Sierra Leone 
Facts
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
Area land: 71,620 sq km
Area water: 120 sq km
Coastline: 402 km
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Sierra Leone
Country name conventional short form: Sierra Leone
Country name former: Republic of Sierra Leone
Population: 5,363,669 (July 2011 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 41.8% (male 1,113,528/female 1,130,112); 15-64 years: 54.5% (male 1,401,907/female 1,522,335); 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 86,614/female 109,173) (2011 est.);
Population growth rate: 2.249% (2011 est.)
Birth rate: 38.46 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)
Death rate: 11.73 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)
Net migration rate: -4.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population
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 (2011 est.);
Infant mortality rate: total: 78.38 deaths/1,000 live births; male: 87.2 deaths/1,000 live births; female: 69.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.);
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 56.13 years; male: 53.69 years; female: 58.65 years (2011 est.);
Total fertility rate: 4.94 children born/woman (2011 est.);
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.6% (2009 est.);
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 49,000 (2009 est.);
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 2,800 (2009 est.);
Nationality: noun: Sierra Leonean(s); adjective: Sierra Leonean;
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);
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%);
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic; total population: 35.1%; male: 46.9%; female: 24.4% (2004 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
GDP (official exchange rate): $1.901 billion (2010 est.);
GDP - real growth rate: 5.2% (2010 est.); 4.4% (2009 est.); 5.5% (2008 est.);
GDP - per capita (PPP): $900 (2010 est.); $900 (2009 est.); $900 (2008 est.);
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 49%; industry: 31%; services: 21% (2005 est.);
Population below poverty line: 70.2% (2004);
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.6%; highest 10%: 33.6% (2003);
Labor force: 2.207 million (2007 est.);
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: NA%; industry: NA%; services: NA%;
Unemployment rate: NA%;
Budget: revenues: $96 million; expenditures: $351 million (2000 est.);
Industries: diamond mining; small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining, small commercial ship repair;
Industrial production growth rate: NA%;
Electricity - production: 80 million kWh (2007 est.);
Electricity - consumption: 74.4 million kWh (2007 est.);
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2008 est.);
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2008 est.);
Statistics: CIA World Factbook.
Press
(Independent, published in Somerset, NJ),
http://www.Cocorioko.net/
http://www.expotimesonline.net/
(Independent, published in Vancouver, Canada),
http://www.thepatrioticvanguard.com/
(Independent), Freetown
http://www.sierraexpressmedia.com/
(Published in U.K.),
http://www.thesierraleonetelegraph.com/
Sierra Leone in the News
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Charles Margai, in the U.S. as part of a Transatlantic Tour for Positive Change, was invited to speak and take questions from students at Howard University Law School earlier this month.
"As I pondered why these Maraka immigrants waste so much food while the locals go with empty stomachs, from where I was seated, I saw Endimbaekena, our family dog." By Karamoh Kabba.
"Whether you like it or not, I am the vice president of Sierra Leone," Berewa uttered … It was quite a stunning start for a man who many expected had little or no sense of humor.
On Jan. 6, 1999, I was taken by storm. Feared Revolutionary United Front (R.U.F.) rebels had invaded most of Sierra Leone and were approaching Freetown maliciously.
