Country	Sierra Leone
Capital	Freetown
Continent	Africa
Currency	Leone(SLL)
Languages	English, Temne, Mende & Krio

Locaion

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

Geographic Co ordinates

8 30 N, 11 30 W

Land Boundries

Total:958 km
Border countries:Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km

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

Population

5,245,695 (July 2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world:113

Nationality

Noun:Sierra Leonean(s)
Adjective:Sierra Leonean

Ethnic groups

20 African ethnic groups 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

Religions

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

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%)

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

Government Type

constitutional democracy

Capital

Name:Freetown
Geographic coordinates: 8 30 N, 13 15 W
Time difference:UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions

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

Independence

27 April 1961 (from the UK)

National Holiday

Independence Day, 27 April (1961)

Constitution

1 October 1991; amended several times

Legal system

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

Chief of state:President Ernest Bai KOROMA (since 17 September 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Head of government:President Ernest Bai KOROMA (since 17 September 2007)
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)
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)
Election results:second round results; percent of vote - Ernest Bai KOROMA 54.6%, Solomon BEREWA 45.4%

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)
Elections:last held on 11 August 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
Election results:percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - APC 59, SLPP 43, PMDC 10

Judicial branch

Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court

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

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

Diplomatic representation in the US

Chief of mission:Ambassador Bockari Kortu STEVENS
Chancery:1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
Telephone:[1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263
FAX:[1] (202) 483-1793

Diplomatic representation from the US

Chief of mission:Ambassador June Carter PERRY
Embassy:Southridge-Hill Station, Freetown
Mailing address:use embassy street address
Telephone:[232] (22) 515 000 or (76) 515 000
FAX:[232] (22) 515 355

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

Video

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Government - Government - Sierra Leone President - Sierra Leone
                              Government Ministries - SLEmbassy
Newspapers -  AllAfrica Sierra Leone Awareness Times Christian Monitor Concord Times
                              IRIN Sierra Leone New People Online Newspaper ReliefWeb Sierra Leone
                              New People Sierra Express Media Sierra Leone News Standard Times Press
                              The Patriotic Vanguard
Tourism -         Ministry Of Tourism

Google News

This RSS feed URL is deprecatedThis RSS feed URL is deprecated, please update. New URLs can be found in the footers at https://news.google.com/news Sustaining peace in practice: Liberia and Sierra Leone - Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) (press release) Sustaining peace in practice: Liberia and Sierra Leone Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) (press release) ?Liberia and Sierra Leone are undergoing important transitions. The countries provide important case studies on how the United Nations (UN) can ensure successful transitions, not only from peacekeeping to peacebuilding but also from conflict to ... [Photos] Sierra Leone president leads Eid ul Fitr celebrations, pledges to uphold religious tolerance - africanews africanews [Photos] Sierra Leone president leads Eid ul Fitr celebrations, pledges to uphold religious tolerance africanews Sierra Leone's president Julius Maada Bio pledged to uphold religious tolerance in the Muslim majority country, as he joined Muslims to observe the feast of Eid ul Fitr on Friday. Bio hailed the peaceful coexistence that Sierra Leoneans have ... Muslims gather at McCoy Stadium to celebrate as the holy month of Ramadan endsThe Providence Journal all 1,627 news articles » IMF welcomes Liberia's pro-poor agenda – but macroeconomic stability is essential - Sierra Leone Telegraph Sierra Leone Telegraph IMF welcomes Liberia's pro-poor agenda – but macroeconomic stability is essential Sierra Leone Telegraph Sierra Leone Telegraph: 17 June 2018: On June 8, 2018, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) met with the Liberian government of president George Weah, to review and discuss the country's economic performance under its Article IV ... Sierra Leone News: DSTV launch world Cup Promo - Awoko Sierra Leone News: DSTV launch world Cup Promo Awoko As a means of giving access to all football loving Sierra Leoneans and the general public, DSTV Sierra Leone has launched their World Cup promotion. Mellisa Smith, Sales and Marketing Manager of Transnational, said the promotion offers a complete ... Sierra Leone Sports: ”We are ambassador representing the Sama Foundation' 'Sheku Turay - Awoko Awoko Sierra Leone Sports: ”We are ambassador representing the Sama Foundation' 'Sheku Turay Awoko The Chairman of Sports Writers Association of Sierra Leone who is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Dream of Hope Foundation in the Northern region said they are Ambassadors representing Sama Foundation in the northern region and Makeni ... Sierra Leone News: China calls for mutual development in the Sino-Sierra Leone cooperation - Awoko Awoko Sierra Leone News: China calls for mutual development in the Sino-Sierra Leone cooperation Awoko The lasting cooperation between China and Sierra Leone primarily lies in mutual political trust, said Minister Yang, adding that the two countries have been maintaining close high-level exchanges since forging diplomatic ties in 1979. The two sides ... Sierra Leone News: Sierra Leone President unveils New Initiatives in Parliament - Awoko Awoko Sierra Leone News: Sierra Leone President unveils New Initiatives in Parliament Awoko Knowledgeable observers of West African political affairs have expressed the opinion that the recent address delivered to the parliament of Sierra Leone on Thursday 10th May by former Brigadier General Julius Maada Bio, the country's new President, was ... Sierra Leone Sports: SWASAL meets with Tourism Minister - Awoko Awoko Sierra Leone Sports: SWASAL meets with Tourism Minister Awoko In a drive to promote Sierra Leone's tourism through sports, the Sports Writers Association of Sierra Leone (SWASAL) last Friday paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Tourism and Culture, Memunatu Pratt, to discuss ways to promote the country's tourism. Sierra Leone News: GREATEST NON-FICTION EVER WRITTEN BY AN AFRICAN - Awoko Awoko Sierra Leone News: GREATEST NON-FICTION EVER WRITTEN BY AN AFRICAN Awoko This article is to cultivate, to improve people's appreciation of someone's ability to write a book; particularly one of this ilk, which is about how war could be eradicated in Sierra Leone, the rest of Africa and the whole of the world. Much more so ... Sierra Leone Market Price Bulletin, (January - March 2018) - ReliefWeb ReliefWeb Sierra Leone Market Price Bulletin, (January - March 2018) ReliefWeb The quarterly Sierra Leone Market Price Bulletin provides updates on price changes for staple food commodities in Sierra Leone. This information can be used to guide programme and policy decisions by development actors. It can also assist smallholder ...