Republic of Sierra Leone
Flag Coat of Arms
Motto: "Unity - Freedom - Justice"
Anthem: High We Exalt Thee, Realm of the Free
Capital		Freetown (1,070,200) 8°31′N 13°15′W / 8.517, -13.25
Largest city		Freetown
Official languages		English
Demonym		Sierra Leonean
Government		Constitutional republic
-	President	Ernest Bai Koroma
-	Vice President	Samuel Sam-Sumana
Independence
-	from the United Kingdom	April 27, 1961
-	Republic declared	April 17, 1971
Area
-	Total	71,740 km² (119th) 27,699 sq mi
-	Water (%)	1. The national flag of Sierra Leone was officially hoisted on April 27, 1961. The coat of arms of Sierra Leone (along with the flag were developed by the College of Arms and granted in 1960. A motto (from the Italian word motto, meaning witticism sentence is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history traditions and struggles of its people recognized either by a nation's High We Exalt Thee Realm of the Free is the National anthem of Sierra Leone. Freetown is the Capital and largest City of Sierra Leone, and a major Port on the Atlantic Ocean. The demographics of Sierra Leone is made up of an indigenous population from 18 ethnic groups An official language is a Language that is given a special legal status in a particular Country, State, or other territory English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States A demonym or gentilic is a word that denotes the members of a People or the inhabitants of a place For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. A constitutional Republic is a State where the Head of state and other officials are elected as representatives of the people and The President of Sierra Leone is the Head of state and the Head of government of Sierra Leone, as well as the Commander-in-chief of the Ernest Bai Koroma (born October 2, 1953) is the current President of Sierra Leone. The Vice President of Sierra Leone is a position in the Executive branch of the Republic of Sierra Leone. Samuel Sam-Sumana (born April 7 1962 in Koidu Town, Kono District) is a Sierra Leonean politician and the current Vice President Independence is the Self-government of a Nation, Country, or State by its residents and population or some portion thereof generally exercising The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Events 1124 - David I becomes King of Scotland. 1296 - Battle of Dunbar: The Scots are defeated Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A republic is a State or Country that is not led by a hereditary Monarch, but in which the people (or at least a part of its people have impact on its Events 69 - After the First Battle of Bedriacum, Vitellius becomes Roman Emperor. Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. To help compare Orders of magnitude of different geographical regions we list here Surface areas between 100000 km² and 1000000 km² This is a list of the countries of the world sorted by total area. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. In Mathematics, a percentage is a way of expressing a number as a Fraction of 100 ( per cent meaning "per hundred" 0
Population
-	UN 2007 estimate	5,900,000 (103rd1)
-	Density	83/km² (114th1) 199/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2005 estimate
-	Total	$4. In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security List of countries by population in 2005|List of countries by population in 1907This is a list of countries ordered according to Population. Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume List of countries and dependencies by Population density in inhabitants/km² The purchasing power parity ( PPP) theory uses the long-term equilibrium Exchange rate of two currencies to equalize their Purchasing power. 921 billion (151st)
-	Per capita	$903 (172nd)
Gini (2003)		62. There are three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP (the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation Per capita is a Latin phrase meaning for each head with Per meaning 'through' or 'by' This article includes three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP at Purchasing power parity (PPP Per capita The Gini coefficient is a measure of statistical dispersion most prominently used as a measure of inequality of income distribution or inequality of wealth 9 (high)
HDI (2007)		▲ 0. The Human Development Index ( HDI) is an index combining normalized measures of Life expectancy, Literacy, Educational attainment, and GDP 336 (low) (177th)
Currency		Leone (SLL)
Time zone		GMT (UTC+0)
Internet TLD		.sl
Calling code		+232
1 Rank based on 2007 figures. This is a list of countries by Human Development Index as included in the United Nations Development Program 's Human Development Report 2007 A currency is a unit of exchange, facilitating the transfer of Goods and/or services It is one form of Money, where money is ISO 4217 is the International standard describing three-letter codes (also known as the currency code) to define the names of currencies established Greenwich Mean Time ( GMT) is a term originally referring to mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London A country This is a list of country calling codes defined by ITU-T recommendation E

Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. West Africa or Western Africa is the Westernmost Region of the African Continent. It is bordered by Guinea in the northeast, Liberia in the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean in the southwest. Guinea, officially Republic of Guinea (pronounced /ˈgɪni/ République de Guinée is a country in West Africa, formerly known as French Guinea Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire Sierra Leone covers a total area of 71,740 sq km (27,699 sq mi)^[1] and has a tropical climate, with a diverse environment ranging from savannah to rainforests. A tropical climate is a kind of Climate typical in the Tropics. A savanna or savannah is a Tropical or Subtropical Grassland or Woodland Ecosystem. Rainforests are Forests characterized by high Rainfall with definitions setting minimum normal annual rainfall between 1750–2000 mm (68-78 inches ^[2] Freetown is the capital, seat of government, and largest city. Freetown is the Capital and largest City of Sierra Leone, and a major Port on the Atlantic Ocean. ^[1] Other major cities in the country with a population over 100,000 are Bo, Kenema, Koidu Town and Makeni. Bo is the second largest City in Sierra Leone (after the capital Freetown) and the largest city in the Southern Province. Kenema is the third largest City in Sierra Leone, after the capital Freetown and Bo, and the largest city in the Eastern Province Koidu Town, also known as Sefadu is the capital and largest city of the diamond-rich Kono District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone Makeni is the Capital and largest City of Bombali District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone.

Early inhabitants of Sierra Leone included the Sherbro, Temne and Limba peoples, and later the Mende,^[3] who knew the country as Romarong, and the Kono who settled in the East of the country. The Sherbro people are a Native people of Sierra Leone, who speak the Sherbro language. The Temne people are one of the two largest Ethnic groups in Sierra Leone, along with the Mende. The Limba people are one of the Indigenous Ethnic groups in the Republic of Sierra Leone. The Mende are one of the two largest Ethnic groups in Sierra Leone, along with the Temne. ^[4] In 1462, it was visited by the Portuguese explorer Pedro da Cintra, who gave it its name Serra de Leão, meaning 'Lion Mountains'. The Portuguese people (os Portugueses literally the Portuguese) are the Ethnic group or Nation native to the country of Portugal, in the west Pedro da Cintra was a Portuguese explorer He was among the first Europeans to explore West African coast ^[5] Sierra Leone became an important centre of the transatlantic slave trade, until 1787 when Freetown was founded by the Sierra Leone Company as a home for formerly enslaved African and West Indians. The Atlantic Slave trade, also known as the transatlantic slave trade, was the trade of African people supplied to the Colonies of the New World Year 1787 ( MDCCLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Sierra Leone Company was the organisation involved in founding the first African American Colony in Africa in 1792 through the resettlement As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting ^[6] In 1808, Freetown became a British Crown Colony, and in 1896, the interior of the country became a British Protectorate;^[4] in 1961, the two combined and gained independence. Year 1808 ( MDCCCVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. The British Overseas Territories are fourteen territories that are under the Sovereignty of the United Kingdom, but which do not form part of the United Kingdom Year 1896 ( MDCCCXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year In International law, a protectorate is a autonomous territory that is "protected" by a stronger state or entity hense the protector which engages to protect Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Independence is the Self-government of a Nation, Country, or State by its residents and population or some portion thereof generally exercising Over two decades of government neglect of the interior followed by the spilling over of the Liberian conflict into its borders eventually led to the Sierra Leone Civil War,^[7] which began in 1991 and was resolved in 2000 after the United Nations led by Britain defeated the rebel forces and restored the civilian government elected in 1998 to Freetown. The Sierra Leone Civil War began in 1991, initiated by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF under Foday Sankoh. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Since then, almost 72,500 former combatants have disarmed^[8] and the country has reestablished a functioning democracy. Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system ^[9] The Special Court for Sierra Leone was set up in 2002 to deal with war crimes and crimes against humanity committed since 1996. The Special Court for Sierra Leone is an independent judicial body set up to "try those who bear greatest responsibility" for the War crimes and Crimes against See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. War crimes are "violations of the laws or customs of war" including but not limited to "murder the ill-treatment or deportation of civilian residents of an occupied In Public international law, a crime against humanity is an act of Persecution or any large scale atrocities against a body of people and is the highest level of Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) ^[10]

Sierra Leone is the lowest ranked country on the Human Development Index and seventh lowest on the Human Poverty Index,^[11] suffering from endemic corruption^[12]and suppression of the press^[13]

History

Main article: History of Sierra Leone

Early History

A map illustrating the voyage of Hanno the Navigator. The Human Development Index ( HDI) is an index combining normalized measures of Life expectancy, Literacy, Educational attainment, and GDP The Human Poverty Index is an indication of the Standard of living in a country developed by the United Nations (UN Political corruption is the use of governmental powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain Freedom Constitutional or statutory protections pertaining to freedom of the press Early history Archaeological finds show that Sierra Leone has been inhabited continuously for at least 2500 yearspopulated by successive movements from other parts of Africa Hanno the Navigator was a Carthaginian explorer who flourished c

Archaeological finds show that Sierra Leone has been inhabited continuously for at least 2,500 years,^[14] populated by successive movements from other parts of Africa. ^[15] The use of iron was introduced to Sierra Leone by the 9th century, and by AD 1000 agriculture was being practiced by coastal tribes. Iron (ˈаɪɚn is a Chemical element with the symbol Fe (ferrum and Atomic number 26 The 9th century is the period from 801 to 900 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture ^[16] Sierra Leone's dense tropical rainforest largely protected it from the influence of any precolonial African empires^[17] and from Islamic explorations, which were unable to penetrate through it until the 18th century. Muslim history began in Arabia with the Muhammad 's first recitations of the Qur'an in the 7th century The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system ^[18]

European contacts with Sierra Leone were among the first in West Africa. West Africa or Western Africa is the Westernmost Region of the African Continent. In 1462, Portuguese explorer Pedro da Cintra mapped the hills surrounding what is now Freetown Harbour, naming shaped formation Serra de Leão (Portuguese for Lion Mountains). The Portuguese people (os Portugueses literally the Portuguese) are the Ethnic group or Nation native to the country of Portugal, in the west Pedro da Cintra was a Portuguese explorer He was among the first Europeans to explore West African coast Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain and northern Portugal. Its Italian rendering is Sierra Leone, which became the country's name. Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy.

Slavery

An 1835 illustration of liberated slaves arriving in Sierra Leone. Year 1835 ( MDCCCXXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common

Britain and British seafarers – including Sir Francis Drake, John Hawkins, Forbisher and Captain Brown — played a major role in the transatlantic trade in captured Africans between 1530 and 1810. Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral, (c 1540 &ndash 27 January 1595 was an English Privateer, navigator, Slaver, and politician Admiral Sir John Hawkins (also spelled as John Hawkyns) ( Plymouth 1532 &ndash November 12 1595) was an English shipbuilder The history of slavery uncovers many different forms of human exploitation across many cultures throughout history Treaty of Utrecht of 1713, which ended the Spanish War of Succession (1701 - 1714), had an additional clause (the Asiento) that granted Britain (among other things) the exclusive rights over the shipment of captured Africans across the Atlantic. The Treaty of Utrecht that established the Peace of Utrecht, rather than a single document comprised a series of individual peace treaties signed in the Dutch In the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714 several European powers combined to stop French succession to the Spanish throne and what would likely have been a resulting In the History of Slavery, asiento (or assiento, meaning " Assent " refers to the permission given by the Spanish government Over 10 million captured Africans were shipped to the Caribbean Islands and the Americas and many more died during the raids, the long marches to the coast and on the infamous middle passage due to the inhumane conditions in slave ships. The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the Continents of North America and South America Middle Passage refers to the forcible passage of African people from Africa to the New World, as part of the Atlantic slave trade. Britain outlawed the slave trade on 29 March 1807 Slave Trade Act 1807 and the British Navy operating from Freetown took active measures to stop the Atlantic slave trade. The history of slavery uncovers many different forms of human exploitation across many cultures throughout history Events 1461 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Towton - Edward of York defeats Queen Margaret to become King Year 1807 ( MDCCCVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common See also Atlantic slave trade, Abolitionism The Slave Trade Act (citation 47 Geo III Sess The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The history of slavery uncovers many different forms of human exploitation across many cultures throughout history

In 1787 a plan was implemented to settle some of London's Black Poor in Sierra Leone in what was called the "Province of Freedom". Year 1787 ( MDCCLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor was a charitable organization founded in London in 1786 to provide sustenance for distressed people of African and Cline Town Sierra Leone, which used to be known as Granville Town was established in 1787 by the London-based Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor. A number of Black Poor and White women arrived off the coast of Sierra Leone on May 15, 1787, accompanied by some English tradesmen. White People is the second album by Handsome Boy Modeling School. Events 1252 - Pope Innocent IV issues the Papal bull Ad exstirpanda, which authorizes but also limits the Year 1787 ( MDCCLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland This article is about the skilled manual worker meaning of the term for other uses see Tradesperson (disambiguation A tradesman is a skilled manual worker This was organized by the St George's Bay Company, composed of British philanthropists who preferred it as a solution to continuing to financially support them in London. Philanthropy is the act of donating money goods services time and/or effort to support a socially beneficial cause with a defined objective and with no financial or material Many of the Black poor were African Americans,who had been promised their freedom for joining the British Army during the American Revolution, but also included other African and Asian inhabitants of London. African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" Asian or Asiatic is a Demonym for people from Asia. However the use of the term varies by country and person often referring to people from a particular

Disease and hostility from the indigenous people nearly eliminated the first group of colonists. Through intervention by Thomas Peters, the Sierra Leone Company was established to relocate another group of nearly 1,200 American slaves, originally settled in Nova Scotia. Thomas Peters, or Thomas Potters in the Book of Negroes (c 1738– June 25, 1792) was one of four black Founding Fathers of The Sierra Leone Company was the organisation involved in founding the first African American Colony in Africa in 1792 through the resettlement The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Nova Scotia (ˌnəʊvəˈskəʊʃə ( Latin for New Scotland; Alba Nuadh Nouvelle-Écosse is a Canadian province located on Canada 's Given the most barren land in Nova Scotia, many had died from the harsh winters there. They established a settlement at Freetown in 1792 led by Peters. Freetown is the Capital and largest City of Sierra Leone, and a major Port on the Atlantic Ocean. Year 1792 ( MDCCXCII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year It was joined by other groups of freed slaves and became the first Afro-American haven for ex-slaves.

Though the English abolitionist Granville Sharp originally planned Sierra Leone as a utopian community, the directors of the Sierra Leone Company refused to allow the settlers to take freehold of the land. Abolitionism was a political movement of the 18th and 19th century which sought to make Slavery illegal particularly in the United States and British West Indies Granville Sharp ( 10 November 1735 - 6 July 1813) was a British campaigner for the abolition of the slave trade, and Utopia is a name for an ideal community taken from the title of a book written in 1516 by Sir Thomas More describing a fictional Island in the Fee simple is an estate in land in Common law. It is the most common way Real estate is owned in common law countries and is ordinarily the most Knowing how Highland Clearances benefited Scottish landlords but not tenants, the settlers revolted in 1799. The Highland Clearances ( Scottish Gaelic: Fuadaich nan Gàidheal the expulsion of the Gael were Forced displacements of the population of the Scottish Year 1799 ( MDCCXCIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a The revolt was only put down by the arrival of over 500 Jamaican Maroons, who also arrived via Nova Scotia. Jamaica (ˈdʒəˈmeɪkə} is an Island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width situated in the Caribbean Sea. Maroons redirects here and may refer to Queensland state rugby league team.

The colony of Freetown in 1856. Year 1856 ( MDCCCLVI) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year

Thousands of slaves were returned to or liberated in Freetown. Most chose to remain in Sierra Leone. These returned Africans were from many areas of Africa, but principally the west coast. They joined the previous settlers and together became known as Creole or Krio people. The Sierra Leone Creole (or Krios) are an Ethnic group in Sierra Leone, they are descendants of freed slaves from the West Indies, freed Cut off from their homes and traditions, they assimilated some aspects of British styles of inhabitnats and built a flourishing trade of flowers and beads on the West African coast. The lingua franca of the colony was Krio, a creole language rooted in 18th century African American English, which quickly spread across the region as a common language of trade and Christian proselytizing. A lingua franca (from Italian, literally meaning Frankish language, see etymology under Sabir and Italian below is any Language widely Krio (also Creo or Creole) is the lingua franca language spoken throughout Sierra Leone. A creole language, or simply a creole, is a stable Language that originates seemingly as a nativized Pidgin. British and American abolitionist movements envisioned Freetown as embodying the possibilities of a post-slave trade Africa.

Colonial era

Bai Bureh

In the early 20th century, Freetown served as the residence of the British governor who also ruled the Gold Coast (now Ghana) and the Gambia settlements. Bai Bureh (1840-1908 was a Sierra Leonean ruler and military strategist who lead the Temne uprising against British rule in 1898 This article is about the British colony in west Africa 1821-1957 The Republic of Ghana is a country in West Africa. It borders Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast to the west Burkina Faso to the north Togo to the Sierra Leone also served as the educational centre of British West Africa. Fourah Bay College, established in 1827, rapidly became a magnet for English-speaking Africans on the West Coast. Fourah Bay College (founded in 1827 as the first western-style University in West Africa) is the oldest university college in West Africa Year 1827 ( MDCCCXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common For more than a century, it was the only European-style university in western Sub-Saharan Africa. A university is an institution of Higher education and Research, which grants Academic degrees in a variety of subjects Sub-Saharan Africa is a geographical term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara, or those African countries

During Sierra Leone's colonial history, indigenous people mounted several unsuccessful revolts against British rule and Krio domination. The indigenous peoples of Africa are those Peoples of Africa whose way of life, attachment or claims to particular lands and social and political standing in relation The most notable was the Bai Bureh rebellion against British rule in 1898. Bai Bureh (1840-1908 was a Sierra Leonean ruler and military strategist who lead the Temne uprising against British rule in 1898 Bai Bureh was a Temne chief who refused to recognize the hut tax imposed by the British in 1893 in Sierra Leone. He did not believe Sierra Leoneans had a duty to pay taxes to foreigners, and he wanted all British to return to Britain and let the Sierra Leoneans solve their own problems. After he refused to pay his taxes on several occasions, the British issued a warrant to arrest him. In 1896 Bureh declared war on the British in Sierra Leone. He brought fighters from several Temne villages under his command, and from Limba, Loko, Soso, Kissi, and Mandinka villages. He had the advantage over the vastly more powerful British for several months of the war. Hundreds of British troops and hundreds of Bureh's fighters were killed. [1] Bai Bureh was finally captured on November 11, 1898 and sent into exile to the Gold Coast (now Ghana), while 96 people were hanged by the British. Exile means to be away from one's home (ie city state or country while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened by prison or death upon return

Most of the 20th century history of the colony was peaceful. One notable event in 1935 was the granting of a monopoly on mineral mining to the Sierra Leone Selection Trust run by De Beers, which was scheduled to last 99 years. In Economics, a monopoly (from Greek monos, alone or single + polein, to sell exists when a specific individual or enterprise has sufficient A mineral is a naturally occurring substance formed through geological processes that has a characteristic chemical composition a highly ordered atomic structure and specific Mining is the extraction of valuable Minerals or other geological materials from the earth usually (but not always from an Ore body The Sierra Leone Selection Trust was formed in 1934 following an agreement between the government of Sierra Leone and the Consolidated African Selection Trust Ltd De Beers and the various companies within the De Beers Family of Companies engage in exploration for diamonds, diamond mining diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacture The 1951 constitution provided a framework for decolonization. Decolonization refers to the undoing of Colonialism, the establishment of governance or authority through the creation of settlements by another country or jurisdiction Local ministerial responsibility was introduced in 1953, when Sir Milton Margai was appointed Chief Minister. Sir Milton Augustus Strieby Margai ( December 7, 1895 - April 28, 1964) was a Sierra Leonean Politician and the first He became Prime Minister after successful completion of constitutional talks in London in 1960. Independence came in April 1961, and Sierra Leone opted for a parliamentary system within the Commonwealth of Nations.

An Independent Nation

Sir Milton Margai

On April 27, 1961, Sir Milton Margai led Sierra Leone to independence from the United Kingdom. Sir Milton Augustus Strieby Margai ( December 7, 1895 - April 28, 1964) was a Sierra Leonean Politician and the first Events 1124 - David I becomes King of Scotland. 1296 - Battle of Dunbar: The Scots are defeated Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Sir is an Honorific used as a title (see Knight) and in several other modern contexts Sir Milton Augustus Strieby Margai ( December 7, 1895 - April 28, 1964) was a Sierra Leonean Politician and the first Independence is the Self-government of a Nation, Country, or State by its residents and population or some portion thereof generally exercising The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The date was significant because the 27th April 1898 marked the start of the first independence war - the "Hut Tax War of 1898" - against British rule. The Hut Tax War of 1898 was a war of resistance to British colonialism in Sierra Leone. The uprising was led by various chiefs in the protectorate regions of the country - Bai Bureh (1840 - 1908), Kai Londo (1845 - 1898) and Bai Sherbro Kpana Lewis (1830 - 1912). Bai Bureh (1840-1908 was a Sierra Leonean ruler and military strategist who lead the Temne uprising against British rule in 1898 Kai Londo ( 1845 - 1896) was a great Kissi Warrior from Sierra Leone who conquered a large territory and ruled with wisdom A number of rebellions followed until after World War 2. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including After a gradual transition independence was peacefully negotiated at the Marlborough House, London in 1961. This article is about Marlborough House Westminster. For the property in Brighton, please see Marlborough House Brighton Marlborough

The country's first prime minister became Milton Margai, the veteran medical doctor who had been appointed Chief Minister after the Colonial Legislative Council and the Protectorate Assembly were unified in 1951. This article is about the government position For other uses see Prime Minister (disambiguation. A veteran (from Latin vetus, meaning "old" is a person who has or is working in the armed forces A physician, medical practitioner or medical doctor who practices Medicine, and is concerned with maintaining or restoring human Health A Chief Minister is the elected Head of government of a sub-national (e His political party, Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), had won by large margins in the nation's first general election under universal adult suffrage in May 1962. A political party is a Political organization that seeks to attain and maintain political power within Government, usually by participating in electoral Suffrage (from the Latin suffragium, meaning "voting tablet" and figuratively "right to vote" probably from suffrago "hough" and originally MAY ( also known as: Mei メイ 메이 is a Korean singer well known in South Korea for singing the song "Miracle" Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. It also won majority of seat in parliament. Upon his death in 1964, his brother, Sir Albert Margai succeeded him as prime minister. Year 1964 ( MCMLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the 1964 Gregorian calendar. Sir Albert Michael Margai ( October 10, 1910 &ndash December 18, 1980) was the second prime minister of Sierra Leone and the Albert Margai was highly criticized during his three-year rule as prime minister. He was accused of corruption and of a policy of affirmative action in favour of the Mende ethnic group. Political corruption is the use of governmental powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain Affirmative action in the United States|Employment equity (Canada|Reservation in India|Numerus clausus The term affirmative action describes many policies aimed at a historically The Mende are one of the two largest Ethnic groups in Sierra Leone, along with the Temne. He also tried to establish a one-party state but met fierce resistance from the opposition All People's Congress (APC) and ultimately abandoned the idea. A single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a type of Party system Government in which a single Political party "All People's Congress" is also the name of a sister organization of the International Action Center in the United States.

In closely contested general elections in March 1967, Sierra Leone Governor General Henry Josiah Lightfoot Boston declared the new prime minister to be Siaka Stevens, candidate of the All People's Congress (APC) and Mayor of Freetown. The term governor general or governor-general refers to a vice-regal representative of a Monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription Sir Henry Josiah Lightfoot Boston (1898 - 1969 was a Sierra Leonean Diplomat and Politician. Siaka Probyn Stevens ( 24 August 1905 &ndash 29 May 1988) was the Prime minister and later president of the Republic of Sierra A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government Hours after taking office, Stevens was ousted in a bloodless coup led by Brigadier David Lansana, the Commander of the Armed Forces, on grounds that the determination of office should await the election of the tribal representatives to the house. This article refers to the military rank For the Doctor Who character known as the Brigadier see Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. Brigadier David Lansana (died 1975 was the army commander of Sierra Leone in 1967 The Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces is the Armed forces of Sierra Leone responsible for the Territorial security of Sierra Leone's Border Stevens was placed under house arrest and Martial law was declared. In Justice and Law, house arrest (also called home confinement, home detention, or electronic monitoring) is a measure by which Martial law is the system of rules that takes effect when the military takes control of the normal administration of justice But a group of senior military officers overrode this action by seizing control of the government on March 23, 1968, arresting Lansana and suspending the constitution. Events 1174 - Jocelin, Abbot of Melrose, is elected Bishop of Glasgow. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The group constituted itself as the National Reformation Council (NRC) with Brigadier Andrew Juxon-Smith as its chairman. This article refers to the military rank For the Doctor Who character known as the Brigadier see Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. Brigadier Andrew Terence Juxon-Smith (1933 - 1996 was a politician and military official in Sierra Leone. In April 1968, the NRC was overthrown by a group of military officers who called themselves the Anti-Corruption Revolutionary Movement (ACRM), led by Brigadier John Amadu Bangura. Brigadier John Amadu Bangura was the acting Governor-General of Sierra Leone from 18 April 1968 until 22 April 1968 The ACRM imprisoned senior NRC members, restored the constitution and reinstated Stevens as Prime Minister.

The return to civilian rule led to by-elections beginning in fall 1968 and the appointment of an all-APC cabinet. Calm was not completely restored. In November 1968, Stevens declared a state of emergency after provincial disturbances. A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend certain normal functions of government alert citizens to alter their normal behaviors or order government agencies In March 1971 the government survived an unsuccessful military coup and in July 1974 it uncovered an alleged military coup plot. The leaders of both plots were tried and executed. Capital punishment, the death penalty or execution, is the Killing of a person by judicial process as Punishment. In 1977, student demonstrations against the government disrupted Sierra Leone politics.

Siaka Probyn Stevens

On April 19, 1971, parliament declared Sierra Leone a Republic, Siaka Stevens, then prime minister, became the first president. Events 1012 - Martyrdom of Alphege in Greenwich London. 1529 - At the Second Diet of Speyer Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. A republic is a State or Country that is not led by a hereditary Monarch, but in which the people (or at least a part of its people have impact on its Guinean troops requested by Stevens to support his government were in the country from 1971 to 1973. Guinea, officially Republic of Guinea (pronounced /ˈgɪni/ République de Guinée is a country in West Africa, formerly known as French Guinea An alleged plot to overthrow Stevens failed in 1974, its leaders were executed, and in March 1976 he was elected without opposition for a second five-year term as president. In the national parliamentary election of May 1977, the APC won 74 seats and the opposition SLPP won 15. In 1978, a referendum approved a new constitution making the country a one-party state. A referendum (plural referendums or referenda) ballot question, or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita A single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a type of Party system Government in which a single Political party The 1978 referendum made the APC the only legal political party in Sierra Leone.

In August 1985, the APC named a new presidential candidate to succeed Stevens. He was the commander of the armed forces, Major General Joseph Saidu Momoh, Stevens' own choice. Major General or Major-General is a Military rank used in many countries Joseph Saidu Momoh (born January 26, 1937 - August 3, 2003) was President of Sierra Leone from November 1985 to April 29 1992 Stevens retired in November after being President for 14 years, but continued to be chairman of the APC. Momoh was elected President in a one-party referendum on October 1, 1985. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) An inauguration was held in January 1986, and parliamentary elections were held in May. An inauguration is a ceremony of formal Investiture whereby an individual assumes an office or position of authority or power Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) After an alleged attempt to overthrow Momoh in March 1987, more than 60 senior government officials were arrested, including Vice-President Francis Minah, who was removed from office, convicted for plotting the coup, and executed by hanging in 1989, along with 5 others. Francis Misheck Minah (b 19 August, 1929 in Sawula, Pujehun District - d Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar)

Multi-party constitution and RUF rebellion

See also: Sierra Leone Civil War

In October 1990, President Momoh set up a constitutional review commission to review the 1978 one-party constitution with a view to broadening the existing political process, guaranteeing fundamental human rights and the rule of law, and strengthening and consolidating the democratic foundation and structure of the nation. The Sierra Leone Civil War began in 1991, initiated by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF under Foday Sankoh. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) Human rights refers to the "basic Rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled The commission, in its report presented January 1991, recommended re-establishment of a multi-party system of government. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. Based on that recommendation, a constitution was approved by Parliament in July 1991 and ratified in September; it became effective on October 1, 1991. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. But there was great suspicion that Momoh was not serious, and APC rule was increasingly marked by abuses of power.

Civil war broke out, mainly due to government corruption and mismanagement of diamond resources. Political corruption is the use of governmental powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain In Mineralogy, diamond is the allotrope of carbon where the carbon atoms are arranged in With the breakdown of state structures and the effective suppression of civilian opposition, wide corridors were opened for trafficking of arms, ammunition and drugs, all of which eroded national and regional security and facilitated crime in the country and with Liberia and Guinea. Ammunition, often referred to as ammo, is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which In the sociological field, crime is the breach of a rule or Law for which some governing authority or force may ultimately prescribe a Punishment Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire Guinea, officially Republic of Guinea (pronounced /ˈgɪni/ République de Guinée is a country in West Africa, formerly known as French Guinea

Besides the internal ripeness, the brutal civil war going on in neighbouring Liberia played an undeniable role for the outbreak of fighting in Sierra Leone. Charles Taylor - then leader of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia - reportedly helped form the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) under the command of former Sierra Leone army corporal Foday Sankoh. Charlie and Chuck are common familiar or shortened forms for Charles. The National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL was a rebel group that initiated and participated in the Liberian Civil War. The Revolutionary United Front ( RUF) was a rebel army that fought a failed ten-year insurrection in Sierra Leone, starting in 1991 and ending in 2002 Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and also by some police forces or other uniformed organizations Foday Saybana Sankoh ( October 17, 1937 - July 29, 2003) was the leader and founder of the Sierra Leone rebel group Revolutionary In return, Taylor received diamonds from Sierra Leone. The RUF, led by Foday Sankoh and backed by Taylor, launched its first attack in villages in Kailahun District in the diamond-rich Eastern Province of Sierra Leone on March 23, 1991. Kailahun District is a district in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. Events 1174 - Jocelin, Abbot of Melrose, is elected Bishop of Glasgow. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. The government of Sierra Leone, overwhelmed by a crumbling economy and corruption, was unable to put up significant resistance. Within a month of entering Sierra Leone from Liberia, the RUF controlled much of the Eastern Province. Forced recruitment of child soldiers was also an early feature of the rebel strategy. The military use of Children takes three distinct forms children can take direct part in hostilities (child soldiers or they can be used in support roles such as porters spies messengers

On April 29, 1992, a group of seven young soldiers in the Sierra Leonean army, apparently frustrated by the government's failure to deal with rebels, launched a military coup which sent president Momoh into exile in Guinea. Events 1429 - Joan of Arc arrives to relieve the Siege of Orleans. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) A soldier is a general English term that refers to a member of a land component of National Armed forces. Exile means to be away from one's home (ie city state or country while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened by prison or death upon return Guinea, officially Republic of Guinea (pronounced /ˈgɪni/ République de Guinée is a country in West Africa, formerly known as French Guinea They were 25 year old Captain Valentine Strasser, Sergeant Solomon Musa, Brigadier-General Julius Maada Bio, Lieutenant Colonel Tom Nyuma, Colonel Yahya Kanu, Lieutenant Colonel Komba Mondeh, and Captain Samuel Komba Kambo. Valentine Esegragbo Melvine Strasser (born on April 26, 1967 in Freetown, Sierra Leone) is a former head of state of Sierra Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries police forces and other uniformed organizations around the world Solomon Anthony James Musa, also known as SAJ Musa, (born 1966 in Freetown, Sierra Leone – died January 1999 was an important military and political Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General. Brigadier General (Ret Julius Maada Bio (born on October 30, 1964 in Bo, Sierra Leone) is a former Sierra Leonean Lieutenant Colonel ( Lieutenant-Colonel in English from the French grade 's spelling is a rank of Commissioned officer in the armies Tom Nyuma (born in Kailahun, Kailahun District, Sierra Leone) is a retired Sierra Leonean military commander and currently the chairman of Colonel ( RP ˈkɜnəl GA ˈkɜrnəl is a Military rank of a Commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country Colonel Yahya Kanu (born in Magburaka, Tonkolili District, Sierra Leone) Kanu was a loyalist to president Joseph Saidu Momoh, and his position Komba Mondeh (born in Koidu Town, Kono District, Sierra Leone) is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Sierra Leonean army Samuel Komba Kambo is a retired Captain in the The Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces. They established the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC) with Kanu as its chairman and Head of State of the country. Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a Monarchic or Republican Nation-state But Kanu was assassinated by fellow NPRC members, who accused him of trying to negotiate with the toppled APC administration. AssassiNation is the sixth album by Krisiun, released in 2006 on Century Media. On May 1, Strasser took over as chairman and Head of State. Musa, one of the leaders of the coup and a best friend of Strasser took over as Vice-Chairman of the NPRC. Many Sierra Leoneans nationwide rushed into the streets to welcome the NPRC Administration from the 23 year dictatorial APC regime, which was perceived as corrupt. The NPRC junta immediately suspended the 1991 Constitution, declared a state of emergency, limited freedom of speech, and freedom of the press and enacted a rule-by-decree policy. A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend certain normal functions of government alert citizens to alter their normal behaviors or order government agencies Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without Censorship or Limitation. Freedom Constitutional or statutory protections pertaining to freedom of the press The army and police officers were granted unlimited powers of administrative detention without charge or trial, and challenges against such detentions in court were precluded.

The NPRC proved to be nearly as ineffectual as the Momoh-led APC government in repelling the RUF. More and more of the country fell to RUF fighters, and by 1995 they held much of the diamond-rich Eastern Province and were at the edge of Freetown. In response, the NPRC hired several hundred mercenaries from the private firm Executive Outcomes. Executive Outcomes was a Private military company founded in South Africa by former Lieutenant-Colonel of the South African Defence Force Within a month they had driven RUF fighters back to enclaves along Sierra Leone’s borders. During this time corruption had erupted within senior NPRC members. On July 5, Strasser dismissed his childhood friend Musa as deputy and appointed Bio to succeed him. Some senior NPRC members, including Bio, Nyuma and Mondeh, were unhappy with Strasser's handling of the peace process. In January 1996, after nearly four years in power, Strasser was ousted in a coup by fellow NPRC members led by his deputy Bio. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) Bio reinstated the Constitution and called for general elections. In the second round of presidential elections in early 1996, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah of the Sierra Leone People's party (SLPP) defeated John Karefa-Smart of the United National People's Party (UNPP). Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah (born February 16 1932 was the 3rd President of Sierra Leone from 1996 to 1997 and from 1998 to 2007 The United National People's Party is a Political party in Sierra Leone. Bio fulfilled promises of a return to civilian rule, and handed power to Kabbah. Kabbah's SLPP party also won majority of the seats in Parliament.

In 1996, Major General Johnny Paul Koroma was allegedly involved in an attempt to overthrow the government of President Kabbah. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) Major General or Major-General is a Military rank used in many countries Johnny Paul Koroma ( May 9, 1960 &ndash June 1, 2003) was the Head of State of Sierra Leone from May 1997 to February 1998 He was arrested, tried, convicted, and imprisoned at Freetown's Pademba Road Prison. But some top rank Army officers were unhappy with this decision, and on May 25, 1997, a group of soldiers who called themselves the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) overthrew him. Events 1085 - Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo Spain back from the Moors. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar The Armed Forces Revolutionary Council ( AFRC) was a group of Sierra Leone soldiers that allied itself with the rebel Revolutionary United Front in the late The AFRC released Koroma from prison and installed him as their chairman and Head of State of the country. Koroma suspended the constitution, banned demonstrations, shut down all private radio stations and invited the RUF to join his government. A demonstration is an historically and geographically common form of Nonviolent action by groups of people After 10 months in office, the junta was ousted by the Nigeria-led ECOMOG forces, and the democratically elected government of President Kabbah was reinstated in March 1998. Nigeria, officially named the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal Constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal The Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group or ECOMOG was a West African multilateral armed force established by the Economic Community of West Hundreds of civilians who had been accused of helping the AFRC government were illegally detained. Courts-martial were held for soldiers accused of assisting the AFRC government. 24 of these were found guilty and were executed without appeal in October 1998. Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) On January 6, 1999, AFRC made another unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the government, causing many deaths and much destruction of property in and around Freetown. Events 1066 - Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England. 1205 - Philip of Swabia becomes King Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar)

In October, the United Nations agreed to send peacekeepers to help restore order and disarm the rebels. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The first of the 6,000-member force began arriving in December, and the UN Security Council voted in February 2000 to increase the force to 11,000, and later to 13,000. February 2000: January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September But in May, when nearly all Nigerian forces had left and UN forces were trying to disarm the RUF in eastern Sierra Leone, Sankoh's forces clashed with the UN troops, and some 500 peacekeepers were taken hostage as the peace accord effectively collapsed. A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security The hostage crisis resulted in more fighting between the RUF and the government.

Between 1991 and 2001, about 50,000 people were killed in Sierra Leone's civil war. Hundreds of thousands of people were forced from their homes, and many became refugees in Guinea and Liberia. In 2001, UN forces moved into rebel-held areas and began to disarm rebel soldiers. By January 2002, the war was declared over. In May, Kabbah was reelected president. By 2004, the disarmament process was complete. Also in 2004, a UN-backed war crimes court began holding trials of senior leaders from both sides of the war. In December 2005, UN peacekeeping forces pulled out of Sierra Leone.

In August 2007, Sierra Leone held presidential and parliamentary elections. However, no presidential candidate won a majority of votes. A runoff election was held in September, and Ernest Bai Koroma was elected president. Ernest Bai Koroma (born October 2, 1953) is the current President of Sierra Leone.

Geography and climate

Main article: Geography of Sierra Leone

Satellite image of Sierra Leone, generated from raster graphics data supplied by The Map Library

The road from Kenema to Kailahun. sierra leone rocks Sierra Leone is located on the west coast of Africa, between the 7th and 10th parallels north of the Equator In Computer graphics, a raster graphics image or bitmap, is a Data structure representing a generally rectangular grid of Pixels The Map Library should not be confused with the Map Library of The British Museum. Kenema is the third largest City in Sierra Leone, after the capital Freetown and Bo, and the largest city in the Eastern Province Kailahun is a town in Sierra Leone and district headquarters of Kailahun District in the Eastern Province.

Sierra Leone is located on the west coast of Africa, north of the equator. The equator (sometimes referred to colloquially as "the Line") is the intersection of the Earth 's surface with the plane perpendicular to the With a land area of 71,740 square kilometers (27,699 square miles). Sierra Leone is bordered by Guinea to the north and northeast, Liberia to the south and southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Guinea, officially Republic of Guinea (pronounced /ˈgɪni/ République de Guinée is a country in West Africa, formerly known as French Guinea Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire

There are a wide variety of ecological and agricultural zones to which people have adapted. Ecology (from Greek grc οἶκος oikos, "house(hold" and grc -λογία -logia) is the scientific study of Starting in the west, Sierra Leone has some 400 kilometres (250 miles) of coastline, giving it both bountiful marine resources and attractive tourist potential. This article refers to the cardinal direction for other uses see West (disambiguation. The coast is defined as the part of the land adjoining or near the Ocean. Tourism is Travel for Recreational or Leisure purposes The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel This is followed by low-lying mangrove swamps, rain-forested plains and farmland, and finally a mountainous plateau in the east, where Mount Bintumani rises to 1,948 meters (6,390 ft). The climate is tropical, with two seasons determining the agricultural cycle: the rainy season from May to November, followed by the dry season from December to May, which includes harmattan, when cool, dry winds blow in off the Sahara Desert. Climate encompasses the temperatures humidity rainfall atmospheric particle count and numerous other meteorogical factors in a given region over long periods of The Tropics are centered on the Equator and limited in Latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately 23°26' (23 A wet season or rainy season is a Season in which the average Rainfall in a region is significantly increased The dry season is a term commonly used when describing the weather in the Tropics. The Harmattan is a dry and dusty West African Trade wind. It blows south from Sahara into the Gulf of Guinea between the end of November and the The Sahara (الصحراء الكبرى aṣ-ṣaḥrā´ al-kubra, "The Great Desert" is the world's largest hot Desert and the world's second largest The national capital Freetown sits on a coastal peninsula, situated next to the Sierra Leone Harbor, the world's third largest natural harbour. Freetown is the Capital and largest City of Sierra Leone, and a major Port on the Atlantic Ocean. A peninsula is a piece of land that is nearly surrounded by Water but connected to Mainland via an Isthmus. This prime location historically made Sierra Leone the centre of trade and colonial administration in the region.

Government and politics

Sierra Leone is a constitutional republic with a directly elected president and a unicameral legislature. A constitutional Republic is a State where the Head of state and other officials are elected as representatives of the people and Direct Democracy is a movement within the British Conservative Party dedicated to localism and Constitutional reform as a means of reviving public Unicameralism is the practice of having only one legislative or Parliamentary chamber The current system of government in Sierra Leone, established under the 1991 Constitution, is modeled on the following structure of government: the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. In Law, the judiciary or judicial system is the system of Courts which administer Justice in the name of the sovereign or State

Within the confines of the 1991 Constitution, supreme legislative powers are vested in Parliament, which is the law making body of the nation. The Unicameral Parliament of Sierra Leone is the country's legislative body Supreme executive authority rests in the president and members of his cabinet and judicial power with the judiciary of which the Chief Justice is head. The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English

The president is the head of state, the head of government and the commander-in-chief of the Sierra Leone Armed Forces and the Sierra Leone Police. Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a Monarchic or Republican Nation-state This article focuses on the cases where the Head of Government is a separate office from the Head of State A commander-in-chief is the Commander of a nation's Military forces or significant element of those forces The Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces is the Armed forces of Sierra Leone responsible for the Territorial security of Sierra Leone's Border The Sierra Leone Police (SLP is the National police force of the Republic of Sierra Leone. The president appoints and heads a cabinet of ministers (including the vice president), which must be approved by the Parliament. The president is elected by popular vote to a maximum of two five-year terms. An election is a Decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold formal office The State House located in the capital city of Freetown serves as the official resident of the president.

To be elected president, a candidate must gain at least 55% of the vote. If no candidate gets 55%, there is to be a second-round runoff between the top two candidates with the most votes in the first round. The two-round system (also known as the second ballot or runoff voting) is a Voting system used to elect a single winner Presidential candidates must be Sierra Leonean citizens by birth; must be at least 40 years old; must be able to speak and read English; must be a member of a political party and must not have a criminal record;. A political party is a Political organization that seeks to attain and maintain political power within Government, usually by participating in electoral A criminal record is a record of a person's criminal history generally used by potential employers lenders etc The current president is Ernest Bai Koroma, who was sworn in on September 17, 2007, shortly after being declared the winner of a tense run-off election. Ernest Bai Koroma (born October 2, 1953) is the current President of Sierra Leone. Events 1176 - The Battle of Myriokephalon is fought 1462 - The Battle of Świecino (or Battle of Żarnowiec Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[19]

The Parliament of Sierra Leone is unicameral, with 124 seats. The Unicameral Parliament of Sierra Leone is the country's legislative body Unicameralism is the practice of having only one legislative or Parliamentary chamber Each of the country's 14 districts is represented in parliament. 112 members are elected concurrently with the presidential elections; the other 12 seats are filled by Paramount chief from each of the country's 12 administrative districts. A paramount chief is the highest-level traditional (usually tribal chief or political leader in a regional or local polity or Country typically administered politically |||} The provinces of Sierra Leone are divided into 14 districts All members serve five-year terms. Candidates must be a Sierra Leonean citizens; be at least 21 years old; be a member of a political party; and be able to speak and read English. The most recent parliamentary elections were held on August 11, 2007. Events 2492 BC - Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and founder of the Armenian nation Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The All People's Congress (APC), won 59 of 112 parliamentary seats; the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) won 43; and the People's Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC) won 10. "All People's Congress" is also the name of a sister organization of the International Action Center in the United States. The People's Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC is a newly formed Political party in Sierra Leone.

The judicial power of Sierra Leone is vested in the judiciary, headed by the Chief Justice and comprising the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal and the High Court. The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English These constitute the Superior Court of Jurisdiction. The inferior courts comprise the Magistrates courts and the Local courts. The Magistrates Courts exist in each district. Local courts administer customary law. In Law, custom can be described as the established patterns of behavior that can be objectively verified within a particular social setting The president appoints and parliament approves justices for the three courts. The current Chief Justice is Ade Renner Thomas. Ade Renner Thomas is the former Chief Justice of Sierra Leone. He was appointed to the position by former president Ahmad Tejan Kabbah. Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah (born February 16 1932 was the 3rd President of Sierra Leone from 1996 to 1997 and from 1998 to 2007

Foreign relations

Sierra Leone has maintained cordial relations with the West, in particular with the former colonizer United Kingdom. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located It also maintains diplomatic relations with China, Libya, Iran, United States and Cuba. Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Libya ( ليبيا ar-Latn Lībiyā; Libyan vernacular: Lībya; Amazigh:) officially the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la Former President Siaka Stevens' government had sought closer relations with other West African countries under the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Siaka Probyn Stevens ( 24 August 1905 &ndash 29 May 1988) was the Prime minister and later president of the Republic of Sierra The Economic Community of West African States ( ECOWAS) is a regional group of fifteen West African countries founded on May 28 The present government is continuing this effort.

Sierra Leone is a member of the United Nations and its specialized agencies, the Commonwealth, the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Development Bank (AFDB), the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The English noun commonwealth dates from the fifteenth century. The African Union (abbreviated AU in English, and UA in its other working languages is a Confederation consisting of 53  African The African Development Bank ( ADB) is a development bank established in 1964 with the intention of promoting economic and social development in Africa. The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC is an International organization with a permanent delegation to the United Nations. The Non-Aligned Movement ( NAM) is an International organization of states considering themselves not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc

Sierra Leone, along with Liberia, and Guinea formed the Mano River Union (MRU). Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire Guinea, officially Republic of Guinea (pronounced /ˈgɪni/ République de Guinée is a country in West Africa, formerly known as French Guinea The Mano River Union ( MRU) is an international association established in 1973 between Liberia and Sierra Leone. This is primarily designed to implement development projects and promote regional economic integration between the three countries.

Sierra Leone is also a member of the International Criminal Court with a Bilateral Immunity Agreement of protection for the US military (as covered under Article 98). The International Criminal Court ( ICC or ICCt) was established in 2002 as a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for Genocide, crimes against Positions in the United States concerning the International Criminal Court (ICC vary widely The United States Armed Forces are the overall unified military forces of the United States

The government maintains 16 embassies and high commissioners across the world including in Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, Libya, People's Republic of China, Iran, Belgium, Germany, United Kingdom, Russia, United Nations, and the United States. A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one State or an international Inter-governmental organization (such as the United Nations) present in High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking special executive positions held by a commission of appointment Nigeria, officially named the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal Constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal The Republic of Ghana is a country in West Africa. It borders Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast to the west Burkina Faso to the north Togo to the NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending ^[20]

Provinces and districts

Main articles: Provinces of Sierra Leone, Districts of Sierra Leone, and Chiefdoms of Sierra Leone

The 14 districts of Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone is divided into 3 Provinces and one Western Area; the provinces are further divided into 12 districts and the districts are further divided into |||} The provinces of Sierra Leone are divided into 14 districts |||} The districts of Sierra Leone are divided into chiefdoms.

The Republic of Sierra Leone is composed of 3 provinces and one area called the Western Area; the provinces are further divided into 12 districts, and the districts are further divided into chiefdoms. The Western Area is also divided into 2 districts.

Figures are taken from Sierra Leone Encyclopedia

The Western Area comprises Freetown, the nation's capital, and its surrounding countryside. The Southern Province is one of three provinces of Sierra Leone. Bonthe District is a district in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. Bonthe is a Port Town located on a large Island in Bonthe District of the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. Moyamba District is a district in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. Moyamba is the Capital and largest City of Moyamba District, in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. Pujehun District is a district in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. Pujehun is a Rural Town in Pujehun District in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone, next to the Border with The Western Area Urban District is one of the 14 Districts of Sierra Leone. Freetown is the Capital and largest City of Sierra Leone, and a major Port on the Atlantic Ocean. The Western Area is one of four principal divisions of Sierra Leone. The Western Area Rural District is one of the 14 Districts of Sierra Leone. Freetown is the Capital and largest City of Sierra Leone, and a major Port on the Atlantic Ocean. The Western Area is one of four principal divisions of Sierra Leone. The Western Area is one of four principal divisions of Sierra Leone. Freetown is the Capital and largest City of Sierra Leone, and a major Port on the Atlantic Ocean. Rural areas can be large and isolated (also referred to as "the country" and/or "the countryside over the course of time

Sierra Leone major cities

• The populations quoted above for the five largest cities are estimates from the sources cited. Freetown is the Capital and largest City of Sierra Leone, and a major Port on the Atlantic Ocean. Bo is the second largest City in Sierra Leone (after the capital Freetown) and the largest city in the Southern Province. Kenema is the third largest City in Sierra Leone, after the capital Freetown and Bo, and the largest city in the Eastern Province Koidu Town, also known as Sefadu is the capital and largest city of the diamond-rich Kono District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone Makeni is the Capital and largest City of Bombali District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. Different sources give different estimates. Some claim that Magburaka should be included in the above list, but one source [6]estimates the population at only 14,915. Magburaka is the capital and largest City of Tonkolili District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Sierra Leone

A rice farmer in Sierra Leone. development has always been hampered by an overdependence on mineral exploitation

Sierra Leone is slowly emerging from a protracted civil war and is showing signs of a successful transition. Investor and consumer confidence continue to rise, adding impetus to the country’s economic recovery. See Investor AB for the Swedish investment company An investor is any party that makes an Investment. The US Consumer Confidence Index (CCI is defined as the degree of optimism on the state of the economy that consumers are expressing through their activities of savings and spending There is greater freedom of movement and the successful re-habitation and resettlement of residential areas. In 2001, Sierra Leone attracted US$4 million in foreign direct investment. Foreign direct investment ( FDI) in its classic definition is defined as a company from one country making a physical investment into building a factory in another country

Rich in minerals, Sierra Leone has relied on mining, especially diamonds, for its economic base. A mineral is a naturally occurring substance formed through geological processes that has a characteristic chemical composition a highly ordered atomic structure and specific Mining is the extraction of valuable Minerals or other geological materials from the earth usually (but not always from an Ore body In Mineralogy, diamond is the allotrope of carbon where the carbon atoms are arranged in It is perhaps best known for its blood diamonds that are mined and sold for high prices. In the 1970s and early 1980s, economic growth rate slowed because of a decline in the mining sector and increasing corruption among government officials. Economic growth is the increase in the amount of the goods and services produced by an economy over time Political corruption is the use of governmental powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain By the 1990s economic activity was declining and economic infrastructure had become seriously degraded. Over the next decade much of the formal economy was destroyed in the country’s civil war. Since the end of hostilities in January 2002, massive infusions of outside assistance have helped Sierra Leone begin to recover. Much of the recovery will depend on the success of the government's efforts to limit corruption by officials, which many feel was the chief cause for the civil war. A key indicator of success will be the effectiveness of government management of its diamond sector.

Mineral exports remain the main foreign currency earner. A currency is a unit of exchange, facilitating the transfer of Goods and/or services It is one form of Money, where money is Sierra Leone is a major producer of gem-quality diamonds. Though rich in diamonds, it has historically struggled to manage their exploitation and export. In Economics, an export is any good or Commodity, Transported from one country to another country in a Legitimate fashion Annual production estimates range between $250-300 million. Some of that is smuggled, where it is possibly used for money laundering or financing illicit activities. Smuggling, also known as trafficking, is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons past a point where prohibited such as out of a building into a Prison But formal exports have dramatically improved since the civil war. Efforts to improve the management of exports have had some success. In October 2000, a UN-approved certification system for exporting diamonds from the country was put in place and led to a dramatic increase in legal exports. October 2000: January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - In 2001, the government created a mining community development fund, which returns a portion of diamond export taxes to diamond mining communities. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. The fund was created to raise local communities' stake in the legal diamond trade.

Sierra Leone has one of the world's largest deposits of rutile, a titanium ore used as paint pigment and welding rod coatings. Rutile is a Mineral composed primarily of Titanium dioxide, Ti[[oxygen O]]2 Titanium (taɪˈteɪniəm is a Chemical element with the symbol Ti and Atomic number 22 An ore is a volume of rock containing components or Minerals in a mode of occurrence that renders it valuable for mining Paint is any Liquid, liquifiable or mastic composition which after application to a substrate in a thin layer is converted to an opaque Solid Welding is a fabrication process that joins materials usually Metals or Thermoplastics by causing coalescence. Sierra Rutile Limited, owned by a consortium of United States and European investors, began commercial mining operations near the city of Bonthe, in the Southern Province, in early 1979. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Bonthe is a Port Town located on a large Island in Bonthe District of the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) It was then the largest non-petroleum US investment in West Africa. The export of 88,000 tons realized $75 million in export earnings in 1990. In 1990, the company and the government made a new agreement on the terms of the company's concession in Sierra Leone. Rutile and bauxite mining operations were suspended when rebels invaded the mining sites in 1995, but exports resumed in 2005. Bauxite is the most important Aluminium Ore. It consists largely of the minerals Gibbsite Al(OH3 Boehmite γ-AlO(OH and Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

About two-thirds of the population engages in subsistence agriculture, which accounts for 52. Subsistence agriculture is self-sufficient farming in which farmers grow only enough food to feed the family and to pay taxes or feudal dues 5% of national income. The government is trying to increase food and cash crop production and upgrade small farmer skills. In Agriculture, a cash crop is a crop which is grown for Money. The government works with several foreign donors to operate integrated rural development and agricultural projects.

Despite its successes and development, the Sierra Leone economy still faces significant challenges. There is high unemployment, particularly among the youth and ex-combatants. Unemployment occurs when a person is available to work and currently seeking work but the person is without work. Authorities have been slow to implement reforms in the civil service, and the pace of the privatisation programme is also slacking and donors have urged its advancement.

Currency

Sierra Leone’s currency is the Leone. A currency is a unit of exchange, facilitating the transfer of Goods and/or services It is one form of Money, where money is The central bank of the country is the Bank of Sierra Leone which is located in the capital, Freetown. A central bank, reserve bank, or monetary authority is the entity responsible for the Monetary policy of a country or of a group of member states The Bank of Sierra Leone is the Central bank of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. The bank is run by the bank Governor, Dr. Samura Kamara, and directors. The bank is a 100% state-owned corporate body and its objectives include:

• promotion of monetary stability and sound financial structure
• maintenance of the internal and external values of the Leone
• promotion of credit and exchange conditions
• issuance and distribution of notes and currency in the country
• conducive to balanced economy growth
• formulation and implementation of monetary policy
• banker and advisor to the Government in financial and economic matters
• management of domestic and foreign debt
• acting as custodian of the country’s reserve approved foreign exchange
• acting as banker to the Commercial Banks
• supervision and regulation of activities of commercial banks and other financial institutions
• administration of the operations of structural adjustment programmes where the bank has specific responsibilities
• diamond certification

Sierra Leone operates a floating exchange rate system, and foreign currencies can be exchanged at any of the commercial banks, recognised foreign exchange bureaux and most hotels. In Finance, the exchange rates (also known as the foreign-exchange rate, forex rate or FX rate) between two currencies specifies how A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging usually on a short-term basis

Credit card use is limited in Sierra Leone, though they may be used at some hotels and restaurants. A credit card is part of a system of Payments named after the small Plastic card issued to users of the system A restaurant is a retail establishment that serves prepared Food to Customers. Visitors should check in advance with local managements. Sierra Leone does not have internationally linked automated teller machines (ATM).

Demographics

The 2007 United Nation estimate of Sierra Leone's population is at 5. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security 9 million. [7] Freetown, with an estimated population of 1,070,200, is the capital, largest city and the hub of the economy, commercial, educational and cultural centre of the country. Bo is the second city. The second city of a country is the City that is (or was the second-most important usually after the Capital or first city Other cities with a population over 100,00 are Kenema, Koidu Town and Makeni. Kenema is the third largest City in Sierra Leone, after the capital Freetown and Bo, and the largest city in the Eastern Province Koidu Town, also known as Sefadu is the capital and largest city of the diamond-rich Kono District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone Makeni is the Capital and largest City of Bombali District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone.

Although English is the official language^[22] spoken at schools and government administration, Krio (language derived from English and several African languages and native to the Sierra Leone Krio people) is the lingua franca spoken throughout the country. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States An official language is a Language that is given a special legal status in a particular Country, State, or other territory A school (from Greek σχολεῖον - scholeion) is an Institution designed to allow and encourage Students (or "pupils" Krio (also Creo or Creole) is the lingua franca language spoken throughout Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leone Creole (or Krios) are an Ethnic group in Sierra Leone, they are descendants of freed slaves from the West Indies, freed A lingua franca (from Italian, literally meaning Frankish language, see etymology under Sabir and Italian below is any Language widely The Krio language unites all the different ethnic groups, especially in their trade and interaction with each other.

A Mende woman in the village of Njama in Kailahun District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. The Mende are one of the two largest Ethnic groups in Sierra Leone, along with the Temne. Kailahun District is a district in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. See also Eastern (subnational entity to see other types

The population of Sierra Leone comprises fifteen ethnic groups, each with its own language and costume. The two largest are the Mende and Temne, each comprises about 30% of the population. The Mende are one of the two largest Ethnic groups in Sierra Leone, along with the Temne. The Temne people are one of the two largest Ethnic groups in Sierra Leone, along with the Mende. The Mende predominate in the South Province and in Kailahun and Kenema District in the Eastern province; the Temne predominate in the Northern Province. Kailahun District is a district in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. Kenema District is a district in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. The third largest are the Limba, who represent 10% of the population. The Limba people are one of the Indigenous Ethnic groups in the Republic of Sierra Leone. Like their allies the Temne, the Limba live mostly in the Northern Province. The fourth largest are the Kono, they make up over 8. The Kono (pronounced koh noh is a major Ethnic group in Sierra Leone at about 8% of the country's total population 6% and live mostly in the Eastern Province, particularly in the diamond-rich Kono District where the form the largest ethnic group. In Mineralogy, diamond is the allotrope of carbon where the carbon atoms are arranged in The fifth largest are the Mandingo, they make up about 6% and they predominate in Kabala, the capital and largest city of Koinadugu District in the Northern Province. The Mandinka (also known as Mandingo) are one of the largest Ethnic groups in West Africa with a population estimated at eleven million. Kabala is the capital and largest city of Koinadugu District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. Koinadugu District is a district in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. The Mandingo population is also largely concentrated in Kono and Kenema District in the Eastern province. The sixth largest are the Krio (descendants of freed slaves from the West Indies, the United States, and Britain which landed in Freetown between 1787 and about 1885) make up about 5% of the population and they live mostly in the capital city of Freetown and its surrounding suburbs. The Sierra Leone Creole (or Krios) are an Ethnic group in Sierra Leone, they are descendants of freed slaves from the West Indies, freed The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Year 1787 ( MDCCLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Year 1885 ( MDCCCLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common South San Jose (cropjpg||thumb|A suburban development in San Jose California. The remaining 10% is split btween nine smaller ethnic groups: the Sherbro, Kissi, Kuranko, Loko, Fula, Susu, Yalunka, Vai and the Sierra Leonean-Lebanese (descendants of Lebanese settlers who settled in Sierra Leone during the late 19th century). The Sherbro people are a Native people of Sierra Leone, who speak the Sherbro language. Kissi people is an Ethnic group living in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. The Kuranko, also known as the Koranko, are an ethnic living in Sierra Leone and Guinea. The Loko are one of the indegenous Ethnic group in Sierra Leone. The Fula or Fulbe or Fulani (the latter being an Anglicisation of the word in their language Fulɓe) are an ethnic group of The Susu ( Sousou in French are a major Ethnic group living primarily in Guinea. The Yalunka are a Malinke people who were one of the original inhabitants of the Futa Jallon (or Fouta Djalon a mountainous region in Guinea, West The Vai are an Ethnic group that live mostly in Liberia, small communities of Vai also live in south-eastern Sierra Leone. Sierra Leonean-Lebanese is an Ethnic group in Sierra Leone; they are Sierra Leonean citizens who are descendants of Lebanese Settlers The Lebanese people ( الشعب اللبناني, el shaab el libnene) are a Middle Eastern people originating in the country of Lebanon A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there often to colonize the area The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar

In the past, Sierra Leoneans were noted for their educational achievements, trading activity, entrepreneurial skills, and arts and crafts work, particularly wood carving. Education encompasses both the Teaching and Learning of Knowledge, proper conduct, and technical competency Art refers to a diverse range of Human activities creations and expressions that are appealing to the Senses or Emotions of a human individual A craft is a Skill, especially involving practical arts. It may refer to a Trade or particular art Wood carving is a form of working wood by means of a cutting tool held in the hand (this may be a power tool resulting in a wooden figure or figurine (this may be abstract Many are part of larger ethnic networks extending into several countries, which link West African states in the area. But the level of education and infrastructure has declined sharply over the last 30 years. Infrastructure typically refers to the technical structures that support a society such as Roads Water supply, Wastewater, Power grids ^[23]

List of Sierra Leoneans

Religion

Further information: Islam in Sierra Leone, Roman Catholicism in Sierra Leone, and Hinduism in Sierra Leone

Muslim comprised 60% of Sierra Leone's population, Christian at 30%, and African traditional religion at 10% [8]. This is a list of people from Sierra Leone in West Africa. Okere Adams John Akar Roda Antar Statistics for Islam in Sierra Leone estimate a Muslim population of 3610585 representing around 60 percent of the country's total population The Roman Catholic Church in Sierra Leone is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and Curia Hinduism is a minor religion in Sierra Leone International Religious Freedom Report 2006 Sierra Leone reported that there is small number of Hindus in Sierra Leone For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings See also Religion in Africa African traditional religions, also referred to as African indigenous religions or African

The Sierra Leone constitution provides freedom of religion and the government generally protects this right and does not tolerate its abuse. Freedom of religion is the freedom of an individual or community in public or private to manifest religion or belief in teaching practice worship and observance Unlike many other African countries, the religious and ethnic mix of Sierra Leone rarely cause religious or tribal conflict.

Media

Main article: Media in Sierra Leone

Radio listener in rural Kailahun

The Sierra Leone constitution guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of the press; However, the government at times restricts these rights in practice. Media in Sierra Leone began with the introduction of the first modern Printing press in Africa at the start of the nineteenth century Kailahun District is a district in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without Censorship or Limitation. Freedom Constitutional or statutory protections pertaining to freedom of the press Dozens of newspapers are published in the country, most of them are privately run and are often critical of the government. A newspaper is a written Publication containing News, information and Advertising, usually printed on low-cost paper called Newsprint. Under legislation enacted in 1980, all newspapers must register with the Ministry of Information and pay a sizable registration fee.

All of the country's fourteen districts' capital run their own radio stations. This article is about radio broadcasting for other uses see Radio (disambiguation. Inaugurated in 1963, The Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service (SLBS) is the state-run national station in charge of television and radio broadcasting in the country. Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic This article is about radio broadcasting for other uses see Radio (disambiguation. The UN Mission in Sierra Leone (Unomsil) operates radio services, broadcasting news of UN activities and human rights information, as well as music and news. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. News is any new information or information on Current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or Word of mouth FM relays of BBC World Service and Radio France Internationale are aired in major cities. Radio France Internationale (RFI was created in 1975 as part of Radio France by the Government of France to serve as a broadcast vehicle for French Equatorial Radio Sierra Leone, the oldest broadcasting service in English-speaking West Africa, broadcasts mainly in English, with regular news and discussion programs on several topics.

Education

Sierra Leone has an education system with six years of primary school (Class 1-6), and six years of secondary school (Form 1-6); secondary schools are divided into junior secondary school (Form 1-3) and senior secondary school (Form 4-6). See also Primary education A primary school (from French école primaire) is an institution where children receive the first stage of Compulsory Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational Institution where the final stage of compulsory schooling known as Secondary education, takes Students at primary schools are usually 6 to 12 years old, and in secondary schools 13 to 18. Primary education is free and compulsory in government-sponsored public schools. Compulsory education is Education which children are required by law to receive and governments to provide The term public school has two distinct (and virtually opposite meanings depending on the location of usage in the United States, Australia and

The country's two main Universities are the Fourah Bay College, the oldest university in West Africa, founded in 1827, and Njala University in Njala, Moyamba District and Bo, founded in 1963. Fourah Bay College (founded in 1827 as the first western-style University in West Africa) is the oldest university college in West Africa Year 1827 ( MDCCCXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Njala University (NU is a major Sierra Leonean University located primarily in the country's second largest city of Bo. Moyamba District is a district in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. Year 1963 ( MCMLXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Teacher training colleges and religious seminaries are found in many parts of the country.

Notable schools

Notable Secondary Schools in Sierra Leone include: CMS / Sierra Leone Grammar School, founded ca. 1845 in Murray Town, Freetown; Annie Walsh Memorialk Secondary School, ca. 1848, Kissy Road, Freetown; St. Edwards Secondary School, ca. 1866, Kingtom, Freetown; Prince of Wales Secondary School, ca. 1874, Kingtom, Freetown; Methodist Boys High School, ca. 1874, Kissy, Freetown; Methodist Girls High School, ca. 1880, Kissy, Freetown; Harford School for Girls, ca. 1897, Moyamba Town, Moyamba District; Albert Academy ca. 1904, Berry Street, Freetown; Bo Government Secondary School, ca. 1906, Bo Town, Bo District; West African Collegiate School, ca. 1911, Wilkinson Road, Freetown; Government Model School ca. 1925, Circular Road, Freetown; Magburaka Government Secondary School, ca. 1950, Magburaka, Tonkolili District; Freetown Secondary School for Girls, ca. 1955, Brookfields, Freetown; Kenema Government Secondary School, ca. 1955, Kenema Town, Kenema District; St. Francis Secondary School, ca. 1949, Makeni Town, Bombali District; Benevolent Islamic Secondary School, ca. 1979, Makeni Town, Bombali District; St. Joseph Secondary School, ca. 1954, Makeni Town, Bombali District.

Transportation

There are a number of systems of transport in Sierra Leone, which has a road, air and water infrastructure, including a network of highways and several airports. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Before adding any more images to this * * page please do carefully consider * * whether they would be mere decoration * * or actually improve

Air

There are ten regional airports in Sierra Leone, and one international airport. A regional airport is an Airport serving traffic within a relatively small or lightly populated geographical area An international airport is an Airport typically equipped with Customs and Immigration facilities to handle international flights to and from other The Lungi International Airport located in the coastal town of Lungi in Northern Sierra Leone is the primary airport for domestic and international travel to or from Sierra Leone. Freetown-Lungi International Airport is an International airport located in the Coastal town of Lungi, Sierra Leone. The coast is defined as the part of the land adjoining or near the Ocean. Lungi is a Coastal Town in Port Loko District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. Passengers cross the river to Aberdeen Heliports in Freetown by hovercraft, ferry or a helicopter. A heliport is a small Airport suitable only for use by Helicopters Heliports typically contain one or more Helipads and may have limited facilities such A hovercraft, or air-cushion vehicle (ACV is an Amphibious vehicle or craft, designed to travel over any sufficiently smooth surface supported by See also Merchant ship A ferry is a form of transport usually a Boat or Ship, used to carry (or ferry) passengers and History Since 400 AD Chinese children have played with bamboo flying toys. Helicopters are also available from the airport to other major cities in the country. The airport has paved runways longer than 3,047m. A runway ( RWY) is a strip of land on an Airport, on which Aircraft can take off and land. The other airports have unpaved runways, and seven have runways 914 to 1,523 metres long; the remaining two have shorter runways.

Water

Sierra Leone has the third largest natural harbour in the world, where international shipping berth at the Queen Elizabeth II Quay in Government Wharf in central Freetown. A harbor or harbour (see spelling differences) or haven, is a place where ships may shelter from the Weather or are stored There are 800 km of waterways in Sierra Leone, of which 600 km are navigable year-round. Major port cities are Bonthe, Freetown, Sherbro Island and Pepel. Bonthe is a Port Town located on a large Island in Bonthe District of the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. Freetown is the Capital and largest City of Sierra Leone, and a major Port on the Atlantic Ocean. Sherbro Island, is an Island in the Atlantic Ocean, located in Bonthe District off the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. Pepel is a Coastal town in the Port Loko District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone.

Highways

There are 11,700 kilometres of highways in Sierra Leone, of which 936 km are paved. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Before adding any more images to this * * page please do carefully consider * * whether they would be mere decoration * * or actually improve Sierra Leone highways are linked to Conakry, Guinea, and Monrovia, Liberia. Conakry or Konakry ( Malinké: Kɔnakiri) is the Capital and largest city of Guinea. Guinea, officially Republic of Guinea (pronounced /ˈgɪni/ République de Guinée is a country in West Africa, formerly known as French Guinea For alternate meanings see Monrovia (disambiguation. Monrovia, is the Capital city of the West African nation of Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire

Sports

Main article: Sport in Sierra Leone

Football

Main article: Football in Sierra Leone

Football (soccer) is by far the most popular sport in Sierra Leone. Sports are an important part of Sierra Leonean society and Football is the most played sport in the country Football is by far the most popular sport in Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leone national football team, governed by the Sierra Leone Football Association, is Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered The national football team, popularly known as the Leone Stars, represents the country in international competitions. The Sierra Leone national football team, nicknamed the Leone Stars, is the national team of Sierra Leone and is controlled by the Sierra Leone Football Association It has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup but participated in the 1994 and 1996 African Cup of Nations. The FIFA World Cup, occasionally called the Football World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international Association football The 1994 African Cup of Nations was the 19th edition of the African Cup of Nations, the Soccer championship of Africa ( CAF) Host Cities & Venues Squads For a list of all squads that played in the final tournament see 1996 African Cup of Nations (squads Participating The country's national television network, The Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service (SLBS) broadcasts the live match, along with several radio stations throughout the country.

The Sierra Leone National Premier League is the top football league, controlled by the Sierra Leone Football Association. Structure Fourteen clubs compete in the league playing each other twice once at home and once away The Sierra Leone Football Association (SLAFA is the governing body of football in Sierra Leone. The two biggest and most successful football clubs are East End Lions and Mighty Blackpool, but Kallon F.C. is closing in on them. East End Lions is a Sierra Leonean professional football club based in the capital Freetown. Mighty Blackpool is a Sierra Leonean football club from the capital Freetown. Kallon Football Club commonly known as FC Kallon formerly Sierra Ficheries, is a Sierra Leonean football club from the capital Freetown Kallon F. C. won the Premier League and the Sierra Leonean FA Cup in 2006, and eliminated 2006 Nigerian Premier League Champions Ocean Boys FC in the 2007 CAF Champions League first qualifying round, but later lost to ASEC Mimosas of Ivory Coast in the second qualifying round for the group stage. Sierra Leone FA Cup commonly known as the FA Cup, is the national knockout cup competition in Sierra Leone. The Nigerian Premier League is the highest level of domestic Nigerian football. Ocean Boys Football Club is a Nigerian football club based in Brass, Bayelsa State. The CAF Champions League is an annual international club football competition run by the Confederation of African Football (CAF The Académie Sportive des Employés de Commerce (ASEC Mimosas is an Ivorian football club Côte d'Ivoire (ˌkoʊt divˈwɑː(r ' in English, kot diˈvwaʀ in French) or Ivory Coast, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a

The Sierra Leone U-17 football team, nicknamed the Sierra Stars, finished as runner-up at the 2003 African U-17 Championship in Swaziland, but came in last place in their group at the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship in Finland. A nickname is a Name of an entity or thing that is not its Proper name. The Kingdom of Swaziland is a country located in Southern Africa centred at approximately 26o49'S 31o38'E The FIFA U-17 World Championship 2003 was held in the cities of Helsinki, Tampere, Lahti, and Turku in Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe.

Many Sierra Leoneans follow the major European football leagues, particularly the English Premier League, Italian Serie A, and Spain La Liga. The Premier League, colloquially referred to as the Premiership, is an English professional league for football clubs Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Serie A (officially known as the Lega Calcio Serie A TIM for Sponsorship reasons is a professional league competition for football clubs located Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The Primera División of the es Liga de Fútbol Profesional ( Professional Football League) commonly known as La Liga or Cinema are often overcrowed as fans gather to watch the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Barcelona, AC Milan, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Inter Milan matches being shown live on television. Fútbol Club Barcelona ( Catalan fudˈbɔɫ ˌklup bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish ˈfutβol ˌkluβ baɾθeˈlona known familiarly as Barça (Spanish ˈbaɾsa Catalan Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to by the abbreviation Milan, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy Liverpool Football Club are an English professional Association football club based in Liverpool England. Football Club Internazionale Milano, most commonly referred to as simply Internazionale, or Inter, is an Italian professional football club Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic Many Sierra Leoneans follow the UEFA Champions League more than the CAF Champions League. See also List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winners The UEFA Champions League, which evolved from the European Champion Clubs' Cup is a seasonal club The CAF Champions League is an annual international club football competition run by the Confederation of African Football (CAF It is common to find local children nicknamed Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, Francesco Totti, Ronaldinho, Steven Gerrard, Patrick Vieira, Lionel Messi and Filippo Inzaghi. Ronaldo Luis Nazário de Lima (xo'nawdʊ lu'iz na'zaɾjʊ dʒɪ 'limɐ born September 18, 1976. Thierry Daniel Henry ( born 17 August 1977 Francesco Totti, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI, (born September 27 1976 in Rome) is a World Cup -winning footballer who plays for Italian Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born March 21 1980 in Porto Alegre) commonly known as Ronaldinho or Ronaldinho Gaúcho, is a Brazilian footballer Steven George Gerrard MBE (ˈdʒɛrɑd born 30 May 1980 Whiston Merseyside) is an English football player Patrick Vieira (born June 23, 1976 in Dakar, Senegal) is a Senegalese -born French - Cape Verdean international Lionel Andrés Messi (born June 24 1987 in Rosario) is an Argentine footballer who plays for FC Barcelona in La Liga.

Cricket

Main article: Sierra Leone national cricket team

The Sierra Leone cricket team represents Sierra Leone in international cricket competitions, and is among the best in West Africa. The Sierra Leone cricket team is the team that represents the country of Sierra Leone in international Cricket matches The Sierra Leone cricket team is the team that represents the country of Sierra Leone in international Cricket matches West Africa or Western Africa is the Westernmost Region of the African Continent. It became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council in 2002. The International Cricket Council (ICC is the international governing body of Cricket. [1] It made its international debut at the 2004 African Affiliates Championship, where it finished last of eight teams. But at the equivalent tournament in 2006, Division Three of the African region of the World Cricket League, it finished as runner-up to Mozambique, and just missed a promotion to Division Two. Runner-up is a term used to denote a participant which finishes in second place in any of a variety of competitive endeavors most notably sporting events and Beauty pageants Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique (Moçambique or República de Moçambique, ʁɛ'publikɐ d musɐ̃'bik is a country in southeastern Africa

Basketball

Main article: Sierra Leone national basketball team

The Sierra Leone national basketball team represents Sierra Leone in international men's basketball competitions and is controlled by the Sierra Leone Basketball Federation. The Sierra Leone national basketball team represents Sierra Leone in international men's Basketball competitions and is controlled by the Sierra Leone Basketball Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m The squad is mostly home-based, with a few foreign players.

Environment

Logging, mining, slash and burn, and deforestation for alternative land use - such as cattle grazing - have dramatically decreased forested land in Sierra Leone since the 1980s. Logging is the process in which Trees are cut down for Forest management and Timber. Mining is the extraction of valuable Minerals or other geological materials from the earth usually (but not always from an Ore body Slash and burn consists of cutting and burning of Forests or Woodlands to create fields for Agriculture or Pasture for Livestock, or Deforestation is the conversion of Forested areas to non-forest land for use such as Arable land, Pasture, urban use logged area or wasteland

Until 2002, Sierra Leone lacked a forest management system due to a brutal civil war that caused tens of thousands of deaths. Deforestation rates have increased 7. 3% since the end of the civil war. On paper, 55 protected areas covered 4. 5% of Sierra Leone as of 2003. The country has 2,090 known species of higher plants, 147 mammals, 626 birds, 67 reptiles, 35 amphibians, and 99 fish species. In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. Reptiles, or members of the class Reptilia are air-breathing Cold-blooded Vertebrates that have skin covered in scales as opposed to hair or feathers Prehistoric amphibian Amphibians (class Amphibia such as Frogs Toads Salamanders Newts Gymnophiona, Sirens and Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two

In June 2005, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Bird Life International agreed to support a conservation-sustainable development project in the Gola Forest in southeastern Sierra Leone, the most important surviving fragment of rain forest in Sierra Leone. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds ( RSPB) is a British Charitable organisation which works to promote conservation and protection Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present Rainforests are Forests characterized by high Rainfall with definitions setting minimum normal annual rainfall between 1750–2000 mm (68-78 inches

In literature and film

Two major Hollywood films have been produced that relate to Sierra Leone. United States cinema has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century Steven Spielberg’s film Amistad (1997, with Morgan Freeman, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Mathew McCounaghey) is about an 1839 mutiny aboard a slave ship travelling towards the Northeast Coast of America. Steven Allan Spielberg, KBE (Hon (born December 18 1946 is an American Film director, Screenwriter and producer. Amistad is a 1997 Steven Spielberg Film based on the true story of a slave mutiny that took place aboard a ship of the same name in Morgan Porterfield Freeman Jr (born June 1 1937 is an Academy Award -winning American actor Film director and Narrator. Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly-situated individuals (typically members of the Military; or the Crew of any ship even As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another But much of the plot revolves around the court-room drama that lead to the historic supreme court decision recognizing the captives' right to freedom. The heroic role of Sengbe Pieh (Cinque), who organized and led the revolt, was marginalized. Sengbe Pieh (1813 &ndash ca 1879 later known as Joseph Cinqué, was a West African man of the Mende ethnic group and was the most prominent defendant

Edward Zwick’s film Blood Diamond (2006, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou) is about conflict diamonds mined in Sierra Leone, Angola and Congo and sold in major diamond cutting centers – Antwerp, Tel Aviv and Mumbai – to finance (and prolong) armed conflicts in Africa. Edward Zwick (born October 8, 1952 in Chicago Illinois) is an American Film director and film producer noted for his sprawling Blood Diamond is an Academy Award nominated 2006 adventure Drama film co-produced and directed by Edward Zwick and Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (born November 11 1974 is a three-time Academy Award -nominated and Golden Globe -winning American film actor. Jennifer Lynn Connelly (born December 12 1970 is an American film actress and former child model. Djimon Gaston Hounsou (born April 24, 1964) is a two-time Academy Award -nominated Beninois Actor. In relation to diamond trading blood diamond (also called a converted diamond, conflict diamond, hot diamond or a war diamond) refers to a diamond Angola, officially the Republic of Angola (República de Angola Pronounced ʁɛˈpublikɐ dɨ ɐ̃ˈgɔlɐ Repubilika ya Ngola is a country in south-central The Democratic Republic of the Congo (République démocratique du Congo often referred to as DR Congo, DRC or RDC, and formerly known or referred to ||-||-||-||} Antwerp ( Dutch:, French: Anvers) is a City and Municipality in Belgium and the capital of the Tel Aviv-Yafo (תֵּל ־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ تل أبيب Tal ʾAbīb) (usually Tel Aviv) is the second-largest city in Israel Mumbai ( Marathi:,, IPA: formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the financial The film is centered in Sierra Leone and portrays many of the atrocities, including the practice of cutting off people's limbs to spread fear and insecurity in the country side and to gain control over the diamond, gold, bauxite and rutile mining areas. Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79 Bauxite is the most important Aluminium Ore. It consists largely of the minerals Gibbsite Al(OH3 Boehmite γ-AlO(OH and Rutile is a Mineral composed primarily of Titanium dioxide, Ti[[oxygen O]]2 Mining is the extraction of valuable Minerals or other geological materials from the earth usually (but not always from an Ore body But the action is focused mostly on Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio), a white mercenary from Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), who trades arms for diamonds with an RUF commander (Corporal Foday Sankoh), and Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly), an American journalist covering the war and investigating the illegal diamond trade. See also Great Zimbabwe National Monument. For information about the March and June 2008 presidential elections see Zimbabwean presidential election A journalist (also called a newspaperman) is a person who practices Journalism, the gathering and dissemination of information about current events trends The role of De Beers Group, which is the major player in the diamond trade, was bracketed out. De Beers and the various companies within the De Beers Family of Companies engage in exploration for diamonds, diamond mining diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacture It has been suggested that the company pressured the producers of the film to include a disclaimer saying the events are fictional and in the past - De Beers has denied this. This film and the Nollywood Video films (Nigerian Productions) on blood diamonds have established Sierra Leone as the blood diamond country in the minds of people all over the world. In relation to diamond trading blood diamond (also called a converted diamond, conflict diamond, hot diamond or a war diamond) refers to a diamond

Another film relating to Sierra Leone entitled "The Language You Cry In", is a documentary detailing the multi-generational connection between an African American family on the coast of Georgia and a small Mende village in Sierra Leone. The film focuses on the Georgia woman's knowledge of an old funeral hymn in the Mende language. A trio of an anthropologist, an ethnomusicologist, and an African linguist worked with this woman to discover the African roots of the song. They found that the song originated in a small village in southern Sierra Leone. A trip is organized for the Georgia woman and her family to travel to this village and meet with the people of that community who may be her long-lost family in Africa. The film's main point is to show how one specific "Africanism" has survived through hundreds of years and thousands of miles.

In literature, Sierra Leone is the setting for Graham Greene's classic novel The Heart of the Matter, which deals with diamond smuggling during World War II. Henry Graham Greene OM, CH (2 October 1904 &ndash 3 April 1991 was an English writer best known as a novelist but who also produced Short stories The Heart of the Matter (1948 is a Novel by British author Graham Greene. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Since the rebel incursion in the early 1990s a number of books have been written about the trade in diamonds or minerals for weapons. These include Hugh Paxton's horror/action novel; Amadou Kourouma's posthumously published book about roving rebel war soldiers, such the late Sam Bockarie, who fought in Liberia and Sierra Leone and was killed fighting in Côte d’Ivoire; and Ishmael Beah's book A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. Côte d'Ivoire (ˌkoʊt divˈwɑː(r ' in English, kot diˈvwaʀ in French) or Ivory Coast, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a Ishmael Beah (born on November 23, 1980 in Sierra Leone) is a former child soldier and the author of the memoir A Long Way Gone Memoirs Hugh Paxton's novel Homunculus^[24] juxtaposes the realities of the war in Sierra Leone with a fantasy of the exploitation of the war for the trade in blood diamonds and for the testing, demonstration and sale by auction of bio-weapons to a select clientele of international arms dealers and mercenaries. The concept of a homunculus ( Latin for "little man" plural "homunculi" the diminutive of homo, "man" is often used to illustrate A mercenary is a person who takes part in an armed conflict who is not a national or a party to the conflict and is "motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by Trial by Rebellion by retired Captain Francis Ken Josiah was recently published in United States.

Noteworthy Sierra Leone writers include Abioseh Nicol (The Truly Married Woman And Other Stories), Robert Wellesley Cole (Kossoh Town Boy), Syl Cheney-Coker (The Last Harmattan of Alusine Dunbar), William Conton (Kissimi Kamara), Amadu Yullisa Maddy (No Past, No Present, No Future), Sheikh Gibril Kamara (The Spirit of Badenia) and Aminata Fornah (Ancestor's Stones).

Finally, the Kroo Bay projectprovides sketches about the reality of life for thousands of people living in slum communities in the capital, Freetown.

Notes

Book references

Primary sources

• Keen, David (2005). Conflict and Collusion in Sierra Leone. Oxford: James Currey. ISBN 0-85255-883-X.
• Kup, Alexander Peter (1961). A History of Sierra Leone, 1400-1787. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0786418141.  
• Sillinger, Brett (2003). Sierra Leone: Current Issues and Background. New York: Nova Science Publishers. ISBN 1590336623.  
• Utting, Francis A (1931). The Story of Sierra Leone. Ayer Company Publishers. ISBN 0836967046.  

Secondary sources

• Room, Adrian (1995). Placenames of the World. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. ISBN 0786418141.  
• Levinson, David (1998). Ethnic Groups Worldwide: A Ready Reference Handbook. Phoenix: Oryx Press. ISBN 1573560197.  

Further reading

• Abraham, Arthur (1978). Mende Government and Politics under Colonial Rule.  
• Abraham, Arthur (1978). Cultural Policy in Sierra Leone. UNESCO.  
• Abraham, Arthur (1978). "Sengbe Pieh: A Neglected Hero?". Journal of the Historical Society of Sierra Leone II (2).  
• Abraham, Arthur (c. 1976). Topics in Sierra Leone History: A Counter-Colonial Interpretation. Sierra Leone: Leone Publishers.  
• Bah, M. Alpha (1998). Fulbe Migration in Sierra Leone: A Case History of Twentieth-Century Migration and Settlement Among the Kissi of Koindu. New York: Peter Lang Publishing.  
• Berger, Daniel (2003). In the Land of Magic Soldiers: A Story of White and Black in West Africa. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.  
• Blyden, Nemata Amelia. 'In Her Majesty' Service: West Indians in British Colonial Government, Sierra Leone, 1808-1880: Race, Class and Ethnicity in a British West African Colony.  
• Clarke, J. I. , Nelson, S. J. A. and Swindell, K. (1966). Sierra Leone in Maps.  
• Cole, Bernadette (1995). Mass Media, Freedom and Democracy in Sierra Leone.  
• Conteh-Morgan, Earl and Dixon-Fyle, Mac (1999). Sierra Leone at the End of the Twentieth Century: History, Politics and Society. New York: Peter Lang Publishing.  
• Cox-George, N. A. (1961). Finance and Development in West Africa: The Sierra Leone Experience. London: D. Dobson.  
• Foray, Cyril P. (1977). Historical Dictionary of Sierra Leone. Metuchen and London: The Scarecrow Press.  
• Forna, Aminatta (2002). The Devil that danced on the Water: A daughter’s memoir.  
• Fyfe, Christopher (1962). A History of Sierra Leone. Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press.  
• Fyle, Christopher (1964). Sierra Leone Inheritance.  
• Fyfe, Christopher (1992). Africanus Horton, 1835-1883 : West African Scientist and Patriot.  
• Gberie, Lansana, Smillie, Ian and Hazleton, Ralph (January 2000). The Heart of the Matter: Sierra Leone, Diamonds and Human Society. Partnership Africa Canada.  
• Global Witness (June 2000). Conflict Diamonds, Possibilities for the Identification, Certification and Control of Diamonds.  
• Hirsch; John L. (2000). Sierra Leone: Diamonds and the Struggle for Democracy. Lynne Rienner Pub.  
• Jalloh, Alusine (1999). "African Entrepreneurship: Muslim Fula Merchants in Sierra Leone". Monographs in International Studies, Africa Series (71). Ohio University Center for International Studies.  
• Jalloh, S. Balimo (1991). Sierra Leone. Länderbericht, Bergisch Gladbach.  
• Jalloh, S. Balimo (February 2001). "Conflicts, Resources and Social Instability in Subsahara Africa – The Sierra Leone Case". Internationasles Afrikaforum (37): 166-180.  
• Jalloh, S. Balimo (April 1995). "Subsahara Africa – Trade Expansion Through Countertrade". Internationales Afrikaforum: 365–374.  
• Jones, Durosimi Eldred (1965). Othellos Countrymen. Oxford University Press.  
• Jones, Durosimi Eldred and Eustace Palmer (1995). African Literature Today Africa World Press.  
• Jones, Howard (1986). Mutiny on the Amistad: The Saga of a Slave Revolt and its Impact on American Abolition, Law and Diplomacy. New York: Oxford University Press.  
• Kabba, Muctaru, (Editor) (1988). Sierra Leonean Heroes, Fifty Great Men and Women Who Helped to Build Our Nation.  
• Koroma, Abdul K. (1996). Sierra Leone – The Agony of a Nation. Freetown: Andromeda Publications.  
• Kpundeh, Sahr John. Politics and Corruption in Africa: A Case Study of Sierra Leone. Lanham: University Press of America.  
• Lewis, Damien (2005). Operation Certain Death - The Inside Story of the SAS'S Greatest Battle. Arrow Books.  
• Nicol, Davidson, Regionalism and the New International Economic Order; UNITAR-CEESTEM-Club of Rome conference at the United Nations, Pergamon Press, 1981.
• Opala, Joseph (1987). The Gullah: Rice, Slavery, and the Sierra Leone-American Connection. U. S. Information Service.  
• William Reno (1995). Corruption and State Politics in Sierra Leone. Cambridge University Press.  
• Paul Richards (1996). Fighting for the Rain Forest – War Youth & Resources in Sierra Leone. London: James Currey Publishers.  
• Sawyerr, Harry (1970). God, Ancestor or Creator? Aspects of Traditional Belief in Ghana, Nigeria & Sierra Leone. Harlow: Longmans.  
• Turay, Harry (1980). 'Land Tenure Systems in Sierra Leone. Njala University College: unpublished project report.  
• H. L. van der Laan (1965). The Sierra Leone Diamonds, An Economic Study covering the years 1952-1961.  
• Wyse, Akintola J. G. and Deveneaux, Gustav H. K. (1993). The Sierra Leone-German connection, 1787-1987, An Overview. Freetown: The German Embassy.  
• Wyse, Akintola J. G. (1990). H. C. Bankole-Bright and Politics in Colonial Sierra Leone, 1919-1958. Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press.  
• Mwakikagile, Godfrey (2001). The Modern African State: Quest for Transformation, Chapter Two: Anarchy and Mercenaries in Sierra Leone: The Powerless African State, pp. 19 - 72. Nova Science Publishers, Inc. , Huntington, New York; Mwakikagile, Godfrey, Military Coups in West Africa Since The Sixties, Chapter Twelve: Sierra Leone, pp. 183 - 196, Nova Science Publishers, 2001.

External links

Government and Diplomacy

• The Republic of Sierra Leone official government site
• Sierra Leone High Commission in London
• Diplomatic Representations of Sierra Leone
• British High Commission in Sierra Leone
• US Embassy in Sierra Leone

Tourism and Travel

• Sierra Leone travel guide from Wikitravel
• Aisha's Eye on Sierra Leone a photo documentary
• National Tourist Board of Sierra Leone official site
• Visit Sierra Leone Travel and Tourism information
• US Department of State travel information

Economy and Business

• Index of Economic Freedom - Sierra Leone is 48. Wikitravel is a Web -based project "to create a free, complete up-to-date and reliable worldwide travel guide. 4% free
• Sierra Leone Business Directory
• FaduguSending Money to Sierra Leone
• (pdf) Doing Business in Sierra Leone - A Commercial Guide for US Companies
• World Bank Data & Statistics on Sierra Leone

News Media and Discussion

• allAfrica.com - Sierra Leone News Aggregator
• Awareness Times Newspaper
• The New People The New People Newspaper
• IRIN Sierra Leone humanitarian news and analysis
• ENCISS civil society and governance
• Sierra Eye Sierra Leone News Portal

Other Resources

• CIA World Factbook - Sierra Leone
• BBC Country profile: Sierra Leone
• Open Directory Project - Sierra Leone directory category
• Sierra Leone Web
• War Crimes Trials in Sierra Leone