| COUNTRY FACTS: SIERRA LEONE | |
|---|---|
| Name(official): | Republic of Sierra Leone |
| Name(short): | Sierra Leone |
| Capital City: | Freetown |
| Location: | Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia. |
| Coordinate: | 8 30 N, 11 30 W |
| Independence: | (From Britain) April 27th; 1961. |
| President: | Ernest Bai Koroma (President and Head of Government since Sept. 17th; 2007) Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (Out-going President) |
| Type of Government: | Constitutional democracy |
| Total Area: | 71 740sq.km. |
| Population: | 6 005 250 |
| People: | 20 native African tribes 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole (Krio) 10% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century), refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians. |
| Religion: | Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10%. |
| 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%). |
| Literacy: | 29.6%total, 39.8%male, 20.5%female (2000 est.) |
| Currency: | leone (SLL) |
| GDP(per capita): | $900 (2005) |
| Arable Land: | 7.95% (2005) |
| Agriculture: | rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish. |
| Natural resources: | Diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite. |
| Embassy in Japan: |
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| General Info: | Sierra Leone Info |
| International Phone Code: | 232 |
ECONOMY: BUSINESS, TRADE AND INVESTMENT
- Central Bank of Sierra Leone
- Business and Tourism
- Export Development and Investment corporation
- Chamber of Commerce
- Tourism:Major tourist attractions includes ....
- Bunce Island (Former largest British slave castle)
- Tiwai Island
- Lake Sonfon
- Loma mountains and Binlimani Park
- Kambui Hills
- Gola Forest Reserve
- Yawri Bay
- Mamunta Mayosso Wildlife Sanctuary
- National Tourist Board
- Sierra Leone Travel And Tourism
MAJOR CITIES
Freetown,
NEWS
- United Nations
- Standard Times
- Sierra Leone National Radio -SLBC
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS:
- United Nations
- African Union
- ECOWAS
- CEN-SAD
- NEPAD
GOVERNMENT: ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS
3 provinces: Eastern, Northern, Southern.
1 area: Western.