View source for Sierra Leone

{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Republic of Sierra Leone
| common_name = Sierra Leone
| image_flag = Flag of Sierra Leone.svg
| image_coat = Coat of arms of Sierra Leone.svg
| symbol_type = Coat of Arms
| image_map = Location Sierra Leone AU Africa.svg
| map_caption = {{map caption|countryprefix=|location_color=dark blue|region=[[Africa]]|region_color=dark grey|subregion=the [[African Union]]|subregion_color=light blue|legend=Location Sierra Leone AU Africa.svg}}
| national_motto = "Unity, Freedom, Justice"
| national_anthem = ''[[High We Exalt Thee, Realm of the Free]]''
| official_languages = [[English language|English]]
| languages_type = National languages
| languages = {{hlist|Krio|Mende|Temne|Limba|Bengali}}
| capital = [[Freetown]]
| latd= 8|latm=29.067 |latNS=N |longd=13 |longm=14.067 |longEW=W
| largest_city = capital
| government_type = [[Unitary state|Unitary]] [[Presidential system|presidential]] [[Constitutional republic|Constitutional]] [[republic]]
|  leader_title1      = [[President of Sierra Leone|President]]
| leader_name1       = {{nowrap|[[Julius Maada Bio]]}} 
| leader_title2      = [[Vice-President of Sierra Leone|Vice-President]]
| leader_name2       = {{nowrap|[[Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh]]}} 
| leader_title3      = [[Chief Minister of Sierra Leone|Chief Minister]]
| leader_name3       = {{nowrap|[[Jacob Jusu Saffa]]}}  <ref>{{cite web|title=Big shake-up in Sierra Leone's cabinet |url=https://politicosl.com/articles/big-shake-sierra-leones-cabinet |date=4 May 2021 |website=Politico SL |access-date=6 May 2021}}</ref>
| leader_title4      = [[Speaker of the House of Parliament of Sierra Leone|Speaker of Parliament]]
| leader_name4       = [[Abass Bundu|Abass Chernor Bundu]]
| leader_title5      = Chief Justice
| leader_name5       = [[Desmond Babatunde Edwards]]
| area_rank = 119th
| area_magnitude = 1 E11
| area_km2 = 71,740
| area_sq_mi = 27,699
| percent_water = 1.1
| population_estimate = 6.3 million (2008 estimate) [http://breadandwaterforafrica.org.uk/sierra-leone][http://www.amrsl.com/eng/About.aspx?url=About%20Sierra%20Leone][http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nhrc/dhapp/countryreports/Documents/yearly08/SIERRALEONE.pdf][http://benkeene.wordpress.com/tag/kevin-mcphillips-travel/][http://www.malariaenvoy.com/Countries/tabid/62/Default.aspx?country=SIERRA_LEONE][http://www.directrelief.org/WhereWeWork/Countries/SierraLeone/SierraLeone.aspx]
| population_census = 4,976,871
| population_census_year = 2004
| population_density_km2 = 79.4
| population_density_sq_mi = 205.6
| population_density_rank = 114th<sup>1</sup>
| GDP_PPP = $4.837&nbsp;billion<ref name=imf2>{{cite web|url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2010/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2007&ey=2010&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=724&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a=&pr.x=81&pr.y=10 |title=Sierra Leone|publisher=International Monetary Fund|accessdate=21 April 2010}}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_rank =
| GDP_PPP_year = 2010
| GDP_PPP_per_capita = $780<ref name=imf2/>
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank =
| GDP_nominal = $1.877&nbsp;billion<ref name=imf2/>
| GDP_nominal_year = 2009
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = $311<ref name=imf2/>
| sovereignty_type = [[Independence]]
| established_event1 = from the [[United Kingdom]]
| established_event2 = [[Republic]] declared
| established_date1 = 27 April 1961
| established_date2 = 19 April 1971
| HDI = 0.336
| HDI_change = increase
| HDI_ref =
| HDI_rank = 180th
| HDI_year = 2011
| HDI_category = <span style="color:#f00;">low</span>
| Gini = 62.9
| Gini_ref =
| Gini_year = 2003
| Gini_category = <span style="color:red;">high</span>
| currency = [[Sierra Leonean leone|Leone]]
| currency_code = SLL
| country_code =
| time_zone = [[Greenwich Mean Time|GMT]]
| utc_offset = +0
| time_zone_DST =
| utc_offset_DST =
| drives_on = right
| cctld = [[.sl]]
| calling_code = 232
| demonym = Sierra Leonean
| footnotes = <sup>1</sup> Rank based on 2007 figures.
}}
'''Sierra Leone''' is a country in [[West Africa]]. Its capital is [[Freetown]]. The official language is [[English language|English]].

The country was first made as a place where freed slaves could live. From [[1991]] until [[2000]], there was a civil war in Sierra Leone between rebels and the government. The war is now over. Sierra Leone is known for its [[blood diamond]]s. These were mined and sold during the [[civil war]]. This was in order to buy the weapons for the civil war.<ref>{{cite news|title=UN targets 'blood diamonds' trade|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3117421.stm|work=BBC News|accessdate=28 April 2011|date=1 August 2003}}</ref>

There are 71,740 square kilometres of land in Sierra; In terms of land area it is similar in size to [[Ireland]].

Sierra Leone has relied on [[mining]], especially [[diamond]]s, for its economic base. The country is among the largest producers of [[titanium]] and [[bauxite]], and a major producer of [[gold]]. The country has one of the world's largest deposits of [[rutile]]. Sierra Leone is also home to the third largest natural harbour in the world. Shipping from all over the globe goes to Freetown's famous [[Queen Elizabeth II Quay]]. Despite this natural wealth, 70% of its people live in [[poverty]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indexmundi.com/sierra_leone/population_below_poverty_line.html |title=Sierra Leone Population below poverty line – Economy |publisher=Indexmundi.com |date=9 January 2012 |accessdate=20 May 2012}}</ref>

Sierra Leone is a mostly [[Muslim]] country.<ref>[http://oluseguntoday.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/71-of-sierra-leoneans-are-muslims/ 71% of Sierra Leoneans are Muslims « Oluseguntoday's Blog]. Oluseguntoday.wordpress.com (13 October 2009). Retrieved on 15 August 2012.</ref><ref>[http://www.rtbot.net/Islam_in_Sierra_Leone Islam In Sierra Leone Information, Videos, Pictures and News] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130208115043/http://www.rtbot.net/Islam_in_Sierra_Leone |date=2013-02-08 }}. Rtbot.net. Retrieved on 15 August 2012.</ref><ref>[http://news.sl/drwebsite/publish/printer_200520080.shtml Sama Banya wants Awareness Times to call Tom Nyuma a Buffoon] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006122510/http://news.sl/drwebsite/publish/printer_200520080.shtml |date=2014-10-06 }}. News.sl (18 April 2012). Retrieved on 15 August 2012.</ref>

The country has 2,090 known [[species]] of higher plants, 147 [[mammals]], 626 [[bird]]s, 67 [[reptiles]], 35 [[amphibians]], and 99 [[fish]] species.

== History ==
In 1672, [[The Royal African Company]] built [[Fortification|forts]] on some islands close to Sierra Leone for trading. [[Slave trade|Slave trading]] was becoming more popular, so the forts mostly traded humans. In fact, [[Bunce island|Bunce Island]] became a popular place to transport slaves to [[Europe]] and [[Americas]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-03-01|title=About Sierra Leone: History|url=https://unipsil.unmissions.org/about-sierra-leone-history|access-date=2021-05-20|website=UNIPSIL|language=en}}</ref>

==Geography and climate==
The country is bordered by [[Guinea]] to the north and northeast, [[Liberia]] to the south and southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.<ref name="LeVertP7">{{Cite book | last =LeVert | first =Suzanne |publication-date =2007 | title =Cultures of the World: Sierra Leone | page=7| publisher=Marshall Cavendish | isbn =978-0-7614-2334-8 | year =2006}}</ref>

[[Mount Bintumani]] reaches {{convert|1948|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}. It is the highest point in the country.

The climate is hot, tropical and humid all year round, with two seasons. The [[rainy season]] is from May to November, and the [[dry season]] is from December to May.

March & April are the hottest months and daytime temperatures are around 38&nbsp;°C (100&nbsp;°F) - 41&nbsp;°C (106&nbsp;°F) with a solid 82% humidity. Nighttime temperatures do not vary a lot and may fluctuate by 2&nbsp;°C - 4&nbsp;°C.

December and January are preferably the best times to visit Sierra Leone as temperatures and humidity are much lower and reasonable due to the hammattan breeze from the Sahara desert, although afternoon temperatures can still climb up to 40&nbsp;°C and above, the hammattan breeze stops it from getting too humid, even though it will still be hot, humidity would be can be lowered down to 39%, meaning you'll sweat less during this time than you would when the climate goes back to its original state, so therefore the heat would be more endurable especially around coastal areas.

When the hammattan breeze has lowered the heat and the humidity to its base, the highest average daily temperature in December and January will only reach a maximum of 31&nbsp;°C (88&nbsp;°F) and nighttime temperatures will be 24&nbsp;°C (75&nbsp;°F), although it can sometimes drop to 21&nbsp;°C (70&nbsp;°F) at night, and sometimes in the morning which is the lowest the temperature can get. During this time, humidity is 70% & it is pleasantly warm and enjoyable.

The rainy season from May-November, average temperatures are 27&nbsp;°C (81&nbsp;°F) - 29&nbsp;°C (84&nbsp;°F) with humidity 95% - 100%. Some days when it doesn't rain, temperatures can climb up to 32&nbsp;°C (90&nbsp;°F) and humidity can be moderate around 75%.
Rainfall can be torrential, so if you're travelling to Sierra Leone around this time of the year, it is advisable to bring waterproof clothing as it can rain for a whole week without interruption from sunlight.

===Largest cities===
The largest cities in Sierra Leone are:
# [[Freetown]] 1,070,200
# [[Bo, Sierra Leone|Bo]] 269,000 [http://www.exaf.eu/exaf/page.php?pid=210] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720161721/http://www.exaf.eu/exaf/page.php?pid=210 |date=2011-07-20 }}
# [[Kenema]] 158,496 [https://archive.today/20121209085240/http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gpro&lng=en&des=wg&srt=npan&col=adhoq&msz=1500&geo=352384881]
# [[Koidu|Koidu Town]] 111,800 [http://www.mongabay.com/igapo/Sierra%20Leone.htm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920203518/http://www.mongabay.com/igapo/Sierra%20Leone.htm |date=2012-09-20 }}
# [[Makeni]] 105,900 [http://www.mongabay.com/igapo/Sierra%20Leone.htm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920203518/http://www.mongabay.com/igapo/Sierra%20Leone.htm |date=2012-09-20 }}

==Education==
[[File:School destroyed by Sierra Leone Civil War.jpg|left|thumb|alt=concrete walls with many children standing on the left|School destroyed by the war]]
Education in Sierra Leone is legally required for all children for six years. A shortage of schools and teachers has made this impossible.<ref name="ilab">[http://www.dol.gov/ilab/media/reports/iclp/tda2001/Sierra-leone.htm "Sierra Leone"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102020941/http://www.dol.gov/ilab/media/reports/iclp/tda2001/Sierra-leone.htm|date=2013-11-02}}. ''2001 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor''. [[Bureau of International Labor Affairs]], [[U.S. Department of Labor]] (2002). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the [[public domain]]''.</ref> Two thirds of the adult population of the country are not able to read.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/indicators/20.html |title=Human Development Report 2009 – Proportion of international migrant stocks residing in countries with very high levels of human development (%) |publisher=Hdrstats.undp.org |accessdate=22 August 2010 |archive-date=6 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606071107/http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/indicators/20.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[Sierra Leone Civil War]] caused the destruction of 1,270 primary schools. In 2001, 67% of all school-age children were out of school.<ref name="ilab" /> This has been better since the end of the civil war.

The country has three [[university|universities]]: [[Fourah Bay College]], University of Makeni and [[Njala University]]. Teacher training colleges and religious seminaries are found in many parts of the country.

==Provinces and districts==
[[File:Districts in Sierra Leone 2018.svg|thumb|300px|The 14 districts and 2 areas of Sierra Leone.]]

The Republic of Sierra Leone has five regions the [[Northern Province, Sierra Leone|Northern Province]], [[North West Province, Sierra Leone|North West Province]], [[Southern Province, Sierra Leone|Southern Province]], the [[Eastern Province, Sierra Leone|Eastern Province]] and the [[Western Area]]. The first four provinces are divided into 14 districts. The districts are further divided into 149 chiefdoms.

{|class="wikitable"
!District!!Capital|!!Area km<sup>2</sup>||Province||Population (2004 census)<ref name=SSL>{{cite web | title =Final Results 2004 population and housing census | publisher =Statistics Sierra Leone | url =http://www.daco-sl.org/encyclopedia/1_gov/1_4/Statistics%20Sierra%20Leone/ssl_final_results.pdf | accessdate =9 June 2008 | page =3 | archive-date =25 June 2008 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20080625041230/http://www.daco-sl.org/encyclopedia/1_gov/1_4/Statistics%20Sierra%20Leone/ssl_final_results.pdf | url-status =dead }}</ref><!--These are the official figures please do not change without discussion-->||Population (2008 estimates)
|-
| [[Bombali District]] ||[[Makeni]]||7,985||rowspan="5"|[[Northern Province, Sierra Leone|Northern Province]]||408,390||424,100<ref>[http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gpro&lng=en&des=wg&srt=npan&col=adhoq&msz=1500&geo=-6636 World Gazetteer: Bombali – profile of geographical entity including name variants]{{Dead link|date=August 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} at www.world-gazetteer.com</ref>
|-
|| [[Koinadugu District]] ||[[Kabala, Sierra Leone|Kabala]]||12,121||265,758||
|-
| [[Port Loko District]] ||[[Port Loko]]||5,719||455,746||483,752<ref>[http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gpro&lng=en&des=wg&srt=npan&col=adhoq&msz=1500&geo=-6644 World-gazetteer.com]{{Dead link|date=August 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
|-
| [[Tonkolili District]] ||[[Magburaka]]||7,003||347,197||370,425<ref>[http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gpro&lng=en&des=wg&srt=npan&col=adhoq&msz=1500&geo=-6647 World Gazetteer: Tonkolili – profile of geographical entity including name variants]{{Dead link|date=August 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} at www.world-gazetteer.com</ref>
|-
| [[Kambia District]] ||[[Kambia, Sierra Leone|Kambia]]||3,108||270,462||299,725<ref>[http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gpro&lng=en&des=wg&srt=npan&col=adhoq&msz=1500&geo=-6639 World Gazetteer: Kambia – profile of geographical entity including name variants]{{Dead link|date=August 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} at www.world-gazetteer.com</ref>
|-
| [[Kenema District]] ||[[Kenema]]||6,053||rowspan="3"|[[Eastern Province, Sierra Leone|Eastern Province]]||497,948||522,656<ref>[http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gpro&lng=en&des=wg&srt=npan&col=adhoq&msz=1500&geo=-6640 World Gazetteer: Kenema – profile of geographical entity including name variants]{{Dead link|date=August 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} at www.world-gazetteer.com</ref>
|-
| [[Kono District]] ||[[Koidu|Koidu Town]] ||5,641||335,401||
|-
| [[Kailahun District]] || [[Kailahun]] ||3,859||358,190||389,253<ref>[http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gpro&lng=en&des=wg&srt=npan&col=adhoq&msz=1500&geo=-6638 World Gazetteer: Kailahun – profile of geographical entity including name variants]{{Dead link|date=August 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} at www.world-gazetteer.com</ref>
|-
| [[Bo District]] || [[Bo, Sierra Leone|Bo]] ||5,473.6<ref name=SLEBo>{{cite web| title =Bo District| date =July 2007| publisher =Sierra Leone Encyclopedia (UN and Government of Sierra Leone)| url =http://www.daco-sl.org/encyclopedia/3_dist/3_1a_bo.htm| accessdate =6 June 2008| archive-date =28 August 2008| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20080828113914/http://www.daco-sl.org/encyclopedia/3_dist/3_1a_bo.htm| url-status =dead}}</ref>||rowspan="4"|[[Southern Province, Sierra Leone|Southern Province]]||463,668||527,131<ref>[http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gpro&lng=en&des=wg&srt=npan&col=adhoq&msz=1500&geo=-6635 World Gazetteer: Bo – profile of geographical entity including name variants]{{Dead link|date=August 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} at www.world-gazetteer.com</ref>
|-
| [[Bonthe District]] || [[Mattru Jong]] ||3,468||129,947||137,155<ref>[https://archive.today/20121216134834/http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gpro&lng=en&des=wg&srt=npan&col=adhoq&msz=1500&geo=-6637 World-gazetteer.com]</ref>
|-
| [[Pujehun District]] || [[Pujehun]] ||4,105||228,392 ||262,073<ref>[http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gpro&lng=en&des=wg&srt=npan&col=adhoq&msz=1500&geo=-6645 World Gazetteer: Pujehun – profile of geographical entity including name variants] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325091116/http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gpro&lng=en&des=wg&srt=npan&col=adhoq&msz=1500&geo=-6645 |date=2012-03-25 }} at www.world-gazetteer.com</ref>
|-
| [[Moyamba District]] || [[Moyamba]] ||6,902||260,910 ||
|-
| [[Western Area Urban District]] || [[Freetown]] ||3,568||rowspan="2"|[[Western Area]]||1,272,873||1,473,873
|-
| [[Western Area Rural District]] || [[Waterloo, Sierra Leone|Waterloo]] ||4,175||174,249||205,400
|}

==Food and customs==
[[Rice]] is the [[staple food]] of Sierra Leone. It is eaten at nearly every meal daily. The rice is prepared in many ways, and topped with different sauces made from some of Sierra Leone's favorite toppings. These include [[potato]] leaves, [[cassava]] leaves, [[Corchorus|crain crain]], [[okra]] soup, [[fried fish]] and [[peanut|groundnut]] stew.<ref>{{cite book|last=Massaquoi|first=Rachel C. J.|title=Foods of Sierra Leone and Other West African Countries: A Cookbook|year=2011|publisher=AuthorHouse|isbn=9781449081546|pages=5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bKwN7Absx6AC&q=casava+potato+leaves+okra}}</ref>

Along the street of towns and cities one can find snacks such as fresh [[mangoes]], oranges, pineapple, fried [[plantains]], [[ginger beer]], fried potato, fried [[cassava]] with pepper sauce; small bags of popcorn or peanuts, bread, roasted corn, or skewers of grilled meat or shrimp.

Poyo is a popular Sierra Leonean drink. It is a sweet, lightly fermented [[palm wine]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Albala|first=Ken|title=Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia|year=2011|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9780313376276|pages=165|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zG1H75z0EYYC&dq=%22One+uniquely+Sierra+Leonean+establishment+is+the+poyo+house%22&pg=PA165}}</ref> Poyo bars are areas of lively informal talk about politics, [[Association football|football]], entertainment and other issues.

==Sports==
[[Association football|Football]] is by far the most popular sport in Sierra Leone. Children, youth and adult are often seen playing [[street football]] across Sierra Leone.

The Sierra Leone national football team, popularly known as the [[Leone Stars]], represents the country in international competitions. It has never qualified for the [[FIFA World Cup]]. They were in the [[1994 African Cup of Nations|1994]] and [[1996 African Cup of Nations]]. Many of the national team footballers are [[celebrities]] across Sierra Leone. They are often well known by most of the country's general population. Some well known Sierra Leonean international footballers include [[Mohamed Kallon]], [[Mohamed Bangura (footballer)|Mohamed Bangura]], [[Rodney Strasser]], [[Ibrahim Teteh Bangura]], [[Al Bangura|Alhassan Bangura]], [[Sheriff Suma]], [[Mohamed Kamara]], [[Umaru Bangura]] and [[Kei Kamara]].

==Related pages==
* [[List of rivers of Sierra Leone]]
* [[Sierra Leone at the Olympics]]
* [[Sierra Leone national football team]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Other websites ==
{{commonscat}}
* [http://www.sierraleone.com SierraLeone.com]

{{Africa}}
{{Commonwealth nations}}

[[Category:Sierra Leone| ]]
[[Category:English-speaking countries]]
[[Category:Least developed countries]]
[[Category:Members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation]]
[[Category:Commonwealth member states]]