2010 Edition

Background

Democracy is slowly being reestablished after the civil war from 1991 to 2002 that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (about one-third of the population). The military, which took over full responsibility for security following the departure of UN peacekeepers at the end of 2005, is increasingly developing as a guarantor of the country's stability. The armed forces remained on the sideline during the 2007 presidential election, but still look to the UN Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL) - a civilian UN mission - to support efforts to consolidate peace. The new government's priorities include furthering development, creating jobs, and stamping out endemic corruption.

Area

land

71,620 sq km

total

71,740 sq km

water

120 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than South Carolina

Climate

tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)

Coastline

402 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m

lowest point

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

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 depleted natural resources; overfishing

Environment - international agreements

party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

per capita

69 cu m/yr (2000)

total

0.38 cu km/yr (5%/3%/92%)

Geographic coordinates

8 30 N, 11 30 W

Geography - note

rainfall along the coast can reach 495 cm (195 inches) a year, making it one of the wettest places along coastal, western Africa

Irrigated land

300 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

border countries

Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km

total

958 km

Land use

arable land

7.95%

other

91% (2005)

permanent crops

1.05%

Location

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

24 nm

continental shelf

200 nm

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February); sandstorms, dust storms

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 renewable water resources

160 cu km (1987)

Age structure

0-14 years: 41.7% (male 1,060,463/female 1,081,333) 15-64 years: 54.7% (male 1,344,650/female 1,461,203) 65 years and over: 3.6% (male 83,595/female 100,894) (2010 est.)

Birth rate

38.79 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Death rate

11.97 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

Education expenditures

3.8% of GDP (2005)

Ethnic groups

Temne 35%, Mende 31%, Limba 8%, Kono 5%, Kriole 2% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century; also known as Krio), Mandingo 2%, Loko 2%, other 15% (includes refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, and small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians) (2008 census)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

1.7% (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

3,300 (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

55,000 (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

70.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

male

89.06 deaths/1,000 live births

total

80.16 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%)

Life expectancy at birth

female

58.18 years (2010 est.)

male

53.27 years

total population

55.69 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic

female

24.4% (2004 est.)

male

46.9%

total population

35.1%

Major infectious diseases

aerosolized dust or soil contact disease

Lassa fever (2009)

degree of risk

very high

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases

malaria and yellow fever

water contact disease

schistosomiasis

Median age

female

19.5 years (2010 est.)

male

18.6 years

total

19 years

Nationality

adjective

Sierra Leonean

noun

Sierra Leonean(s)

Net migration rate

-4.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: refugees currently in surrounding countries are slowly returning (2010 est.)

Population

5,245,695 (July 2010 est.)

Population growth rate

2.216% (2010 est.)

Religions

Muslim 60%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs 30%

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

6 years (2001)

male

9 years

total

7 years

Sex ratio

at birth

1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female

total population

0.94 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.97 children born/woman (2010 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

2.9% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

urban population

38% of total population (2008)

Administrative divisions

3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western*

Capital

geographic coordinates

8 30 N, 13 15 W

name

Freetown

time difference

UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution

1 October 1991; amended several times

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Sierra Leone

conventional short form

Sierra Leone

local long form

Republic of Sierra Leone

local short form

Sierra Leone

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Glenn FEDZER

embassy

Southridge-Hill Station, Freetown

FAX

[232] (22) 515 355

mailing address

use embassy street address

telephone

[232] (22) 515 000 or (76) 515 000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

chief of mission

Ambassador Bockari Kortu STEVENS

FAX

[1] (202) 483-1793

telephone

[1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263

Executive branch

cabinet

Ministers of State appointed by the president with the approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible to the president (For more information visit the World Leaders website )

chief of state

President Ernest Bai KOROMA (since 17 September 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

election results

second round results; percent of vote - Ernest Bai KOROMA 54.6%, Solomon BEREWA 45.4%

elections

president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 11 August 2007 and 8 September 2007 (next to be held in 2012)

head of government

President Ernest Bai KOROMA (since 17 September 2007)

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and blue; green symbolizes agriculture, mountains, and natural resources, white represents unity and justice, and blue the sea and the natural harbor in Freetown

Government type

constitutional democracy

Independence

27 April 1961 (from the UK)

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court

Legal system

based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

unicameral Parliament (124 seats; 112 members elected by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; members to serve five-year terms)

election results

percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - APC 59, SLPP 43, PMDC 10

elections

last held on 11 August 2007 (next to be held in 2012)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Clifford Nelson FYLE/John Joseph AKA note: adopted 1961

name

"High We Exalt Thee, Realm of the Free"

National holiday

Independence Day, 27 April (1961)

Political parties and leaders

All People's Congress or APC [Ernest Bai KOROMA]; Peace and Liberation Party or PLP [Darlington MORRISON]; People's Movement for Democratic Change or PMDC [Charles MARGAI]; Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP [Solomon BEREWA]; numerous others

Political pressure groups and leaders

other

student unions; trade unions

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish

Central bank discount rate

NA%

Commercial bank prime lending rate

NA% (31 December 2009 est.) 24.5% (31 December 2008 est.)

Current account balance

-$63 million (2007 est.)

Debt - external

$1.61 billion (2003 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

62.9 (1989)

Economy - overview

Sierra Leone is an extremely poor nation with tremendous inequality in income distribution. While it possesses substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources, its physical and social infrastructure has yet to recover from the civil war, and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development. Nearly half of the working-age population engages in subsistence agriculture. Manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. Alluvial diamond mining remains the major source of hard currency earnings accounting for nearly half of Sierra Leone's exports. The fate of the economy depends upon the maintenance of domestic peace and the continued receipt of substantial aid from abroad, which is essential to offset the severe trade imbalance and supplement government revenues. The IMF has completed a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility program that helped stabilize economic growth and reduce inflation and in 2010 approved a new program worth $45 million over three years. Political stability has led to a revival of economic activity such as the rehabilitation of bauxite and rutile mining, which are set to benefit from planned tax incentives. A number of offshore oil discoveries were announced in 2009 and 2010. The development on these reserves, which could be significant, is still several years away.

Electricity - consumption

74.4 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - production

80 million kWh (2007 est.)

Exchange rates

leones (SLL) per US dollar - NA (2007), 2,961.7 (2006), 2,889.6 (2005), 2,701.3 (2004), 2,347.9 (2003)

Exports

$216 million (2006)

Exports - commodities

diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish

Exports - partners

Belgium 26.56%, US 11.87%, Netherlands 7.91%, UK 7.4%, India 6.67%, Cote d'Ivoire 6.13%, Greece 4.05% (2009)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

49%

industry

31%

services

21% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$900 (2010 est.) $900 (2009 est.) $900 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

5.2% (2010 est.) 4.4% (2009 est.) 5.5% (2008 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$1.901 billion (2010 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$4.812 billion (2010 est.) $4.574 billion (2009 est.) $4.382 billion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 33.6% (2003)

Imports

$560 million (2006)

Imports - commodities

foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals

Imports - partners

South Africa 14.61%, China 7.58%, US 5.87%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.65%, India 5.19%, Malaysia 5.19%, France 5.08%, UK 4.48%, Netherlands 4.06% (2009)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

diamond mining; small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining, small commercial ship repair

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

11.7% (2007 est.)

Labor force

2.207 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

NA%

industry

NA%

services

NA%

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

Oil - consumption

9,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - exports

502 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - imports

8,316 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - production

29 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

Population below poverty line

70.2% (2004)

Stock of broad money

$437 million (31 December 2009) $434.3 million (31 December 2008)

Stock of domestic credit

$178.4 million (31 December 2009) $140.9 million (31 December 2008)

Stock of narrow money

$209.4 million (31 December 2009) $219.1 million (31 December 2008)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Broadcast media

1 government-owned TV station; 1 private TV station began operating in 2005; a pay-per-view TV service began operations in late 2007; 1 government-owned national radio broadcast station; about two dozen private radio stations primarily clustered in major cities; transmissions of several international broadcasters are available (2007)

Internet country code

.sl

Internet hosts

281 (2010)

Internet users

14,900 (2009)

Telephone system

domestic

the national microwave radio relay trunk system connects Freetown to Bo and Kenema; while mobile-cellular service is growing rapidly from a small base, service area coverage remains limited

general assessment

marginal telephone service with poor infrastructure

international

country code - 232; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2008)

Telephones - main lines in use

32,800 (2009)

Telephones - mobile cellular

1.16 million (2009)

Airports

9 (2010)

Airports - with paved runways

total

1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2010)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

8 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 1 (2010)

Heliports

2 (2010)

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 7, cargo 131, carrier 1, chemical tanker 12, container 3, liquefied gas 3, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 20, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 3, vehicle carrier 1

foreign-owned

91 (Bangladesh 1, China 12, Cyprus 1, Egypt 2, Estonia 1, Hong Kong 4, Japan 3, Malaysia 1, North Korea 1, Romania 4, Russia 6, Singapore 5, Syria 20, Taiwan 1, Turkey 14, UAE 6, UK 1, Ukraine 5, US 1, Yemen 2) (2010)

total

189

Ports and terminals

Freetown, Pepel, Sherbro Islands

Roadways

paved

904 km

total

11,300 km

unpaved

10,396 km (2002)

Waterways

800 km (600 km year round) (2007)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 1,156,724 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 713,190 females age 16-49: 813,830 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

56,307 (2010 est.)

male

53,349

Military branches

Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF)

Army (includes Maritime Wing and Air Wing) (2010)

Military expenditures

2.3% of GDP (2006)

Military service age and obligation

17 years 6 months of age for male and female voluntary military service (younger with parental consent); no conscription; candidates must be HIV negative (2009)

Disputes - international

as domestic fighting among disparate ethnic groups, rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone gradually abates, the number of refugees in border areas has begun to slowly dwindle; Sierra Leone considers excessive Guinea's definition of the flood plain limits to define the left bank boundary of the Makona and Moa rivers and protests Guinea's continued occupation of these lands including the hamlet of Yenga occupied since 1998

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin)

27,311 (Liberia) (2007) page last updated on January 11, 2011 ======================================================================