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Sierra Leone
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.
Location :
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia
Geographic Coordinates Center :
8 30 N, 11 30 W (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | -13.31 |
| North | 10.00 |
| East | -10.28 |
| South | 6.93 |
Map references :
Africa
Area :
| total | 71 740 | square km |
| land | 71 620 | square km |
| water | 120 | square km |
Land boundaries :
| total | 958 | km |
| Guinea (gn) | 652 | km |
| Liberia (lr) | 306 | km |
Coastline :
402.00 km
Climate :
tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)
Terrain :
coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east
Elevation extremes :
| lowest point | 0 | metres |
| highest point | 1 948 | metres |
Natural resources :
| bauxite | chromite |
| diamonds | gold |
| iron ore | titanium ore |
Land use :
| arable land | 7.95 | % |
| permanent crops | 1.05 | % |
| other | 91.00 | % |
Irrigated land :
300 square km
Total renewable water resources :
160 cubic km
Natural hazards :
| dust storms | harmattan winds |
| torms |
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
international agreements :
| Biodiversity | Climate Change |
| Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol | Desertification |
| Endangered Species | Environmental Modification |
| Law of the Sea | Marine Life Conservation |
| Ozone Layer Protection | Ship Pollution |
| Wetlands |
Population :
5 132 138
Indicators :
| Growth rate | 2.18 | % |
| Birth rate | 39.08 | births/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 5.00 | children born/woman |
| Death rate | 12.22 | deaths/1,000 population |
| Net migration rate | -5.08 | migrant(s)/1,000 population |
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 41.70 | % |
| 15-64 years | 54.70 | % |
| 65 years and over | 3.60 | % |
Median age :
| total | 17.50 | years |
| male | 17.20 | years |
| female | 17.80 | years |
Sex ratio :
| at birth | 1.03 | male(s)/female |
| under 15 years | 0.96 | male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 0.92 | male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.84 | male(s)/female |
| total population | 0.94 | male(s)/female |
Health :
| Infant mortality rate | 81.86 | deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth - total population | 55.25 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - male | 52.86 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - female | 57.71 | years |
| HIV-AIDS adult prevalence rate | 1.70 | % |
| HIV-AIDS people living with HIV-AIDS | 55 000 | |
| HIV-AIDS deaths | 3 300 |
Religions :
| Muslim | 60.00 | % |
| Christian | 10.00 | % |
| indigenous beliefs | 30.00 | % |
Languages :
| English | |
| Mende | |
| Temne | |
| Krio |
Literacy :
| total population | 35.10 | % |
| male | 46.90 | % |
| female | 24.40 | % |
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 |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | SL |
| ISO Numeric | 694 |
| ISO3 | SLE |
| FIPS | SL |
| ccTLD | sl |
| English | Sierra Leone |
Administrative divisions :
3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western*
Capital :
| name | Freetown |
| geographic coordinates | 8 30 N, 13 15 W |
| time difference | 0.00 |
International organization participation :
| ACP | AU |
| AfDB | C |
| ECOWAS | FAO |
| G-77 | IAEA |
| IBRD | ICAO |
| ICCt | ICRM |
| IDA | IDB |
| IFAD | IFC |
| IFRCS | ILO |
| IMF | IMO |
| IOC | IOM |
| IPU | ISO (correspondent) |
| ITU | ITUC |
| Interpol | MIGA |
| NAM | OIC |
| OPCW | UN |
| UNAMID | UNCTAD |
| UNESCO | UNIDO |
| UNIFIL | UNMIS |
| UNMIT | UNWTO |
| UPU | WCO |
| WFTU | WHO |
| WIPO | WMO |
| WTO |
Independence :
1961-04-27
National holiday :
Independence Day
1961-04-27
Executive branch :
| President Ernest Bai KOROMA |
GDP - Gross Domestic product :
| PPP - Purchasing Power Parity | 4 530 000 000 | $ |
| Official Exchange Rate | 2 064 000 000 | |
| RGR - Real Growth rate | 2.00 | % |
| PPP - per capita | 900 | $ |
GDP Composition by sector :
| agriculture | 49.00 | % |
| industry | 31.00 | % |
| services | 21.00 | % |
Other Indicators :
| Labor force | 2 207 000 | people |
| Population below poverty line | 70.20 | % |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 62.90 | |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 11.70 | % |
| Current account balance | - 63 000 000 | $ |
| Debt external | 1 610 000 000 | $ |
| Military expenditures | 2.30 | % of GDP |
Household income or consumption by percentage share :
| lowest 10% | 2.60 | % |
| highest 10% | 33.60 | % |
Budget :
| revenues | 96 000 000 | $ |
| expenditures | 351 000 000 | $ |
Agriculture - products :
| cattle | cocoa |
| coffee | fish |
| palm kernels | palm oil |
| peanuts | pigs |
| poultry | rice |
| sheep |
Industries :
| cigarettes | commercial ship repair |
| diamond mining | footwear |
| manufacturing | petroleum refining |
| textiles |
Energy :
| Electricity Production | 80 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 74 400 000 | kWh |
| Oil Production | 3 | bbl/day |
| Oil Consumption | 9 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Exports | 502 | bbl/day |
| Oil Imports | 8 316 | bbl/day |
Value :
216 000 000 $
Partners :
| Belgium (be) | 39.20 | % |
| United States (us) | 22.10 | % |
| India (in) | 7.00 | % |
| France (fr) | 5.40 | % |
| Netherlands (nl) | 4.10 | % |
Commodities :
| cocoa | coffee |
| diamonds | fish |
| rutile |
Value :
560 000 000 $
Partners :
| China (cn) | 10.20 | % |
| United States (us) | 7.80 | % |
| Belgium (be) | 6.60 | % |
| United Kingdom (gb) | 6.50 | % |
| Cote dIvoire | 6.20 | % |
| India (in) | 5.60 | % |
| Thailand (th) | 5.10 | % |
Commodities :
| chemicals | foodstuffs |
| fuels and lubricants | machinery and equipment |
Currency-code :
SLL
Currency-name :
leone
Communications :
| Telephons Main lines in use | 31 500 | |
| Telephons Mobile, Cellular | 1 008 999 | |
| FM Radio broadcast stations | 9 | |
| Television broadcast stations | 2 | |
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | sl | |
| Internet Hosts | 273 | |
| Internet Users | 13 900 |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 1 | |
| Heliports | 2 | |
| Roadways - total | 11 300 | km |
| Roadways - paved | 904 | km |
| Roadways - unpaved | 10 396 | km |
| Waterways | 800 | km |
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