+232 is the dialing code for Sierra Leone.
West African Sierra Leone was built by freed slaves under British supervision from the late 18th century. After independence in 1961, the country became a one-party state in 1978, after which mismanagement and economic decay led to civil war throughout the 1990s. The war became notorious for brutal attacks on the civilian population. A record UN effort put an end to the war, and with the UN’s help, a democratic society has been able to take shape.
- Abbreviationfinder: Brief profiles of Sierra Leone, including geography, history, politics, economics as well as common acronyms about this country.
Geography and climate
Sierra Leone is located on the west coast of Africa and borders south-east to Liberia and north and east to Guinea; to the southwest is the Atlantic. The land is on the surface somewhat smaller than Svealand.
Sierra Leone is one of the few countries in Africa that has an archipelago-like coast. The low-lying coastal region consists of lagoons, estuaries and long ridges. During the rainy season, large parts of the coastal plains are flooded.
Around the capital Freetown are steep mountains and cliffs with a maximum height of almost 900 meters above sea level. In the south, the landscape is characterized by wooded hills. To the east lies the Loma Mountains with heights of up to 2,000 meters above sea level.
Sierra Leone has a tropical rainforest and savannah climate. The rainy season falls during May – October.
The climate is humid in West Africa; on the coast, up to 5,000 mm of rain can fall annually. At the beginning of the dry season, the dusty wind blows the Harmattan in from the Sahara desert.
Country Facts
Geography
| Cultivated land | 56.2 % |
| Land area | 71740 km 2 |
Population and health
| Population development | 2.35 ‰ |
| Urban population (Urbanization) | 39.9 % |
| Death rate | 10.81 per 1000 residents |
| Life expectancy: Women | 60.42 years |
| Life expectancy: Men | 55.23 years |
| Birth rate | 37.03 births per 1000 residents |
| HDI index | 0.413 |
| Population | 5879098 |
| Infant mortality | 71.68 deaths / 1000 births |
Population Graph Source: Countryaah.com
Energy
| Electricity, production | 145 million kWh |
| Energy consumption per resident | kg. oil per resident |
| Natural gas, production | million cubic meters |
| Crude oil, production | million tons |
Infrastructure
| Internet users | 1.5 per 100 residents |
| Mobile subscriptions | 83 per 100 residents |
| Passenger cars | 6 per 1000 residents |
Business and economics
| Unemployment | % of the workforce |
| GDP | 1600 per resident |
| Primary occupations | % |
| Secondary profession | % |
| Tertiary professions | % |
FACTS – GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE
Surface
71 740 km2 (2018)
Time
Swedish – 1 hour
Adjacent country (s)
Liberia, Guinea
Capital with number of residents
Freetown approximately 1.2 million
Other major cities
Kenema, Bo, Koidu and Makeni
Highest mountain
Loma Mansa (Mount Bintumani) (1,945 yd)
Important rivers
Sewa, Mongo, Moa
Average Precipitation / month
Freetown 800 mm (Aug), 8 mm (Feb)
Average / day
Freetown 28 °C (March), 19 °C (July-Aug)
2016
April
Tear gas against opposition supporters
April 27
During the celebration of the country’s national day, a number of SLPP supporters are arrested, according to police, because they were masked when they walked out onto the street. The SLPP claims that they applied for permission to celebrate outside their party headquarters, but received no such. National Day is usually celebrated under carnival-like forms.
March
Abortion team on new referral
President Koroma decides not to sign the new abortion law passed by Parliament unanimously (see November 2015 and January 2016). Instead, he passes the law to the commission that reviews the country’s constitution. He thus wants to take the Commission’s views into account if it is to be included in their draft revised constitution.
January
The president rejects new abortion law
The new law has received criticism from both Christian and Muslim leaders. As a result, President Koromo does not sign the new abortion law, which was passed in November 2015, but sends it back to Parliament for a review. For now, the old law of 1861, when Sierra Leone was a British colony, applies. It only allows abortion if the mother’s life is in danger.
New death in ebola
A woman in the northern part of the country is reported to have died in the disease. A hundred people are quarantined.