Sierra Leone

Republic of OF Sierra Leone
Republic of Sierra Leone

(detail) (detail)
Wahlspruch: Unity, Freedom, Justice (English. for „agreement, liberty, justice “)
office language	English
capital	Freetown
system of government	Präsidialrepublik
president	Ahmad Tejan Kabbah
surface	71,740 km ²
number of inhabitants	5.337.000 (conditions 2006)
population density	of 74 inhabitants per km ²
independence	to 27. April 1961
currency	Leone
time belt	UTC
national anthem	High incoming goods Exalt Thee, Realm OF the Free
Kfz characteristic	WHALE
Internet TLD	.sl
preselection	+232

the Republic of Sierra Leone (dt.: [ˌzi̯ɛraleˈoːnə], English: [ˌsɪəɹəlɪˈoʊn]) a state is in west Africa and borders on Guinea, Liberia and the Atlantic. The former British colony occupied since years the last place on the list of the UNDP, equivalently to the status to few developed by 177 examined countries. After one decade of bloody civil war the country is now busy with its reconstruction and the processing of recent history.

To table of contents 1 geography 1,1 climate 2 population 3 history 4 administrative arrangement 5 economics 5,1 agriculture 5,2 power supply of 5,3 raw materials 5,4 public expenditures 6 culture 6,1 media 7 see also 8 Web on the left of

geography

Sierra Leone borders in the northwest, the north and northeast to the Republic of Guinea and in the southeast at Liberia. In the south and southwest the Atlantic ocean lies. One up to 110 km broad level pulls itself on the coast along, on the Freetown peninsula rises the Sierra Lyoa Mountains up to a height of 1.000 M. Long sand banks are pre-aged to some coastal regions up to 112 km. Behind the damp coastal plain the z begins. T. agriculturally used forest area, by which the three most important rivers flow. The country rises to eastern Guinea Highlands , a high plateau with collections of over 1.830 m in the Loma Mountains and Tingi Hills. The highest mountain is the Bintumani with 1.948 M.

Geographical location: 10°-13° western length, 7°-10° northern latitude at the westAfrican Atlantic coast.

The largest cities in Sierra Leone are (conditions 1. January 2005): Freetown of 802,639 inhabitants, Bo of 174,354 inhabitants, Kenema of 143,137 inhabitants, Makeni of 87,679 inhabitants and Koidu Sefadu of 87,539 inhabitants.

• See also: List of the cities in Sierra Leone

the most important islands are:

• Banana Iceland (a snorkel and a dipping area consisting of the 2 Hauptinseln Rickett and Banan Iceland and unite smaller islands)
• Turtle Iceland
• Sherbro island.

The national border is altogether 958 km long, of it borders 652 km in the north on Guinea and 306 km in the south on Liberia. The coastal length amounts to 402 km.

The largest rivers are: Mano and Moro.

climate

the climate is tropical damp with precipitation up to 3,400 mm per year. The year is divided into a rain and one drying time. Since Sierra Leone lies north the equator, the rain time in the middle of begins May, and is characterized by daily thunderstorms and rainfalls. In the months August and September can rain it already times continuously.

In the middle of Octobers begins the drying time, precipitation becomes more rarely. In Decembers and January the climate is coined/shaped by the Harmattan, a wind surprisingly from the seeing era, the dust and cool air with itself brings. February, March, April are the hottest months with rare precipitation.

Because of the Harmattans the native ones speak also of three seasons: rainy season, harmattan season, dry season.

population

the population amounts to approx. 5,34 million humans, the population density about 74 humans for each km amount to ².

The population consists of many different subpopulations. The most important are the Mende with 34,6%, the Temne with 31,7%, the Limba with 8,4% and the Kono with 5,2%. Groups of fragments are the Bullum Sherbro, the Fulbe, the Kuranko, the Yulanka, the Kissi and others.

60% the inhabitant are Muslims, 30% trailer of nature religions and 10% are Christians.

The life expectancy belongs to the world-wide lowest (conditions 2006).

history

1462 reached the Portuguese Pedro de Cintra today's Sierra Leone; in the future several European commercial establishments were created. 1787 established British philanthropists for released slaves the address Freetown, which became 1808 British crowning colony. To 27. April 1961 received the country independence in the context of the Commonwealth. After Militärput 1967 and 1968 1971 the republic was proclaimed. Already since 1989 the Revolutionary United front fought against the government. 1994 began a civil war, which was led with extreme brutality. Amputationen and abusing in large parts of the population were made and obligation-recruited from both sides child soldiers. The civil war was financed by the illegal trade with diamonds. The war could be terminated and be introduced by British military intervention the political and economic reconstruction. The end of the rebel war was explained officially to at the beginning of 2002, when in the context of one celebration hour in the national stadium several thousand weapons were burned.

administrative arrangement

Sierra Leone is divided into the three provinces Northern, Southern and Eastern as well as the area around the capital Freetown (Western AREA).

economics

agriculture

for the predominant part of the population is the agriculture the basis of existence. One uses with it Brandrodung and building of moving chopping . However only about 6% of the surface are agriculturally used. Mainly thereby to rice, millet and Maniok is produced, usually for the internal requirement (Subsistenzwirtschaft). For the export are certain coffee , Palmkerne and cocoa.

Apart from the agriculture also fishing serves the internal requirement, above all becomes herrings and Thunfisch imprisoned.

power supply

keel of the power supply of the country is water power.

raw materials

the mining industry forms the most important industry, which concerns export. Above all diamonds, iron ores, bauxite and rutile (titanium oxide) are won.

between

1992 and 2000 the portion of the public expenditures for the health service

• was appropriate for public expenditures with 10%
• the training system with 13%
• the military with 10%

culture

media

into the 1980er years a nearly country-wide television net by European development assistance was developed. The Studio for this was in Freetown, the distribution was made by relay stations. The television net could hold itself however not for a long time and few years after again was already switched off. The national Telefongesellschaft was supported until 1988 of the British CableWireless, starting from 1989 took place a support and an execution from restructuring measures via the German Telekom.

see also

• table: The highest poverty world-wide (Sierra Leone is one of of the poorest countries in the world)

Web on the left of

• official homepage of the government Sierra Leone (English)
• Sierra Leone forum (German, English, Spanish)
• Sierra Leone Tipps (English)
• information on the side of the Foreign Office
• news and information about Sierra Leone (English)

coordinates: 8° 30 ' N, 11° 55 ' W