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Location:
West Africa
Capital :
Freetown. Population: 921,000 (UN estimate 2003).
Area:
71,740 sq km (27,699 sq miles).
Description:
Sierra Leone is bordered to the northwest, north and northeast by
Guinea Republic, and to the southeast by Liberia. To the south and
southwest lies the Atlantic Ocean. A flat plain up to 110km (70 miles)
wide stretches the length of the coast except for the Freetown
peninsula, where the Sierra Lyoa Mountains rise to 1,000m (3,280ft).
In some coastal areas, sand bars have formed that stretch out as far
as 112km (70 miles). Behind the coastal plain is the central forested
area, drained by eight principal rivers, which has been cleared for
agriculture. The land rises in altitude eastwards to the Guinea
Highlands, a high plateau with peaks rising to over 1,830m (6,000ft)
in the Loma Mountains and Tingi Hills area. The Mende tribe is
prominent in the southeast and the Temne in the western and northern
areas.
Population :
6.1 million (official estimate 2007).
language:
The official language is English. Krio is also widely spoken. Local
dialects are Mende, Limba and Temne
Climate:
Economy - overview:
Following what is (it is hoped) a permanent end to the country’s
debilitating civil war, Sierra Leone can now start to rebuild its
shattered economy. With an annual per capita income of just US$209, it
is one of the world’s poorest countries. It also recorded the second
lowest figure in the 2006 UN Human Development Index: in other words,
it is the second worst place in the world to live.
The agricultural and mining sectors were particularly badly hit by the
fighting. Agriculture employs over two-thirds of the workforce who
grow coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, nuts and ginger as cash crops along
with rice, bananas and cassava as staples. The fishing industry is
also important.
The principal industrial activity is mining: the country has some of
the world’s most valuable diamond mines, as well as deposits of gold,
bauxite and titanium ore. Diamonds have proved as much a curse as a
blessing, as much of the civil war fighting was motivated by control
of the mines and both the government and the rebel forces relied on
the revenues to sustain their war efforts. The remainder of the
industrial sector is devoted to mineral and ore processing, as well as
some light manufacturing of consumer goods such as textiles and
furniture.
Sierra Leone’s other major economic asset is one of the world's
largest natural harbours, which the government is hoping to develop as
a hub for international and transit trade for the whole of the region.
Since the end of the war, the economy has grown healthily at between 5
and 7% annually (7.2% in 2006). Inevitably, Sierra Leone still depends
on large injections of foreign aid to support the economy, and the IMF
and World Bank have been involved in the government’s reconstruction
plans.
Sierra Leone is a member of the African Development Bank and the West
African trading bloc ECOWAS.
http://www.worldtravelguide.net/country/249/business/Africa/Sierra-Leone.html
Economy:
Following what is (it is hoped) a permanent end to the country’s
debilitating civil war, Sierra Leone can now start to rebuild its
shattered economy. With an annual per capita income of just US$209, it
is one of the world’s poorest countries. It also recorded the second
lowest figure in the 2006 UN Human Development Index: in other words,
it is the second worst place in the world to live.
The agricultural and mining sectors were particularly badly hit by the
fighting. Agriculture employs over two-thirds of the workforce who
grow coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, nuts and ginger as cash crops along
with rice, bananas and cassava as staples. The fishing industry is
also important.
The principal industrial activity is mining: the country has some of
the world’s most valuable diamond mines, as well as deposits of gold,
bauxite and titanium ore. Diamonds have proved as much a curse as a
blessing, as much of the civil war fighting was motivated by control
of the mines and both the government and the rebel forces relied on
the revenues to sustain their war efforts. The remainder of the
industrial sector is devoted to mineral and ore processing, as well as
some light manufacturing of consumer goods such as textiles and
furniture.
Sierra Leone’s other major economic asset is one of the world's
largest natural harbours, which the government is hoping to develop as
a hub for international and transit trade for the whole of the region.
Since the end of the war, the economy has grown healthily at between 5
and 7% annually (7.2% in 2006). Inevitably, Sierra Leone still depends
on large injections of foreign aid to support the economy, and the IMF
and World Bank have been involved in the government’s reconstruction
plans.
Sierra Leone is a member of the African Development Bank and the West
African trading bloc ECOWAS.
http://www.worldtravelguide.net/country/249/business/Africa/Sierra-
Leone.html
Industries:
Exports:
Diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee and fish.
Imports:
Food, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants.
• Main trade partners: EU and USA
Exchange rates:
GDP :
US$1.3 billion (2006).
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