1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)
Coastline
402 km
Comparative area
slightly smaller than South Carolina
Environment
extensive mangrove swamps hinder access to sea; deforestation; soil degradation
Land boundaries
958 km total; Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km
Land use
arable land 25%; permanent crops 2%; meadows and pastures 31%; forest and woodland 29%; other 13%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 200 nm
Natural resources
diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite
Terrain
coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east
Total area
71,740 km2; land area: 71,620 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
46 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
20 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
native African 99% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%); Creole, European, Lebanese, and Asian 1%; 13 tribes
Infant mortality rate
151 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force
1,369,000 (est.); agriculture 65%, industry 19%, services 16% (1981); only about 65,000 earn wages (1985); 55% of population of working age
Language
English (official); regular use limited to literate minority; principal vernaculars are Mende in south and Temne in north; Krio is the language of the resettled ex-slave population of the Freetown area and is lingua franca
Life expectancy at birth
42 years male, 48 years female (1991)
Literacy
21% (male 31%, female 11%) age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic (1990 est.)
Nationality
noun--Sierra Leonean(s); adjective--Sierra Leonean
Net migration rate
0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor
35% of wage earners
Population
4,274,543 (July 1991), growth rate 2.6% (1991)
Religion
Muslim 30%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10%, other or none 30%
Total fertility rate
6.1 children born/woman (1991)
Government
Administrative divisions
4 provinces; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western
Capital
Freetown
Communists
no party, although there are a few Communists and a slightly larger number of sympathizers
Constitution
14 June 1978
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador George CAREW; Chancery at 1701 19th Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 939-9261; US--Ambassador Johnny YOUNG; Embassy at the corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Street, Freetown; telephone [232] (22) 26481
Elections
President--last held 1 October 1985 (next to be held October 1992); results--Gen. Joseph Saidu MOMOH was elected without opposition; House of Representatives--last held 30 May 1986 (next to be held February 1992); results--APC is the only party; seats--(127 total, 105 elected) APC 105
Executive branch
president, two vice presidents, Cabinet
Flag
three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue
Independence
27 April 1961 (from UK)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court
Leaders
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Gen. Joseph Saidu MOMOH (since 28 November 1985); First Vice President Abu Bakar KAMARA (since 4 April 1987); Second Vice President Salia JUSU-SHERIFF (since 4 April 1987)
Legal system
based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch
unicameral House of Representatives
Long-form name
Republic of Sierra Leone
Member of
ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
Republic Day, 27 April (1961)
Political parties and leaders
only party--All People's Congress (APC), Gen. Joseph Saidu MOMOH; note--constitutional referendum to adopt a multiparty system is scheduled for June 1991
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
republic under presidential regime
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for over 30% of GDP and two-thirds of the labor force; largely subsistence farming; cash crops--coffee, cocoa, palm kernels; harvests of food staple rice meets 80% of domestic needs; annual fish catch averages 53,000 metric tons
Budget
revenues $134 million; expenditures $187 million, including capital expenditures of $32 million (FY91 est.)
Currency
leone (plural--leones); 1 leone (Le) = 100 cents
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $161 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $698 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $18 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $101 million
Electricity
83,000 kW capacity; 180 million kWh produced, 45 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
leones per US$1--196.0784 (January 1991), 144.9275 (1990), 58.1395 (1989), 31.2500 (1988), 30.7692 (1987), 8.3963 (1986), 4.7304 (1985)
Exports
$138 million (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--rutile 50%, bauxite 17%, cocoa 11%, diamonds 3%, coffee 3%; partners--US, UK, Belgium, FRG, other Western Europe
External debt
$632 million (1990 est.)
Fiscal year
1 July-30 June
GDP
$1,302 million, per capita $325; real growth rate 1.8% (FY89)
Imports
$183 million (c.i.f., 1989); commodities--capital goods 40%, food 32%, petroleum 12%, consumer goods 7%, light industrial goods; partners--US, EC, Japan, China, Nigeria
Industrial production
growth rate - 19% (FY88 est.); accounts for 8% of GDP
Industries
mining (diamonds, bauxite, rutile), small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear), petroleum refinery
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
over 100% (1990)
Overview
The economic and social infrastructure is not well developed. Subsistence agriculture dominates the economy, generating about one-third of GDP and employing about two-thirds of the working population. Manufacturing accounts for less than 10% of GDP, consisting mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. Diamond mining provides an important source of hard currency. The economy suffers from high unemployment, rising inflation, large trade deficits, and a growing dependency on foreign assistance. The government in 1990 was attempting to get the budget deficit under control and, in general, to bring economic policy in line with the recommendations of the IMF and the World Bank.
Unemployment rate
NA%
Communications
Airports
12 total, 8 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 3 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
no major transport aircraft
Highways
7,400 km total; 1,150 km bituminous, 490 km laterite (some gravel), remainder improved earth
Inland waterways
800 km; 600 km navigable year round
Ports
Freetown, Pepel
Railroads
84 km 1.067-meter narrow-gauge mineral line is used on a limited basis because the mine at Marampa is closed
Telecommunications
marginal telephone and telegraph service; national microwave radio relay system unserviceable at present; 23,650 telephones; stations--1 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Navy, Police
Defense expenditures
$6 million, 0.7% of GDP (1988 est.) _%_
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 939,214; 453,877 fit for military service; no conscription