]! ^! The 1991 to 2002 civil war between the government and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (about one-third of the population), many of whom are now refugees in neighboring countries. With the support of the UN peacekeeping force and contributions from the World Bank and international community, demobilization and disarmament of the RUF and Civil Defense Forces (CDF) combatants has been completed. National elections were held in May 2002 and the government continues to slowly reestablish its authority. However, the gradual withdrawal of most UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) peacekeepers in 2004 and early 2005, deteriorating political and economic conditions in Guinea, and the tenuous security situation in neighboring Liberia may present challenges to the continuation of Sierra Leone's stability. 
]" ^" Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia ^# 8 30 N, 11 30 W ^$ Africa ^% `! 71,740 sq km `" 71,620 sq km `# 120 sq km ^& slightly smaller than South Carolina ^' `! 958 km `U Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km ^( 402 km ^) `$ 12 nm `H 24 nm `I 200 nm `J 200 nm ^* tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April) ^+ coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east ^, `% Atlantic Ocean 0 m `& Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m ^- diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite ^. `' 6.98% `( 0.89% `) 92.13% (2001) ^/ 290 sq km (1998 est.) ^0 dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February); sandstorms, dust storms ^1 rapid population growth pressuring the environment; overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil exhaustion; civil war depleting natural resources; overfishing _J `K Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands `L Environmental Modification ^2 rainfall along the coast can reach 495 cm (195 inches) a year, making it one of the wettest places along coastal, western Africa 
]# ^3 6,017,643 (July 2005 est.) ^4 `* 44.7% (male 1,318,508/female 1,371,164) `+ 52% (male 1,494,068/female 1,637,276) `, 3.3% (male 93,047/female 103,580) (2005 est.) ^5 `! 17.53 years `- 17.2 years `. 17.84 years (2005 est.) ^6 2.22% (2005 est.) ^7 42.84 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^8 20.61 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^9 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: refugees currently in surrounding countries are slowly returning (2005 est.) ^: `/ 1.03 male(s)/female `0 0.96 male(s)/female `+ 0.91 male(s)/female `, 0.9 male(s)/female `1 0.93 male(s)/female (2005 est.) ^; `! 143.64 deaths/1,000 live births `- 161.06 deaths/1,000 live births `. 125.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) ^< `1 39.87 years `- 37.74 years `. 42.06 years (2005 est.) ^= 5.72 children born/woman (2005 est.) ^> 7% (2001 est.) ^? 170,000 (2001 est.) ^@ 11,000 (2001 est.) __ degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever (2004) ^A `2 Sierra Leonean(s) `3 Sierra Leonean ^B 20 native African tribes 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole (Krio) 10% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century), refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians ^C Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10% ^D English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%) ^E `M age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic `1 29.6% `- 39.8% `. 20.5% (2000 est.) 
]$ ^F `4 Republic of Sierra Leone `5 Sierra Leone ^H constitutional democracy ^I Freetown ^J 3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western* ^K 27 April 1961 (from UK) ^L Independence Day, 27 April (1961) ^M 1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times ^N based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction ^O 18 years of age; universal ^P `6 President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government `7 President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government `8 Ministers of State appointed by the president with the approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible to the president `9 president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held May 2007); note - president's tenure of office is limited to two five-year terms `: Ahmad Tejan KABBAH reelected president; percent of vote - Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (SLPP) 70.6%, Ernest KOROMA (APC) 22.4% ^Q unicameral Parliament (124 seats - 112 elected by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; members serve five-year terms) `9 last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held May 2007) `: percent of vote by party - SLPP 70.06%, APC 22.35%, PLP 3%, others 4.59%; seats by party - SLPP 83, APC 27, PLP 2 ^R Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court ^S All People's Congress or APC [Ben KANU]; Peace and Liberation Party or PLP [Darlington MORRISON, interim chairman]; Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP [Sama BANYA]; numerous others ^T trade unions and student unions ^U ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO ^V `N Ambassador Ibrahim M. KAMARA `O 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 `P [1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263 `Q [1] (202) 483-1793 ^W `N Ambassador Thomas N. HULL `Z Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets, Freetown `[ use embassy street address `P [232] (22) 226481 through 226485 `Q [232] (22) 225471 ^X three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue 
]% ^Y Sierra Leone is an extremely poor African nation with tremendous inequality in income distribution. While it possesses substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources, its economic and social infrastructure is not well developed, and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development. About two-thirds of the working-age population engages in subsistence agriculture. Manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. Plans to reopen bauxite and rutile mines shut down during an 11 year civil war have not been implemented due to lack of foreign investment. Alluvial diamond mining remains the major source of hard currency earnings. The fate of the economy depends upon the maintenance of domestic peace and the continued receipt of substantial aid from abroad, which is essential to offset the severe trade imbalance and supplement government revenues. International financial institutions contributed over $600 million in development aid and budgetary support in 2003. ^Z $3.335 billion (2004 est.) ^[ 6% (2004 est.) ^\ purchasing power parity - $600 (2004 est.) ^] `; 49% `< 30% `= 21% (2001 est.) ^^ 1.369 million (1981 est.) ^_ agriculture NA, industry NA, services NA ^` NA ^a 68% (1989 est.) _! `> 0.5% `? 43.6% (1989) _d 62.9 (1989) _" 1% (2002 est.) _# `@ $96 million `A $351 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2000 est.) _$ rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish _% diamonds mining; small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining, small commercial ship repair _& NA _' 255.3 million kWh (2002) _( 237.4 million kWh (2002) _) 0 kWh (2002) _* 0 kWh (2002) _+ 0 bbl/day (2001 est.) _, 6,500 bbl/day (2001 est.) _- NA _. NA _/ $49 million f.o.b. (2002 est.) _0 diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish (1999) _1 Belgium 61.6%, Germany 11.8%, US 5.4% (2004) _2 $264 million f.o.b. (2002 est.) _3 foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals (1995) _4 Germany 14%, Cote d'Ivoire 10.7%, UK 9.1%, US 8.4%, China 5.6%, Netherlands 5%, South Africa 4.1% (2004) _5 $1.5 billion (2002 est.) _6 $103 million (2001 est.) _7 leone (SLL) _8 leones per US dollar - 2,701.3 (2004), 2,347.9 (2003), 2,099 (2002), 1,986.2 (2001), 2,092.1 (2000) _9 calendar year 
]& _: 24,000 (2002) _; 67,000 (2002) _< `B marginal telephone and telegraph service `C the national microwave radio relay trunk system connects Freetown to Bo and Kenema `D country code - 232; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) _= AM 1, FM 9, shortwave 1 (1999) _> 2 (1999) _? .sl _@ 277 (2004) _A 8,000 (2002) 
]' _B `! 11,300 km `E 904 km `F 10,396 km (2002) _b 800 km (2003) _C Freetown, Pepel, Sherbro Islands _K `! 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 7,435 GRT/8,750 DWT by type: petroleum tanker 2 (2005) _D 10 (2004 est.) _E `! 1 `] 1 (2004 est.) _L `! 9 `_ 7 `T 2 (2004 est.) _\ 2 (2004 est.) 
]( _F Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF): Army (includes Air Wing, Maritime Wing) _M 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001) _] males age 18-49: 1,110,077 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 552,785 (2005 est.) _N $13.2 million (2004) _O 1.7% (2004) 
]) _H domestic fighting among disparate rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone perpetuate insurgencies, street violence, looting, arms trafficking, ethnic conflicts, and refugees in border areas; UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) has maintained over 4,000 peacekeepers in Sierra Leone since 1999; Sierra Leone pressures Guinea to remove its forces from the town of Yenga occupied since 1998 _c `d 67,000 (Liberia) (2004) 