Sierra Leone

Republic of Sierra Leone

constitutional democracyIndependence 27 April 1961 (from UK)

Sierra Leone as the 2004 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 116 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, between Guinea and Liberia

Populationas each edition published it

5.88 million July 2004 est. · 4.17m in 1990

Population growth% a year

2.27% 2004 est. · 2.61% in 1993

Median ageyears

17.5 years 2004 est. · 17.5 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

42.69 years 2004 est. · 45.87 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

5.79 children per woman 2004 est. · 6.2 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

145.24 deaths per 1,000 live births 2004 est. · 154 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$500 2003 est. · $330 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

6.5% 2003 est. · -1% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

Background

The 1991 to 2002 civil war between the government and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) 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. With the support of the UN peacekeeping force and contributions from the World Bank and international community, demobilization and disarmament of the RUF and Civil Defense Forces (CDF) combatants has been completed.

National elections were held in May 2002 and the government continues to slowly reestablish its authority. However, the gradual withdrawal of most UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) peacekeepers in 2004 and early 2005, deteriorating political and economic conditions in Guinea, and the tenuous security situation in neighboring Liberia may present challenges to the continuation of Sierra Leone's stability.

Geography

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

18 fields

Land useshare of 71,740 sq km

arable land 6.98%permanent crops 0.89%other 92.13% (2001)irrigated 290 sq km (1998 est.)

Area

71,740sq km

land: 71,620 sq kmwater: 120 sq kmslightly smaller than South Carolina

Coastline

402km

territorial sea: 12 nmcontiguous zone: 24 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nmcontinental shelf: 200 nm

Highest point

1,948m

Loma Mansa (Bintimani)lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

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

Map references

Africa

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

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, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:: Environmental Modification

Geography - note

rainfall along the coast can reach 495 cm (195 inches) a year, making it one of the wettest places along coastal, western Africa

People

19 fields

Population

5,883,889

(July 2004 est.)growth rate: 2.27% (2004 est.)

Per 1,000 population

Birth

43.34 (2004 est.)Death

20.62 (2004 est.)Net migration

Net migration: note: refugees currently in surrounding countries are slowly returning (2004 est.)

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2004 est.)42.69

40.23 · 45.21Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)145.24

162.64 · 127.32

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1995 est.)31.4%

45.4% · 18.2%Median age years (2004 est.)17.5

17.2 · 17.8

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic

Religions

Muslim 60%indigenous beliefs 30%Christian 10%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

(2001 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years:: 44.8% (male 1,291,621; female 1,343,827)
15-64 years:: 52% (male 1,458,610; female 1,599,109)
65 years and over:: 3.2% (male 91,232; female 99,490) (2004 est.)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: refugees currently in surrounding countries are slowly returning (2004 est.)

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:: 0.92 male(s)/female
total population:: 0.93 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate

5.79 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

170,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

11,000 (2001 est.)

Nationality

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

Ethnic groups

20 native African tribes 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole (Krio) 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

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%)

Government

Constitutional democracy; President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998)

18 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

70.6%

Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (SLPP) 70.6%Ernest KOROMA (APC) 22.4%election last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2007)

Parliament, 112 seats, elected 14 May 2002one dot, one seat

SLPP 83APC 27PLP 2

Percent of vote

SLPP 70.06%APC 22.35%PLP 3%others 4.59%

Country name

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

Government type

constitutional democracy

Capital

Freetown

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 last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2007);
note - president's tenure of office is limited to two five-year terms
election results:: Ahmad Tejan KABBAH reelected president; percent of vote - Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (SLPP) 70.6%, Ernest KOROMA (APC) 22.4%

Legislative branch

unicameral Parliament (124 seats - 112 elected by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; members serve five-year terms)

elections:: last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2007)
election results:: percent of vote by party - SLPP 70.06%, APC 22.35%, PLP 3%, others 4.59%; seats by party - SLPP 83, APC 27, PLP 2

Judicial branch

Supreme Court;
Appeals Court;
High Court

Political parties and leaders

All People's Congress or APC [Ben KANU];
Peace and Liberation Party or PLP [Darlington MORRISON, interim chairman];
Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP [Sama BANYA];
numerous others

Political pressure groups and leaders

Trade Unions and Student Unions

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Ibrahim M. KAMARA
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 Peter Russell CHAVEAS
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

Sierra Leone is an extremely poor African nation with tremendous inequality in income distribution.

36 fields

Real growth rate

6.5%

(2003 est.)industrial production growth: NA

Inflation, consumer prices

(2002 est.)

Population below poverty line

68%

(1989 est.)

Labor force

1.369million

(1981 est.)

GDP - composition by sector(2001 est.)

agriculture 49%industry 31%services 21% (2001 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

61.2%

Belgium

14.2%

Germany

23.7%

4.5%

9.9%

Cote d'Ivoire

7.4%

France

7.4%

4.5%

5.3%

Netherlands

5.1%

Ukraine

4.6%

Exports $49 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)Imports $264 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)(2003)

Budget

Revenues

$96 millionExpenditures

$351 million (2000 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of NA

Electricity

Electricity production

250.1 million (2001)Electricity consumption

232.6 million (2001)

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, following a 11-year civil war.

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. Plans continue to reopen bauxite and rutile mines shut down during the conflict.

The major source of hard currency consists of the mining of diamonds. The fate of the economy depends upon the maintenance of domestic peace and the continued receipt of substantial aid from abroad, which is essential to offset the severe trade imbalance and to supplement government revenues.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $3.057 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $500 (2003 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

62.9 (1989)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture NA, industry NA, services NA

Unemployment rate

Agriculture - products

rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts;
poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs;
fish

Industries

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

Communications

8 fields

Mobile cellular

67,000

(2002)

Internet users

277

(2004)

Fixed lines

24,000

(2002) · country code .sl

Telephone system

general assessment:: marginal telephone and telegraph service
domestic:: the national microwave radio relay trunk system connects Freetown to Bo and Kenema
international:: country code - 232; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Transportation

8 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

over 3,047 m

Airports by runway lengthunpaved only

914 to 1,523 m

7under 914 m

Networkskm

Highways

11,330Waterways

800 (2003)

Highways: paved: 895 km · unpaved: 10,435 km (1999)

Highways

total:: 11,330 km
paved:: 895 km
unpaved:: 10,435 km (1999)

Ports and harbors

Bonthe, Freetown, Pepel

Merchant marine

total:: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 7,435 GRT/8,750 DWT
by type:: cargo 2 (2004 est.)

Airports

10 (2003 est.)

Heliports

2 (2003 est.)

Military

Army (RSLAF)

6 fields

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.5%

(2003)

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Disputes - international

domestic fighting among disparate rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone have created insurgencies, street violence, looting, arms trafficking, ethnic conflicts, and refugees in border areas;
in 2003, Guinea and Sierra Leone established a boundary commission to resolve a dispute over the town of Yenga

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 67,000 (Liberia) (2004)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Sierra Leone.” The World Factbook 2004. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/sierra-leone/2004.

How to cite ← 2003 edition 2005 edition →