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NAVIGATION
Republic of Sierra Leone
GOVERNMENT
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of Sierra Leone
conventional short form: Sierra Leone |
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Government type:
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constitutional democracy |
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Capital:
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Freetown |
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Administrative divisions:
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3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western* |
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Independence:
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27 April 1961 (from UK) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 27 April (1961) |
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Constitution:
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1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times |
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Legal system:
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based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: 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
head of government: 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 cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the president with the approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible to the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2007); note - president's tenure of office is limited to two five-year terms election results: Ahmad Tejan KABBAH reelected president; percent of vote - Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (SLPP) 70.6%, Ernest KOROMA (APC) 22.4% |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral Parliament (124 seats - 112 elected by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2007) election results: 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 |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court |
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Political parties and leaders:
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All People's Congress or APC [Alhaji Sat KOROMA, interim chairman]; Citizens United for Peace and Progress or CUPP [Alfred Musa CONTEH, interim chairman]; Coalition for Progress Party or CPP [Jeridine WILLIAM-SARHO, interim leader]; Democratic Center Party or DCP [Adu Aiah KOROMA]; Democratic Labor Party or DLP [George E. L. PALMER]; Democratic Party or DP [Henry BALO, acting chairman]; National Alliance Democratic Party or NADP [Mohamed Yahya SILLAH, chairman]; National Democratic Alliance or NDA [Amadu M. B. JALLOH]; National People's Party or NPP [Andrew TURAY]; National Republican Party or NRP [Stephen Sahr MAMBU]; National Unity Movement or NUM [Sam LEIGH, interim chairman]; National Unity Party or NUP [John BENJAMINE, interim leader]; Peace and Liberation Party or PLP [Darlington MORRISON, interim chairman]; People's Democratic Alliance or PDA [Cpl. (Ret.) Abdul Rahman KAMARA, interim chairman]; People's Democratic Party or PDP [Osman KAMARA]; People's National Convention or PNC [Edward John KARGBO]; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Abass Chernok BUNDU, chairman]; Revolutionary United Front Party or RUFP [Foday Saybana SANKOH, chairman]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Andrew Victor LUNGAY]; Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP [Ahmad Tejan KABBAH, chairman]; United National People's Party or UNPP [John KAREFA-SMART in exile, Raymond KAMARA, acting leader]; Young People's Party or YPP [Cornelius DEVEAUS, interim chairman] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Trade Unions and Student Unions |
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International organization participation:
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ACP, AfDB, C, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Ibrahim M. KAMARA
FAX: [1] (202) 483-1793 telephone: [1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263 chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Peter Russell CHAVEAS
embassy: Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets, Freetown mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [232] (22) 226481 through 226485 FAX: [232] (22) 225471 |
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Flag description:
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three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue |
ECONOMY
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Economy - overview:
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Sierra Leone is an extremely poor African nation with tremendous inequality in income distribution. It does have substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources. However, the economic and social infrastructure is not well developed, and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development, following a 11-year civil war. 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 continue to reopen bauxite and rutile mines shut down during the conflict. The major source of hard currency consists of the mining of diamonds. 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 to supplement government revenues. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $2.8 billion (2002 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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5% (2002 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $580 (2002 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 49%
industry: 31% services: 21% (2001 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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68% (1989 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 0.5%
highest 10%: 43.6% (1989) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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62.9 (1989) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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1% (2002 est.) |
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Labor force:
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1.369 million (1981 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% |
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Unemployment rate:
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NA% |
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Budget:
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revenues: $96 million
expenditures: $351 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
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Industries:
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mining (diamonds); small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA% |
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Electricity - production:
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250.1 million kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% other: 0% (2001) nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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232.6 million kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2001) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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6,500 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA (2001) |
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Oil - imports:
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NA (2001) |
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Agriculture - products:
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rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish |
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Exports:
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$35 million f.o.b. (2000 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish (1999) |
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Exports - partners:
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Greece 32.1%, Belgium 28.2%, US 6.3%, UK 5.9% (2001 est.) |
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Imports:
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$190 million f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals (1995) |
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Imports - partners:
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UK 25.3%, Netherlands 10.3%, US 7.9%, Germany 6.3% (2001) |
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Debt - external:
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$1.5 billion (2002 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$103 million (2001 est.) |
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Currency:
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leone (SLL) |
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Currency code:
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SLL |
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Exchange rates:
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leones per US dollar - 2,099.03 (2002), 1,986.15 (2001), 2,092.12 (2000), 1,804.19 (1999), 1,563.62 (1998) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |