Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone, small, independent country in West Africa; a former British colony, borders Guinea to the north, Liberia to the southeast and the Atlantic Ocean to the southwest.

Land and climate

Bordering on the Atlantic Ocean and situated between the republics of Guinea, to the north and east, and Liberia, to the south, Sierra Leone has an area of 27,699 sq mi (712,740 sq km). The coastal area consists of mangrove and freshwater swamps that are gradually being transformed into rice fields. The inland plains, in places as much as 100 mi (161 km) wide, are crossed by many rivers draining westward to the Atlantic. The land to the north and northeast rises in a series of irregular steps reaching 6,390 ft (1,948 m) in Loma Mansa. The climate is tropical.

People

The population is mostly black African with the Mende people of the south and the Temne people of the north predominating. Creoles, descendants of freed slaves, mainly from the Americas, live around Freetown, the country's capital and chief port. Most of the people adhere to traditional beliefs, but there are also sizable minorities of Christians and Muslims. The official language is English. Education is not compulsory in Sierra Leone and the literacy rate is 20%.

Economy

Sierra Leone's economy is heavily dependent for export revenue upon diamond mining and the production of cocoa and coffee. Rice is the chief food crop. Cattle are raised in the north, pigs and poultry in the west. Fishing and tourism also contribute to the economy.

History

Named by the Portuguese who first arrived in 1460, the coastal area of present-day Sierra Leone was long the haunt of slavers. In 1787 the English abolitionist Granville Stamp settled freed slaves there. In 1808 Sierra Leone became a British colony, and in the years following thousands more freed slaves settled there. Independent since 1961, Sierra Leone has seen much internal political unrest. It was declared a republic in 1971 under the presidency of Dr. Siaka Stevens, who sought to establish a one-party regime in the face of more than a decade of protest and resistance. In 1985 Maj. Gen. Joseph Saidu Momoh was elected president. Despite several initiatives the democratization process that started in 1991 progressed slowly and without real accomplishments. In 1992 Momoh was ousted by the army and the new head of state was Valentine Strasser. The latter was ousted in 1996. Since 1992 the country is plagued by a devastating civil war. In 1997, a military coup resulted in the ousting of president Ahmad Tejan Kabbah. Major Johnny Paul Koroma took over but was ousted in 1998, after which Kabbah returned as president.