1982 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1982 (Wikisource)
Geography
Area
72,261 km2; 65% arable (6% of total land area under cultivation), 27% pasture, 4% swampland, 4% forested
Coastline
402 km
Land boundaries
933 km WATER
Limits of territorial waters (claimed)
200 nm
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
over 99% native African, rest European and Asian; 13 tribes
Labor force
about 1.5 million; most of population engages in subsistence agriculture; only small minority, some 65,000, earn wages
Language
English official, but regular use limited to literate minority; principal vernaculars are Mende in south and Temne in north; "Krio," the language of the resettled ex-slave population of the Freetown area, is used as a lingua franca
Literacy
about 10%
Nationality
noun—Sierra Leonean(s); adjective—Sierra Leonean
Organized labor
35% of wage earners
Population
3,535,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 2.2%
Religion
70% animist, 25% Muslim, 5% Christian
Government
Branches
executive authority exercised by President; parliament consists of 104 authorized seats, 85 of which are filled by elected representatives of constituencies and 12 by Paramount Chiefs elected by fellow Paramount Chiefs in each district; President authorized to appoint up to seven members, of which two, currently, are filled by the heads of the Army and the Police; independent judiciary
Capital
Freetown
Communists
no party, although there are a few Communists and a slightly larger number of sympathizers
Elections
the Constitution of Sierra Leone Act, 1971, has been replaced by the Constitution of Sierra Leone, 1978, which provides for one-party rule; Dr. Siaka Stevens was named as the first Executive President under the one-party constitution; the President's tenure has been extended from five to seven years; next presidential election 1982 Political parties and leaders: All People's Congress (APC), headed by Stevens
Government leader
President Siaka P. STEVENS heads government composed of members of his APC political party
Legal system
based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; constitution adopted April 1971; highest court of appeal is the Sierra Leone Court of Appeals; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Member of
AFDB, AIOEC, Commonwealth, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMCO, IMF, 1PU, ISCON, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
National Day, 19 April
Official name
Republic of Sierra Leone
Political subdivisions
3 provinces; divided into 12 districts with 146 chiefdoms, where paramount chief and council of elders constitute basic unit of government; plus western area, which comprises Freetown and other coastal areas of the former colony
Suffrage
universal over age 21
Type
republic under presidential regime since April 1971
Economy
Agriculture
main crops—palm kernels, coffee, cocoa, rice, yams, millet, ginger, cassava; much of cultivated land devoted to subsistence farming; food crops insufficient for domestic consumption
Electric power
95,000 kW capacity (1980); 213 million kWh produced (1980), 62 kWh per capita
Exports
$230.0 million (f.o.b., 1979); diamonds, iron ore, palm kernels, cocoa, coffee
Fiscal year
1 July-30 June
Fishing
catch 50,080 metric tons (1978); imports $2.7 million (1974)
GDP
$900 million (1980), $265 per capita
Imports
$304.2 million (f.o.b., 1979); machinery and transportation equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, petroleum products
Major industries
mining—diamonds, iron ore, bauxite, rutile; manufacturing—beverages, textiles, cigarettes, construction goods; 1 oil refinery
Major trade partners
UK, EC, US, Japan, Communist countries Budget: (1980/81) revenues $229.9 million, current expenditures $221.9 million, development expenditures $73.0 million
Monetary conversion rate
1 leone=US$0.90 (1980/81)
Communications
Airfields
16 total, 16 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 5 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
no major transport aircraft
Highways
7,460 km total; 1,225 km bituminous, 490 km laterite (some gravel), and remainder improved earth
Inland waterways
800 km; 600 km navigable year round
Ports
1 major (Freetown), 2 minor
Railroads
about 84 km narrow gauge (1.067 m) privately owned mineral line operated by the Sierra Leone Development Company
Telecommunications
telephone and telegraph are adequate; 16,000 telephones (0.5 per 100 popl.); INTELSAT Atlantic Ocean satellite ground station; 2 AM stations, 1 FM, and 1 TV station
Military and Security
Military budget
for fiscal year ending 30 June 1981, $20.2 million; about 7.4% of the central government budget
Military manpower
males 15-49, 771,000; 373,000 fit for military service; no conscription