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 Sierra Leone mudslide survivors still living without homes - Aljazeera.com Aljazeera.com Sierra Leone mudslide survivors still living without homes Aljazeera.com Hundreds of people are still missing one year after a mudslide on the outskirts of Sierra Leone's capital. The worst natural disaster in the nation's history killed more than 1,100 people. Al Jazeera's Ahmed Idris reports from Freetown. Africa · Sierra ... Sierra Leone Revs Up Its First National Ambulance System — But ... - NPR NPR Sierra Leone Revs Up Its First National Ambulance System — But ... NPR As Sierra Leone's first national ambulance service revs up, there are a few bumps in the road. US donates 5 ambulances to help Sierra Leone fight against Ebola - Apanews.netApanews Sierra Leone Ebola patient, recovered from family, dies in ambulance | ReutersReuters The impact of active surveillance and health education on an Ebola virus disease cluster — Kono District, Sierra ...BMC Infectious Diseases - BioMed Central Aljazeera.com all 89 news articles » In Sierra Leone, cash transfers bring relief to families affected by deadly floods - Reliefweb Reliefweb In Sierra Leone, cash transfers bring relief to families affected by deadly floods Reliefweb By Harriet Mason, Communications Officer, UNICEF Sierra Leone. FREETOWN, Sierra Leone – After a 20-minute-walk up a steep rocky path in the Dwarzark community, I arrived at the new home of Foday and Mamiesia Kallon and their 14-month-old son. Is Sierra Leone's commission of inquiry a witch-hunt or political ... - Sierra Leone Telegraph Sierra Leone Telegraph Is Sierra Leone's commission of inquiry a witch-hunt or political ... Sierra Leone Telegraph Ibrahim Sourie Mansaray: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 13 August 2018: A Commission of Inquiry that is to investigate corruption in a few weeks' time, is now on the ... and more » Ruadhán Mac Cormaic: How we failed Sierra Leone in Ebola crisis - Irish Times Irish Times Ruadhán Mac Cormaic: How we failed Sierra Leone in Ebola crisis Irish Times In early 2015, as the Ebola epidemic that had killed almost 4,000 people in Sierra Leone was finally coming under control, Sinead Walsh, then Irish ambassador to the west African country, travelled to the northern village of Rolath, where almost half ... Sierra Leone and Liberia set to ratify African Court protocol - Capital FM Kenya Capital FM Kenya Sierra Leone and Liberia set to ratify African Court protocol Capital FM Kenya ARUSHA, Tanzania, Aug 12 – The Republic of Sierra Leone and the Republic of Liberia have expressed their willingness to ratify the Protocol establishing the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights and deposit the special declaration under Article ... Anti-Corruption Czar speaks about the impact of corruption in Sierra Leone - Sierra Leone Telegraph Sierra Leone Telegraph Anti-Corruption Czar speaks about the impact of corruption in Sierra Leone Sierra Leone Telegraph Sierra Leone Telegraph: 12 August 2018: Last Friday, Francis Ben Kaifala – the Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission of Sierra Leone, addressed the National Governance Symposium 2018, organized by the Institute for Good Governance. Sierra Leone Commemorates CRVS Day - Global Times Newspaper Global Times Newspaper Sierra Leone Commemorates CRVS Day Global Times Newspaper Mr. Massaquoi thanked the government of Sierra Leone and partners for their technical, financial and operational support. The Deputy Minister of Defense Lahai Lawrence Leema said the launching of the CRVS is in line with the Sierra Leone Peoples Party ... Are Liberia's oil palm growers in trouble? - Sierra Leone Telegraph Sierra Leone Telegraph Are Liberia's oil palm growers in trouble? Sierra Leone Telegraph Sierra Leone Telegraph: 13 August 2018: Liberia's largest palm oil producer pulls out of sustainability roundtable – what does this mean for rural communities? This is a report by Fidel C T Budy. The palm oil industry is no stranger to controversy ... and more » Sierra Leone is still a fragile state - Sierra Leone Telegraph Sierra Leone Telegraph Sierra Leone is still a fragile state Sierra Leone Telegraph Andrew Keili: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 9 August 2018: Some people are so pessimistic they make grumbling into an art. I had a friend a long time ago who was a perpetual grumbler. For him everything was doom and gloom. He finally got a visa to travel to ... and more »