Sierra Leone
Geography - People - Economy - Government - Communications - Transportation - Military - Transnational IssuesCountry name - conventional long form : Republic of Sierra Leone
Country name - conventional short form : Sierra Leone
Country name - local long form : Republic of Sierra Leone
Country name - local short form : Sierra Leone
Government type : constitutional democracy
Capital - name : Freetown
Capital - time difference : UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
National holiday : Independence Day, 27 April (1961)
Population : 6,294,774 (July 2008 est.)
Nationality - noun : Sierra Leonean(s)
Nationality - adjective : Sierra Leonean
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%)
Currency (code) : leone (SLL)
Currency code : SLL
Major infectious diseases - degree of risk : very high
Sierra Leone is located Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia. The climate is tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April). The terrain is coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east.
Background
This entry usually highlights major historic events and current issues and may include a statement about one or two key future trends.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.
More Information about the country
