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Mission
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Central Intelligence Agency
The Work of a Nation. The Center of Intelligence
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| page last updated on June 14, 2011 |
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(CONTAINS DESCRIPTION)
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Click flag or map to enlarge 
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Click map to enlarge
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| no photos available of Sierra Leone |
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| Introduction ::Sierra Leone |
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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 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.
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Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia
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8 30 N, 11 30 W
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total: 71,740 sq km
country comparison to the world: 118
land:
71,620 sq km
water:
120 sq km
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slightly smaller than South Carolina
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total: 958 km
border countries:
Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km
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402 km
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territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone:
24 nm
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
continental shelf:
200 nm
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tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)
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coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east
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lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point:
Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m
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diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite
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arable land: 7.95%
permanent crops:
1.05%
other:
91% (2005)
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300 sq km (2008)
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160 cu km (1987)
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total: 0.38 cu km/yr (5%/3%/92%)
per capita:
69 cu m/yr (2000)
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dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February); sandstorms, dust storms
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rapid population growth pressuring the environment; overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil exhaustion; civil war depleted natural resources; overfishing
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
Environmental Modification
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rainfall along the coast can reach 495 cm (195 inches) a year, making it one of the wettest places along coastal, western Africa
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5,363,669 (July 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 112
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0-14 years: 41.8% (male 1,113,528/female 1,130,112)
15-64 years:
54.5% (male 1,401,907/female 1,522,335)
65 years and over:
3.7% (male 86,614/female 109,173) (2011 est.)
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total: 19.1 years
male:
18.6 years
female:
19.5 years (2011 est.)
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2.249% (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 36
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38.46 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
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11.73 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 32
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-4.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population
country comparison to the world: 190
note:
refugees currently in surrounding countries are slowly returning (2011 est.)
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urban population: 38% of total population (2010)
rate of urbanization:
3.3% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
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FREETOWN (capital) 875,000 (2009)
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at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
0.98 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.81 male(s)/female
total population:
0.94 male(s)/female (2011 est.)
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total: 78.38 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 14
male:
87.2 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
69.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.)
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total population: 56.13 years
country comparison to the world: 197
male:
53.69 years
female:
58.65 years (2011 est.)
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4.94 children born/woman (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 21
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1.6% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 33
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49,000 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 59
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2,800 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 47
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degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases:
bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases:
malaria and yellow fever
water contact disease:
schistosomiasis
aerosolized dust or soil contact disease:
Lassa fever (2009)
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improved:
urban: 86% of population
rural: 26% of population
total: 49% of population
unimproved:
urban: 14% of population
rural: 74% of population
total: 51% of population (2008)
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improved:
urban: 24% of population
rural: 6% of population
total: 13% of population
unimproved:
urban: 76% of population
rural: 94% of population
total: 87% of population (2008)
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noun: Sierra Leonean(s)
adjective:
Sierra Leonean
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Temne 35%, Mende 31%, Limba 8%, Kono 5%, Kriole 2% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century; also known as Krio), Mandingo 2%, Loko 2%, other 15% (includes refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, and small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians) (2008 census)
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Muslim 60%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs 30%
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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%)
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic
total population:
35.1%
male:
46.9%
female:
24.4% (2004 est.)
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total: 12 years
male:
13 years
female:
11 years (2007)
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4.3% of GDP (2009)
country comparison to the world: 94
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| Government ::Sierra Leone |
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conventional long form: Republic of Sierra Leone
conventional short form:
Sierra Leone
local long form:
Republic of Sierra Leone
local short form:
Sierra Leone
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constitutional democracy
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name: Freetown
geographic coordinates:
8 30 N, 13 15 W
time difference:
UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western*
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27 April 1961 (from the UK)
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Independence Day, 27 April (1961)
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1 October 1991; amended several times
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mixed legal system of English common law and customary law
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has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
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18 years of age; universal
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chief of state: President Ernest Bai KOROMA (since 17 September 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government:
President Ernest Bai KOROMA (since 17 September 2007)
cabinet:
Ministers of State appointed by the president with the approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible to the president
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
elections:
president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 11 August 2007 and 8 September 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
election results:
second round results; percent of vote - Ernest Bai KOROMA 54.6%, Solomon BEREWA 45.4%
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unicameral Parliament (124 seats; 112 members elected by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; members to serve five-year terms)
elections:
last held on 11 August 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
election results:
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - APC 59, SLPP 43, PMDC 10
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Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court
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All People's Congress or APC [Ernest Bai KOROMA]; Peace and Liberation Party or PLP [Darlington MORRISON]; People's Movement for Democratic Change or PMDC [Charles MARGAI]; Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP [John BENJAMIN]; numerous others
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other: student unions; trade unions
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ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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chief of mission: Ambassador Bockari Kortu STEVENS
chancery:
1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone:
[1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263
FAX:
[1] (202) 483-1793
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chief of mission: Ambassador Michael S. OWEN
embassy:
Southridge-Hill Station, Freetown
mailing address:
use embassy street address
telephone:
[232] (22) 515 000 or (76) 515 000
FAX:
[232] (22) 515 355
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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
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name: "High We Exalt Thee, Realm of the Free"
lyrics/music:
Clifford Nelson FYLE/John Joseph AKA
note:
adopted 1961
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Sierra Leone is an extremely poor nation with tremendous inequality in income distribution. While it possesses substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources, its physical and social infrastructure has yet to recover from the civil war, and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development. Nearly half of the working-age population engages in subsistence agriculture. Manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. Alluvial diamond mining remains the major source of hard currency earnings, accounting for nearly half of Sierra Leone's exports. The fate of the economy depends upon the maintenance of domestic peace and the continued receipt of substantial aid from abroad, which is essential to offset the severe trade imbalance and supplement government revenues. The IMF has completed a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility program that helped stabilize economic growth and reduce inflation and in 2010 approved a new program worth $45 million over three years. Political stability has led to a revival of economic activity such as the rehabilitation of bauxite and rutile mining, which are set to benefit from planned tax incentives. A number of offshore oil discoveries were announced in 2009 and 2010. The development on these reserves, which could be significant, is still several years away.
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$4.72 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 163
$4.498 billion (2009 est.)
$4.358 billion (2008 est.)
note:
data are in 2010 US dollars
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$1.905 billion (2010 est.)
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5% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 74
3.2% (2009 est.)
5.5% (2008 est.)
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$900 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 219
$900 (2009 est.)
$900 (2008 est.)
note:
data are in 2010 US dollars
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agriculture: 49%
industry:
31%
services:
21% (2005 est.)
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2.207 million (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 116
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agriculture: NA%
industry:
NA%
services:
NA%
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NA%
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70.2% (2004)
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lowest 10%: 2.6%
highest 10%:
33.6% (2003)
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62.9 (1989)
country comparison to the world: 5
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revenues: $96 million
expenditures:
$351 million (2000 est.)
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11.7% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 202
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NA%
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NA% (31 December 2010)
country comparison to the world: 9
24.5% (31 December 2008 est.)
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$209.4 million (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 173
$219.1 million (31 December 2008)
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$437 million (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 175
$434.3 million (31 December 2008)
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$178.4 million (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 176
$140.9 million (31 December 2008)
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$NA
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rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish
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diamond mining; small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining, small commercial ship repair
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NA%
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80 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 195
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74.4 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 194
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0 kWh (2008 est.)
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0 kWh (2008 est.)
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28.98 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 113
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9,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 152
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502.4 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 125
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8,316 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 144
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0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 187
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 182
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 122
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 174
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 118
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0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 187
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$-63 million (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 72
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$216 million (2006)
country comparison to the world: 180
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diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish
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Belgium 26.56%, US 11.87%, Netherlands 7.91%, UK 7.4%, India 6.67%, Cote d'Ivoire 6.13%, Greece 4.05% (2009)
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$560 million (2006)
country comparison to the world: 187
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foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals
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South Africa 14.61%, China 7.58%, US 5.87%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.65%, India 5.19%, Malaysia 5.19%, France 5.08%, UK 4.48%, Netherlands 4.06% (2009)
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$1.61 billion (2003 est.)
country comparison to the world: 143
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leones (SLL) per US dollar -
NA (2007)
2,961.7 (2006)
2,889.6 (2005)
2,701.3 (2004)
2,347.9 (2003)
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| Communications ::Sierra Leone |
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32,800 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 176
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1.16 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 143
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general assessment: marginal telephone service with poor infrastructure
domestic:
the national microwave radio relay trunk system connects Freetown to Bo and Kenema; while mobile-cellular service is growing rapidly from a small base, service area coverage remains limited
international:
country code - 232; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2008)
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1 government-owned TV station; 1 private TV station began operating in 2005; a pay-per-view TV service began operations in late 2007; 1 government-owned national radio broadcast station; about two dozen private radio stations primarily clustered in major cities; transmissions of several international broadcasters are available (2007)
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.sl
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281 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 184
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14,900 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 198
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| Transportation ::Sierra Leone |
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9 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 159
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total: 1
over 3,047 m:
1 (2010)
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total: 8
914 to 1,523 m:
7
under 914 m:
1 (2010)
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2 (2010)
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total: 11,300 km
country comparison to the world: 132
paved:
904 km
unpaved:
10,396 km (2002)
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800 km (600 km navigable year round) (2009)
country comparison to the world: 72
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total: 189
country comparison to the world: 35
by type:
bulk carrier 7, cargo 131, carrier 1, chemical tanker 12, container 3, liquefied gas 3, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 20, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 3, vehicle carrier 1
foreign-owned:
91 (Bangladesh 1, China 12, Cyprus 1, Egypt 2, Estonia 1, Hong Kong 4, Japan 3, Malaysia 1, North Korea 1, Romania 4, Russia 6, Singapore 5, Syria 20, Taiwan 1, Turkey 14, UAE 6, UK 1, Ukraine 5, US 1, Yemen 2) (2010)
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Freetown, Pepel, Sherbro Islands
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Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF): Army (includes Maritime Wing and Air Wing) (2010)
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17 years 6 months of age for male and female voluntary military service (younger with parental consent); no conscription; candidates must be HIV negative (2009)
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males age 16-49: 1,183,093 (2010 est.)
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males age 16-49: 731,898
females age 16-49:
838,032 (2010 est.)
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male: 54,212
female:
57,154 (2010 est.)
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2.3% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 65
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| Transnational Issues ::Sierra Leone |
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as domestic fighting among disparate ethnic groups, rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone gradually abates, the number of refugees in border areas has begun to slowly dwindle; Sierra Leone considers excessive Guinea's definition of the flood plain limits to define the left bank boundary of the Makona and Moa rivers and protests Guinea's continued occupation of these lands including the hamlet of Yenga occupied since 1998
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refugees (country of origin): 27,311 (Liberia) (2007)
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