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Sierra Leone Country Guide
Explore Sierra Leone in Africa
The topography includes coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east. The average density of population is approximately 88 per km². The notable climate conditions in Sierra Leone can be described as tropical with hot, humid, summer rainy season (May to December) and winter dry season (December to April). Possible natural disasters include dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February) or sandstorms, dust storms.
To reach someone in Sierra Leone dial +232 prior to a number. There are 32,800 installed telephones. And there are 1,160,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of 900/1800 MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".sl". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of 230V - 50Hz.
About the flag and history of Sierra Leone
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.
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 a 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 and 2012 national elections but still look to the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone (UNIPSIL) - 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.
Geography Quick-Facts
| Summary | Continent: Africa Neighbours: Liberia, Guinea Capital: Freetown |
| Size | 71,740 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 27,698 square miles (mi² or sqmi) slightly smaller than South Carolina |
| Population | 6,286,000 |
| Currency | Name Leone, Currency Code:SLL |
| Country Top Level Domain (cTLD) | .sl |
| Telephone Country Prefix | +232 |
| Mobile Phone Connections | 1,160,000 |
| Landline Phone Connections | 32,800 |
Country Position in World Rankings
Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).
Geography
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 71,740 (sq km) | 119 |
People and Society
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,612,685 | 110 |
| Population growth rate | 2.30 (%) | 35 |
| Birth rate | 37.77 (births/1,000 population) | 16 |
| Death rate | 11.26 (deaths/1,000 population) | 34 |
| Net migration rate | -3.48 (migrant(s)/1,000 population) | 183 |
| Maternal mortality rate | 890.00 (deaths/100,000 live births) | 3 |
| Infant mortality rate | 74.95 (deaths/1,000 live births) | 11 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 56.98 (years) | 199 |
| Total fertility rate | 4.87 (children born/woman) | 22 |
| Health expenditures | 13.10 (% of GDP) | 6 |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 1.60 (%) | 34 |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 49,000 | 58 |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 2,800 | 47 |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 6.80 (%) | 144 |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 21.30 (%) | 28 |
| Education expenditures | 3.60 (% of GDP) | 125 |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | 5.20 (%) | 132 |
Economy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | 8,412,000,000 | 155 |
| GDP - real growth rate | 19.80 (%) | 2 |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | 1,400 | 203 |
| Labor force | 2,207,000 | 118 |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 62.90 | 4 |
| Taxes and other revenues | 14.00 (% of GDP) | 196 |
| Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | -4.20 (% of GDP) | 144 |
| Public debt | 60.80 (% of GDP) | 45 |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 12.60 (%) | 206 |
| Commercial bank prime lending rate | 21.00 (%) | 16 |
| Stock of narrow money | 398,000,000 | 164 |
| Stock of broad money | 1,152,000,000 | 165 |
| Stock of domestic credit | 685,800,000 | 166 |
| Current account balance | -969,900,000 | 111 |
| Exports | 1,168,000,000 | 154 |
| Imports | 1,675,000,000 | 168 |
| Debt - external | 827,600,000 | 163 |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | 477,100,000 | 98 |
Energy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity - production | 120,000,000 (kWh) | 192 |
| Electricity - consumption | 111,600,000 (kWh) | 194 |
| Electricity - installed generating capacity | 52,000 (kW) | 183 |
| Electricity - from fossil fuels | 92.30 (% of total installed capacity) | 72 |
| Electricity - from hydroelectric plants | 7.70 (% of total installed capacity) | 119 |
| Refined petroleum products - production | 4,381 (bbl/day) | 110 |
| Refined petroleum products - consumption | 8,768 (bbl/day) | 156 |
| Refined petroleum products - exports | 523 (bbl/day) | 117 |
| Refined petroleum products - imports | 6,117 (bbl/day) | 146 |
| Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy | 1,335,000 (Mt) | 160 |
Communications
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - main lines in use | 14,000 | 197 |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 2,137,000 | 139 |
| Internet hosts | 282 | 192 |
| Internet users | 14,900 | 199 |
Transportation
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 8 | 164 |
| Roadways | 11,300 (km) | 132 |
| Waterways | 800 (km) | 72 |
| Merchant marine | 215 | 34 |
Military
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Military expenditures | 0.60 (% of GDP) | 159 |
Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases