1992 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1992 (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
Disputes
none
Environment
extensive mangrove swamps hinder access to sea; deforestation; soil degradation
Land area
71,620 km2
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%
Natural resources
diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite
Terrain
coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east
Territorial sea
200 nm
Total area
71,740 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
46 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate
20 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Ethnic divisions
native African 99% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%); Creole, European, Lebanese, and Asian 1%; 13 tribes
Infant mortality rate
148 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
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
Languages
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
43 years male, 48 years female (1992)
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
-28 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Organized labor
35% of wage earners
Population
4,456,737 (July 1992), growth rate -0.2% (1992)
Religions
Muslim 30%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10%, other or none 30%
Total fertility rate
6.1 children born/woman (1992)
Government
Administrative divisions
Western Area and 3 provinces; Eastern, Northern, Southern
Capital
Freetown
Chief of State and Head of Government
President Gen. Joseph Saidu MOMOH was ousted in coup of 29 April 1992; succeeded by Chairman of the National Provisional Ruling Council Valentine STRASSER (since 29 April 1992)
Constitution
1 October 1991; amended September 1991
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador (vacant); 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) 226-481; FAX [232] (22) 225471
Elections
suspended after 29 April 1992 coup; Chairman STRASSER promises multi-party elections sometime in the future
Executive branch
National Provisional Ruling Council
Flag
three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue
Independence
27 April 1961 (from UK)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court (suspended after coup of 29 April 1992)
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 (suspended after coup of 29 April 1992)
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
status of existing political parties are unknown following 29 April 1992 coup
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
military government
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 (1970-89), $848 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $18 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $101 million
Electricity
85,000 kW capacity; 185 million kWh produced, 45 kWh per capita (1991)
Exchange rates
leones (Le) per US$1 - 476.74 (March 1992), 295.34 (1991), 144.9275 (1990), 58.1395 (1989), 31.2500 (1988), 30.7692 (1987)
Exports
$138 million (f.o.b., 1990) commodities: rutile 50%, bauxite 17%, cocoa 11%, diamonds 3%, coffee 3% partners: US, UK, Belgium, FRG, other Western Europe
External debt
$572 million (1990)
Fiscal year
1 July - 30 June
GDP
exchange rate conversion - $1.4 billion, per capita $330; real growth rate 3% (FY91 est.)
Imports
$146 million (c.i.f., 1990) commodities: capital goods 40%, food 32%, petroleum 12%, consumer goods 7%, light industrial goods partners: US, EC, Japan, China, Nigeria
Industrial production
NA
Industries
mining (diamonds, bauxite, rutile), small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear), petroleum refinery
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
110% (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, which accounts for roughly 10% of GDP, consists 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. Since March 1991, however, military incursions by Liberian rebels in southern and eastern Sierra Leone have severely strained the economy and have undermined efforts to institute economic reforms.
Unemployment rate
NA%
Communications
Airports
12 total, 7 usable; 4 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 paved, 490 km laterite (some gravel), remainder improved earth
Inland waterways
800 km; 600 km navigable year round
Merchant marine
1 cargo ship totaling 5,592 GRT/9,107 DWT
Ports
Freetown, Pepel, Bonthe
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 system unserviceable at present; 23,650 telephones; broadcast stations - 1 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Navy, National Police Force, Special Security Detachment
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $6 million, 0.7% of GDP (1988 est.)
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 976,147; 472,112 fit for military service; no conscription