1995 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1995 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Area
total area: 71,740 sq km land area: 71,620 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than South Carolina
Climate
tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)
Coastline
402 km
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 natural hazards: dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (November to May); sandstorms, dust storms international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban; signed, but not ratified - Climate Change, Environmental Modification
International disputes
none
Irrigated land
340 sq km (1989 est.)
Land boundaries
total 958 km, Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km
Land use
arable land: 25% permanent crops: 2% meadows and pastures: 31% forest and woodland: 29% other: 13%
Location
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia
Map references
Africa
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Natural resources
diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite
Terrain
coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: 44% (female 1,054,826; male 1,020,943) 15-64 years: 53% (female 1,310,506; male 1,216,510) 65 years and over: 3% (female 72,982; male 77,353) (July 1995 est.)
Birth rate
44.65 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate
18.38 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Ethnic divisions
13 native African tribes 99% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 39%), Creole, European, Lebanese, and Asian 1%
Infant mortality rate
138.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Labor force
1.369 million (1981 est.) by occupation: agriculture 65%, industry 19%, services 16% (1981 est.) note: only about 65,000 wage earners (1985)
Languages
English (official; regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (the language of the re-settled ex-slave population of the Freetown area and is lingua franca)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 46.94 years male: 44.07 years female: 49.89 years (1995 est.)
Literacy
age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic (1990 est.) total population: 21% male: 31% female: 11%
Nationality
noun: Sierra Leonean(s) adjective: Sierra Leonean
Net migration rate
NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.) note: thousands of refugees, fleeing the civil strife in Sierra Leone, are taking refuge in Guinea
Population
4,753,120 (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate
2.63% (1995 est.)
Religions
Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10%
Total fertility rate
5.9 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Government
Administrative divisions
3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western*
Capital
Freetown
Constitution
1 October 1991; suspended following 19 April 1992 coup
Digraph
SL
Diplomatic representation in US
chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas Kahota KARGBO chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 939-9261
Executive branch
chief of state and head of government: Chairman of the Supreme Council of State Capt. Valentine E. M. STRASSER (since 29 April 1992) cabinet: Council of Secretaries; responsible to the Supreme Council of State (SCS)
FAX
[232] (22) 225471
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); Chairman STRASSER promises multi-party elections sometime in 1995
Member of
ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Names
conventional long form: Republic of Sierra Leone conventional short form: Sierra Leone
National holiday
Republic Day, 27 April (1961)
Political parties and leaders
status of existing political parties is unknown following 29 April 1992 coup
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Type
military government
US diplomatic representation
chief of mission: Ambassador Lauralee M. PETERS embassy: Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets, Freetown mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [232] (22) 226481 trough 226485
Economy
Agriculture
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: $68 million expenditures: $118 million, including capital expenditures of $28 million (1992 est.)
Currency
1 leone (Le) = 100 cents
Economic aid
recipient: 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
capacity: 130,000 kW production: 220 million kWh consumption per capita: 44 kWh (1993)
Exchange rates
leones (Le) per US$1 - 617.67 (January 1995), 586.74 (1994), 567.46 (1993), 499.44 (1992), 295.34 (1991), 144.9275 (1990)
Exports
$149 million (f.o.b., 1993) commodities: rutile 48%, bauxite 25%, diamonds 16%, coffee, cocoa, fish partners: US, UK, Belgium, Germany, other Western Europe
External debt
$1.15 billion (yearend 1993)
Fiscal year
1 July - 30 June
Imports
$149 million (c.i.f., 1993) commodities: foodstuffs 48%, machinery and equipment 32%, fuels 9% partners: US, EC countries, Japan, China, Nigeria
Industrial production
growth rate -1.5% (FY91/92); accounts for 11% of GDP
Industries
mining (diamonds, bauxite, rutile), small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear), petroleum refinery
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
22% (1993 est.)
National product
GDP - purchasing power parity - $4.5 billion (1993 est.)
National product per capita
$1,000 (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate
0.7% (1993 est.)
Overview
Sierra Leone has substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources, but the economic and social infrastructure is not well developed. Agriculture generates about 40% of GDP and employs about two-thirds of the working population, with subsistence agriculture dominating the sector. 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. Since 1990, the government has been able to meet its IMF- and World Bank-mandated stabilization targets, holding down fiscal deficits, increasing foreign exchange reserves, and retiring much of its domestic debt - but at a steep cost in terms of capital investments and social spending. Moreover, the economic infrastructure has nearly collapsed due to neglect and war-related disruptions in the mining and agricultural export sectors. The continuing civil war in Liberia has led to a large influx of refugees, who place additional burdens on Sierra Leon's fragile economy.
Unemployment rate
NA%
Communications
Radio
broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 radios: NA
Telephone system
23,650 telephones; telephone density - 5 telephones/1,000 persons; marginal telephone and telegraph service local: NA intercity: national microwave radio relay system made unserviceable by military activities international: 1 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth station
Television
broadcast stations: 1 televisions: NA
Transportation
Airports
total: 11 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 1 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 3 with paved runways under 914 m: 3 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 4
Highways
total: 7,400 km paved: 1,150 km unpaved: crushed stone, gravel 490 km; improved earth 5,760 km
Inland waterways
800 km; 600 km navigable year round
Merchant marine
none
Ports
Bonthe, Freetown, Pepel
Railroads
total: 84 km mineral line is used on a limited basis because the mine at Marampa is closed narrow gauge: 84 km 1.067-m gauge
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Navy, Police, Security Forces
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $14 million, 2.6% of GDP (FY92/93) ________________________________________________________________________ SINGAPORE
Manpower availability
males age 15-49 1,030,332; males fit for military service 498,945 (1995 est.)