I | INTRODUCTION |
Sierra Leone
(country), independent nation in western Africa, bounded on the north and
east by Guinea, on the southeast by Liberia, and on the southwest and west by
the Atlantic Ocean. The total area of the country is 71,740 sq km (27,699 sq
mi). Freetown is the capital and largest city.
II | LAND AND RESOURCES |
A low-lying coastal plain in Sierra Leone
extends inland from the Atlantic Ocean for about 80 km (about 50 mi). The area
closest to the ocean is a largely swampy region; however, the Sierra Leone
Peninsula, where Freetown is situated, is dominated by hills. To the east the
land rises from the coastal plain to a plateau in the north and to hilly terrain
in the south. Several small mountain ranges are located near the northern and
eastern borders and reach a maximum elevation of 1,945 m (6,381 ft) in Bintumani
(Loma Mansa) in the Loma Mountains. Of the numerous short rivers that drain the
country the most important are the Kolenté (Great Scarcies) and the Kaba (Little
Scarcies), and the Rokel, Jong, Sewa, and Moa. Most are navigable only in the
rainy season.
A | Climate |
Sierra Leone has a tropical climate; the
mean temperature in Freetown is about 27°C (about 80°F) in January and 26°C
(78°F) in July. Annual rainfall averages more than 3,800 mm (150 in) along the
coast, diminishing to about 2,000 mm (about 80 in) in the northern interior.
Most rain falls from May to October.
B | Plant and Animal Life |
Mangroves and coconut palms grow on the
coastal fringe. Oil palms, shea, and large baobab trees rise above the grassy
savanna plains of northern Sierra Leone. In the south there are wooded areas
with large forest trees of silk cotton, kola nut, rosewood, ebony, teak, and
odum. The animal life includes elephants, hippopotamuses, crocodiles, leopards,
antelope, bush pigs, and monkeys. Snakes, scorpions, and lizards are common, in
addition to a vast number of insects, from the malarial mosquito to the large
and beautiful butterflies and dragonflies of the swamps. Barracuda and shark are
fished in the estuary and coastal waters.
C | Mineral Resources |
Much of Sierra Leone’s wealth is derived
from rich mineral resources, including diamonds, chromite, bauxite, iron ore,
rutile, and gold.
D | Environmental Issues |
Increasing demand by Sierra Leone’s
growing population for farmland and fuelwood, along with pressure from the
timber industry, has resulted in a high, 0.6 percent (1990–2005) annual rate of
deforestation. In 2005, 38.4 percent of the country’s land was protected.
Wildlife populations are declining, and some species are threatened with local
extinction. Overgrazing of livestock, slash-and-burn agriculture, and soil
erosion caused by deforestation have also led to soil degradation.
III | POPULATION |
The population is composed predominantly of
black Africans belonging to a number of ethnic groups. The largest groups are
the Mende in the south and the Temne in the north. Creoles (also known in Sierra
Leone as Krios) are descendants of freed slaves returned from the Americas. They
form an important minority in the Freetown area, where small numbers of
Lebanese, Indians, and Europeans also reside. Some 62 percent of the population
lives in rural areas, many of them in isolated, temporary homesteads.
A | Population Characteristics |
The estimated population of Sierra Leone in
2008 was 6,286,617, yielding an overall population density of 88 persons per sq
km (227 per sq mi). Sierra Leone has a high annual population growth rate of 2.3
percent (2008). Freetown, the capital, is the largest city. Other major towns
include Kenema and Bo, both in the southern interior.
B | Religion and Language |
Of Sierra Leone’s people reporting a
religion, 46 percent adhere to Islam, 40 percent follow traditional beliefs, and
10 percent adhere to Christianity. Islam is strongest among the Temne in the
north, and Christianity among Creoles and others in urban areas. English is the
official language. Of about 20 African languages spoken, Mende and Temne are
most widely used. Another common language is Krio, a Creole language derived
from English and various African languages.
C | Education |
In 1999–2000, 65 percent of primary
school-aged children were enrolled in school, while only 26 percent of secondary
school-aged children were attending. Only 36 percent of the adult population is
literate. The University of Sierra Leone (1967), which includes Fourah Bay
College (1827) and Njala University College (1964), is the country’s main
institute of higher learning.
IV | ECONOMY |
The economy of Sierra Leone is based on
agriculture and mining. Some 67 percent of the population is engaged in farming,
fishing, or forestry. Much of the farming is of a subsistence nature. Plantation
agriculture is significant only in the coastal region. Minerals are the
country’s principal export. In 2004 the national budget showed revenues of $255
million and expenditures of $132 million.
A | Agriculture |
The staple food crop of Sierra Leone is
rice; during the 1970s efforts were made to achieve self-sufficiency in rice
production, but imports are still needed. Some 1,062,320 metric tons were
produced in 2006. Other crops grown for domestic consumption include cassava,
millet, sorghum, peanuts, and sugar. Agricultural commodities such as palm oil,
palm kernels, coffee, cacao, ginger, kola nuts, and piassava (palm fibers) are
grown for export. Cattle, goats, and sheep are raised, and the fishing industry
is of increasing importance.
B | Mining |
Gem and industrial diamonds are the
leading mineral products of Sierra Leone. In 2004, 309,390 carats of gem-quality
diamonds were produced. Rutile, a titanium ore of which Sierra Leone has one of
the world’s largest deposits, and bauxite are also mined in large
quantities.
C | Manufacturing |
Manufacturing in Sierra Leone is limited
largely to the processing of primary products such as palm kernels and rice.
Light industries, including furniture, textile, cigarette, and cement
manufacturing, have been developed. Sierra Leone has a refinery for imported
petroleum.
D | Currency and Foreign Trade |
The unit of currency is the leone
(2,962 leones equal U.S.$1; 2006 average), issued by the Bank of Sierra Leone,
which was founded in 1964. In 2002 exports were valued at $41 million, and
imports totaled $352 million. Minerals, particularly diamonds, provided much of
the country’s export earnings. The remainder was provided by agricultural
commodities such as coffee and cocoa. The major imports were mineral fuels,
machinery, vehicles, and foodstuffs. Chief trading partners for exports are
Belgium, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan; leading
sources for imports are the United Kingdom, Netherlands, the United States,
Germany, and Côte d’Ivoire.
E | Transportation and Communications |
Sierra Leone’s rail system has been almost
entirely closed down in favor of an expanded network of 11,300 km (7,021 mi) of
roads. Only about 8 percent (2002) of this total is paved. Inland waterways,
most of them navigable for three months of the year, total 800 km (500 mi).
Freetown, Pepel, and Bonthe are the chief ports. The country has a
well-developed internal air transport network; international service is provided
by several foreign lines. Lungi, near Freetown, is the site of an international
airport. The government-operated radio broadcasting system, based in Freetown,
broadcasts in English, Krio, Mende, Limba, and Temne. A government-owned
television station was established in Freetown in 1963. The country’s principal
newspaper is the Daily Mail, published in Freetown.
V | GOVERNMENT |
Sierra Leone is governed under a 1991
constitution that provides for a multiparty democratic system and human rights
guarantees. A president is both head of state and head of government. The
president is popularly elected to a five-year term and may serve no more than
two consecutive terms. Legislative authority rests with the single-chamber
Parliament, which has 112 members elected by popular vote and 12 paramount
chiefs chosen by district tribal councils. Members of Parliament serve five-year
terms. The constitution was suspended from 1992 to 1996 and from mid-1997 to
early 1998 following military coups.
A | Judiciary |
The judicial system includes the Supreme
Court, the Court of Appeal, the High Court, magistrates’ courts, and local
courts. Magistrates’ courts have jurisdiction in civil cases, and local courts
decide cases involving traditional law and customs. Appeals are made to the
court of appeal and ultimately to the Supreme Court.
B | Local Government |
Sierra Leone is divided into four regions:
the Northern, Eastern, and Southern provinces and the Western Area. These are
divided into districts, each having a resident minister. The districts are
subdivided into chiefdoms, each controlled by a paramount chief and a council of
elders, who are responsible for maintaining law and order and administering
justice.
C | Health and Welfare |
In 2008 the estimated life expectancy at
birth was only 43 years for women and 39 years for men. The infant mortality
rate was among the highest in Africa—156 infant deaths per 1,000 live births.
D | Defense |
Military service in Sierra Leone is
voluntary. In 2004, the country’s army had 13,000 personnel. Sierra Leone also
has a small naval force.
VI | HISTORY |
The country was named Sierra Leone (Lion
Mountains) by Portuguese explorer Pedro da Cintra, who visited the coast in
1460.
A | Colonial Rule |
The British established a colony at
Freetown in 1787 for slaves repatriated from Britain and the United States and
for slaves rescued from shipwrecks. The land of the original settlement, where
the city later developed, was purchased from local chiefs.
The Sierra Leone Company, formed in 1791,
administered the settlement until 1808, when it became a crown colony. Britain
set up a protectorate over the hinterland of Freetown in 1896. The first
elections for the legislative council were held under the constitution of 1924.
The ministerial system was introduced in 1953, and Sir Milton Margai, a former
physician and leader of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), was appointed
chief minister in 1954 and prime minister in 1960.
B | Independence |
Sierra Leone became an independent nation
on April 27, 1961. The constitution of 1961 extended the right to vote to women.
Following the elections of 1962, Margai remained prime minister. Margai died in
1964 and was succeeded by his half-brother, Albert Margai. In 1967, as a result
of disputed elections, in which Siaka Stevens, leader of the All People’s
Congress (APC), was elected prime minister, the army staged a coup and organized
a National Reformation Council. After a second army revolt in 1968, civilian
government was restored, and Stevens was returned to power. Sierra Leone was
declared a republic on April 19, 1971, and Stevens was sworn in as executive
president. Opposition to the government was gradually eliminated; in elections
held in May 1973, the APC was unopposed. In 1975 Sierra Leone signed a trade and
aid agreement with the European Community (now the European Union) and helped
form the Economic Community of West African States. The next year Stevens was
reelected president.
In 1978 a new constitution made the
country a one-party state, and Stevens was sworn in for a new seven-year term in
office. The APC was thereafter the only legal party. In the early 1980s Sierra
Leone suffered an economic slowdown, as sagging export revenues left the
government unable to pay for essential imports. In November 1985 Stevens
retired, and Major General Joseph Saidu Momoh was sworn in as president the
following January. A coup attempt was suppressed in March 1987, and in November
the president declared a state of economic emergency.
C | Civil War |
Early in 1991 guerrillas spilling over
from the Liberian civil war captured several Sierra Leone towns near the
Liberian border; Guinea and Nigeria supplied military aid to the Sierra Leone
government to contain the threat. As government forces fought back the Liberian
guerrillas, a Sierra Leonean rebel group, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF),
sprang up to take territory of its own, and a brutal civil war ensued. A new
constitution providing for a multiparty system was adopted in September. In
April 1992, however, Momoh was ousted in a military coup and replaced by Captain
Valentine Strasser. Strasser’s government reduced street crime and lowered
inflation, but was also accused of restricting free press practices, having
political enemies executed, and continuing the civil war. In 1994 Strasser
endorsed a two-year transition to multiparty democracy, with elections scheduled
for 1996.
Six weeks before the scheduled elections
in late February, Strasser was removed from power in a bloodless coup by his
defense minister, Brigadier Julius Maada Bio. Bio pledged to hold free elections
as planned, but he insisted that an end to Sierra Leone’s devastating
five-year-long civil war was necessary for a successful transfer to civilian
rule. In a runoff vote, Ahmed Tejan Kabbah of the SLPP was elected president. In
March, Bio announced a two-month cease-fire pact with RUF leaders and peacefully
stepped down.
In May 1997 Kabbah was ousted in a
military coup. The military junta, a coalition of disaffected junior army
officers, escaped prisoners, and members of the RUF, faced immediate
international condemnation and economic sanctions. In February 1998 Nigerian
troops taking part in a peacekeeping force in neighboring Liberia mounted an
offensive against the rebel forces and took control of Freetown. In March,
Kabbah returned to office from exile in Guinea, but his government’s authority
was largely limited to the capital of Freetown.
In 1998 and 1999 rebel soldiers terrorized
Sierra Leone’s countryside. Abducting children and forcing them into combat,
they conducted a calculated campaign of atrocities. Rebels raped and mutilated
thousands of civilians, often hacking off innocent people’s limbs, to send a
message of intimidation to Kabbah’s government. The United Nations (UN) and
other international organizations condemned the human rights abuses.
In July 1999 Kabbah and RUF leader Foday
Sankoh signed a peace agreement outlining a transitional government that
included several RUF members. Later that year the UN established a peacekeeping
mission to help monitor the peace process and oversee the disarmament and
demobilization of RUF forces. RUF rebels clashed with UN forces in the spring of
2000 and Sankoh was imprisoned after attempting to flee Freetown. After months
of resumed fighting, the government and the RUF signed a cease-fire in November
2000. The cease-fire held throughout 2001, allowing UN peacekeepers to disarm
tens of thousands of RUF fighters. The disarmament program was declared a
success in January 2002.
D | Recent Developments |
In peaceful elections held in May 2002
Kabbah won a second term as president, and his party, the SLPP, won a majority
of seats in the legislature. The Kabbah government also secured the UN’s help in
establishing a war crimes tribunal—similar to those for Rwanda and the former
Yugoslavia (see War Crimes Trials)—to try Sankoh and other rebels for
alleged human rights abuses. Sankoh died in July 2003 in UN custody. In December
2005 the last UN peacekeepers left Sierra Leone, bringing the UN’s mission to a
close.
The presidential election of 2007 was seen
as the first real test of Sierra Leone’s commitment to democracy since the end
of the civil war. Kabbah had served his two-term limit, and his vice president,
Solomon Ekuma Berewa, became the SLPP candidate. Berewa lost to the opposition
candidate, Ernest Bai Koroma of the APC, in a close runoff election held in
September 2007. Koroma’s victory was largely attributed to voter dissatisfaction
with the slow pace of development and widespread corruption in the country under
the SLPP. A successful businessman who pledged to fight corruption at all costs,
Koroma had reinvigorated the image of the APC, which had been the ruling party
prior to the civil war.
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