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Sierra Leone Tourism - Travel to Sierra Leone

        

This article is an import from the CIA World Factbook 2002. It's a starting point for creating a real aTRAVELdirectory country article according to our country article template. Please plunge forward and edit it.

Since 1991, civil war between the government and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) has 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. After several setbacks, the end to the eleven-year conflict in Sierra Leone may finally be near at hand. 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. Reestablishment of government authority throughout the country is slowly proceeding and national elections took place in May 2002.

Table of contents

1 Geography 2 People 3 Government 4 Economy 5 Communications 6 Transportation 7 Military 8 Transnational Issues

Geography in Sierra Leone

Location

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

Geographic coordinates

8 30 N, 11 30 W

Map references

Africa

Area

total: 71,740 sq km
water: 120 sq km
land: 71,620 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than South Carolina

Land boundaries

total: 958 km
border countries: Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km

Coastline

402 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 NM
contiguous zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

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

Elevation extremes

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

Natural resources

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

Land use

arable land: 6.76%
permanent crops: 0.78%
other: 92.46% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land

290 sq km (1998 est.)

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, Nuclear Test Ban, 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 in Sierra Leone

Population

5,614,743 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 44.7% (male 1,230,530; female 1,280,084)
15-64 years: 52.1% (male 1,397,070; female 1,528,986)
65 years and over: 3.2% (male 87,256; female 90,817) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate

3.21% (2002 est.)

Birth rate

44.58 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate

18.83 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate

6.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: by the end of 1999 refugees from Sierra Leone are assumed to be returning (2002 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: 0.96 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate

144.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 45.96 years
female: 49.01 years (2002 est.)
male: 43.01 years

Total fertility rate

5.94 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

2.99% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

68,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

8,200 (1999 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

Religions

Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10%

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%)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic
total population: 31.4%
male: 45.4%
female: 18.2% (1995 est.)

Government in Sierra Leone

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 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 [Alhaji Sat KOROMA, interim chairman]; Citizens United for Peace and Progress or CUPP [Alfred Musa CONTEH, interim chairman]; Coalition for Progress Party or CPP [Jeridine WILLIAM-SARHO, interim leader]; Democratic Center Party or DCP [Adu Aiah KOROMA]; Democratic Labor Party or DLP [George E. L. PALMER]; Democratic Party or DP [Henry BALO, acting chairman]; National Alliance Democratic Party or NADP [Mohamed Yahya SILLAH, chairman]; National Democratic Alliance or NDA [Amadu M. B. JALLOH]; National People's Party or NPP [Andrew TURAY]; National Republican Party or NRP [Stephen Sahr MAMBU]; National Unity Movement or NUM [Sam LEIGH, interim chairman]; National Unity Party or NUP [John BENJAMINE, interim leader]; Peace and Liberation Party or PLP [Darlington MORRISON, interim chairman]; People's Democratic Alliance or PDA [Cpl. (Ret.) Abdul Rahman KAMARA, interim chairman]; People's Democratic Party or PDP [Osman KAMARA]; People's National Convention or PNC [Edward John KARGBO]; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Abass Chernok BUNDU, chairman]; Revolutionary United Front Party or RUFP [Foday Saybana SANKOH, chairman]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Andrew Victor LUNGAY]; Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP [Ahmad Tejan KABBAH, chairman]; United National People's Party or UNPP [John KAREFA-SMART in exile, Raymond KAMARA, acting leader]; Young People's Party or YPP [Cornelius DEVEAUS, interim chairman]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Trade Unions and Student Unions

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, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Ibrahim M. KAMARA
FAX: [1] (202) 483-1793
telephone: [1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263
chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

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 in Sierra Leone

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 10-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. There are plans 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.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $2.7 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $500 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 43%
industry: 27%
services: 30% (2000)

Population below poverty line

68% (1989 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 1%
highest 10%: 44% (1989) (1989)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

63 (1989)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

15% (2000 est.)

Labor force

1.369 million
note: only about 65,000 wage earners (1985) (1981 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%

Unemployment rate

NA%

Budget

revenues: $96 million
expenditures: $351 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) (2000 est.)

Industries

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

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Electricity - production

245 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption

227.85 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products

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

Exports

$65 million f.o.b. (2000 est.)

Exports - commodities

diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish

Exports - partners

NZ 33.7%, Belgium 32.6%, US 7.4%, France 5.1% (2000)

Imports

$145 million f.o.b. (2000 est.)

Imports - commodities

foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals

Imports - partners

Czech Republic 26.7%, UK 26.6%, US 5.1%, Netherlands 4.6% (2000)

Debt - external

$1.3 billion (2000)

Economic aid - recipient

$103 million (2001 est.)

Currency

leone (SLL)

Currency code

SLL

Exchange rates

leones per US dollar - 2,212.47 (January 2002), 1,985.89 (2001), 2,092.13 (2000), 1,804.20 (1999), 1,563.62 (1998), 981.48 (1997)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use

25,000 (2001)

Telephones - mobile cellular

30,000 (2001)

Telephone system

general assessment: marginal telephone and telegraph service
domestic: The national microwave radio relay trunk system connects Freetown to Bo and Kenema (April 2001)
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 9, shortwave 1 (1999)

Radios

1.12 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations

2 (1999)

Televisions

53,000 (1997)

Internet country code

.sl

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (2001)

Internet users

20,000 (2001)

Transportation in Sierra Leone

Railways

total: 84 km
narrow gauge: 84 km 1.067-m gauge
note: Sierra Leone has no common carrier railroads; the existing railroad is private and used on a limited basis while the mine at Marampa is closed (2001)

Highways

total: 11,700 km
paved: 936 km
unpaved: 10,764 km (2002)

Waterways

800 km (of which 600 km navigable year round)

Ports and harbors

Bonthe, Freetown, Pepel

Airports

10 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 9
under 914 m: 2 (2002)
914 to 1,523 m: 7

Heliports

2 (2002)

Military

Military branches

Army (RSLAF)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 1,203,682 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 583,946 (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$10.3 million (FY01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.5% (FY01)

Transnational Issues in Sierra Leone

Disputes - international

ongoing conflict in Sierra Leone has engendered refugee movements into neighboring Guinea and Liberia

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