of the leone. Agriculture employs about two-thirds of the working population, with subsistence agriculture dominating the sector.

Manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. The mining of diamonds, bauxite, and rutile is the major source of hard currency. The government has worked hard to meet its IMF- and World Bank-mandated stabilization targets, holding down fiscal deficits, and retiring much of its domestic debt - but at a steep cost in terms of forgone capital investments and social spending.

Moreover, the economic infrastructure has nearly collapsed due to neglect and war-related disruptions in the mining and agricultural export sectors. The continuing civil war in Liberia has led to a large influx of refugees, who place additional burdens on Sierra Leone's fragile economy.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $4.4 billion (1994 est.)

Industries

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

Agriculture

  • rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts;
  • poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs;
  • fish catch was 65,000 metric tons in 1994

Exports

$115 million (f.o.b., 1994)

commodities:
rutile 51%, bauxite 20%, diamonds 16%, coffee 6%, cocoa 7%, fish (1989)
partners:
US, UK, Belgium, Germany, other Western Europe

Imports

$150 million (c.i.f., 1994)

commodities:
foodstuffs 38%, machinery and equipment 44%, fuels and lubricants 18% (1989)
partners:
US, EU countries, Japan, China, Nigeria

External debt

$1.4 billion (yearend 1993)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $NA

Currency

1 leone (Le) = 100 cents

Exchange rates

leones (Le) per US$1 - 951.63 (January 1996), 755.22 (1995), 586.74 (1994), 567.46 (1993), 499.44 (1992), 295.34 (1991)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

Transportation

6 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 5 in all

1
over 3 047 m
2
914 to 1 523 m
2
PavedUnpaved

Networkskm

Highways
11,674Waterways
800
Highways: paved: 1,284 km · unpaved: 10,390 km (1992 est.) · Waterways: ; 600 km navigable year round

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:
11,674 km
paved:
1,284 km
unpaved:
10,390 km (1992 est.)

Waterways

800 km; 600 km navigable year round

Ports

Bonthe, Freetown, Pepel

Communications

Army, Navy, Police, Security Forces

9 fields
Fixed lines
17,526
(1991 est.)

Telephone system

marginal telephone and telegraph service

domestic:
national microwave radio relay system made unserviceable by military activities
international:
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0

Radios

980,000 (1992 est.)

Televisions

45,000 (1992 est.) Defense

Branches

Army, Navy, Police, Security Forces

Manpower availability

males age 15-49:
1,019,093
males fit for military service:
494,451 (1996 est.)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $14 million, 2.6% of GDP (FY92/93)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Sierra Leone.” The World Factbook 1996. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/sierra-leone/1996.

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