Sierra Leone

• tropical;
• hot, humid;
• summer rainy season (May to December);
• winter dry season (December to April)

agricultural land:

56.2%;

• arable land 23.4%;
• permanent crops 2.3%;
• permanent pasture 30.5%

forest:

37.5%

other:

6.3% (2011 est.)

• 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 depleted natural resources;
• overfishing

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

Environmental Modification

noun:

Sierra Leonean(s)

adjective:

Sierra Leonean

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

0.94 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.92 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.86 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.73 male(s)/female

total population:

0.95 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

degree of risk:

very high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever

water contact disease:

schistosomiasis

animal contact disease:

rabies

aerosolized dust or soil contact disease:

Lassa fever (2016)

total number:

573,287

percentage:

48% (2005 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of Sierra Leone

conventional short form:

Sierra Leone

local long form:

Republic of Sierra Leone

local short form:

Sierra Leone

etymology:

the Portuguese explorer Pedro de SINTRA named the country "Serra Leoa" (Lion Mountains) for the impressive mountains he saw while sailing the West African coast in 1462

name:

Freetown

geographic coordinates:

8 29 N, 13 14 W

time difference:

UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

• several previous;
• latest in effect 1 October 1991;
• amended several times, last in 2013 (2016)

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent or grandparent must be a citizen of Sierra Leone

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

chief of state:

President Ernest Bai KOROMA (since 17 September 2007); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

head of government:

President Ernest Bai KOROMA (since 17 September 2007)

cabinet:

Ministers of State appointed by the president, approved by Parliament; the cabinet is responsible to the president

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 17 November 2012 (next to be held in 2017)

election results:

Ernest Bai KOROMA reelected president; percent of vote - Ernest Bai KOROMA (APC) 58.7%, Julius Maada BIO (SLPP) 37.4%, other 3.9%

highest court(s):

Superior Court of Judicature (consists of the Supreme Court - at the apex - with the chief justice and 4 other judges, the Court of Appeal with the chief justice and 7 other judges, and the High Court of Justice with the chief justice and 9 other judges; note – the Judicature has jurisdiction in all civil, criminal, and constitutional matters

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court chief justice and other judges of the Judicature appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission (a 7-member independent body of judges, presidential appointees, and the Commission chairman) and subject to the approval of Parliament;
• all Judicature judges appointed until retirement at age 65

subordinate courts:

• magistrates' courts;
• District Appeals Court;
• local courts

chief of mission:

Ambassador Bockari Kortu STEVENS (since 28 March 2008)

chancery:

1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone:

[1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263

FAX:

[1] (202) 483-1793

chief of mission:

Ambassador John HOOVER (since 4 November 4 December 2014))

embassy:

Southridge-Hill Station, Freetown

mailing address:

use embassy street address

telephone:

[232] (76) 99 1055 00

FAX:

[232] (76) 515 355

• three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and blue;
• green symbolizes agriculture, mountains, and natural resources, white represents unity and justice, and blue the sea and the natural harbor in Freetown

name:

"High We Exalt Thee, Realm of the Free"

lyrics/music:

Clifford Nelson FYLE/John Joseph AKA

note: adopted 1961

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

• diamond mining;
• iron ore, rutile and bauxite mining;
• small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, footwear)

agriculture:

61.1%

industry:

NA%

services:

33.4% (2014 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.6%

highest 10%:

33.6% (2003)

general assessment:

marginal telephone service with poor infrastructure

domestic:

• the national microwave radio relay trunk system connects Freetown to Bo and Kenema;
• while mobile-cellular service is growing rapidly from a small base, service area coverage remains limited

international:

country code - 232; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2010)

• 1 government-owned TV station;
• 3 private TV stations;
• a pay-TV service began operations in late 2007;
• 1 government-owned national radio station;
• about two-dozen private radio stations primarily clustered in major cities;
• transmissions of several international broadcasters are available (2016)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

50,193

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

0 mt-km (2015)

total:

11,300 km

paved:

904 km

unpaved:

10,396 km (2002)

country comparison to the world: 131

• 18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service (younger with parental consent);
• women are eligible to serve;
• no conscription;
• candidates must be HIV negative (2012)

• Sierra Leone opposes Guinean troops' continued occupation of Yenga, a small village on the Makona River that serves as a border with Guinea;
• Guinea's forces came to Yenga in the mid-1990s to help the Sierra Leonean military to suppress rebels and to secure their common border but have remained there even after both countries signed a 2005 agreement acknowledging that Yenga belonged to Sierra Leone;
• in 2012, the two sides signed a declaration to demilitarize the area