Of that 12%, 10% was in the capital Freetown, and the remaining 90% of the country used 2% of the nation's electricity. The country is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest.[102]. Prior to the arrival of Pedro da Cintra in 1462, Sierra Leones history can be briefly ascribed to its composition of few ethnic groups, prominent amongst these were Limba who already lived in Sierra Leone around the 8th Century and there is no clear evidence about their origin. Stevens reorganised the country's oil refinery, the government-owned Cape Sierra Hotel, and a cement factory. [159] It is located near the Seli River and Freetown and was estimated to produce about 50 megawatts of electricity. The discussions eventually concluded with key stakeholders, including Bio's administration and the UN, agreeing that while efforts in finding a peaceful solution to ending the war should continue, a general election should be held as soon as possible. With the emergence of the slave trade, human trafficking became the major commodity and indigenes were sold as slaves. 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. The next few years under the Momoh administration were characterised by corruption, which Momoh defused by sacking several senior cabinet ministers. What Languages Are Spoken In Sierra Leone? To formalise his war against corruption, President Momoh announced a "Code of Conduct for Political Leaders and Public Servants". [174] "Pandebu-Tokpombu" is presumably the extended town of Torgbonbu, which had a population of 10,716 in the 2004 census. Thomas Peters pressed British authorities for relief and more aid; together with British abolitionist John Clarkson, the Sierra Leone Company was established to relocate Black Loyalists who wanted to take their chances in West Africa. Recently there has been an increase of Pentecostal churches, especially in Freetown. In May 2002, Kabbah was re-elected president by a landslide. In politics the overwhelming majority of Sierra Leoneans vote for a candidate without regard of the candidate being a Muslim or a Christian. The Fula are primarily traders, and many live in middle-class homes. The Inter-Religious Council of Sierra Leone estimated that 77% of Sierra Leone's population are Muslims, 21% are Christians, and 2% are followers of traditional African religion. [110], Until 2002, Sierra Leone lacked a forest management system because of the civil war that caused tens of thousands of deaths. The APC named a new presidential candidate to succeed Stevens at party's last delegate conference, held in Freetown in November 1985. Two other commercial TV operators (ABC and AIT) closed after they were not profitable. [21], In early 1996, despite the country going through a brutal civil war, the emergence of the prospect of a transformation back to a multi-party democracy brought fresh hopes and great expectations among a majority of Sierra Leoneans, as the national debate "Peace before Elections vs Elections before Peace" became a hot topic. [41] The Sierra Leone Resettlement Scheme was proposed by entomologist Henry Smeathman and drew interest from humanitarians like Granville Sharp, who saw it as a means of showing the pro-slavery lobby that black people could contribute towards the running of the new colony of Sierra Leone. Next in proportion are the Kono, who live primarily in Kono District in Eastern Sierra Leone. About 400 black and 60 white colonists reached Sierra Leone on 15 May 1787. [79], Education in Sierra Leone is legally required for all children for six years at primary level (Class P1-P6) and three years in junior secondary education,[211] but a shortage of schools and teachers has made implementation impossible. The park is home to elephants, hippos, buffaloes, and many chimpanzees it's also listed as a protected area by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). After a trial that lasted a few months, Bangura was convicted and sentenced to death. There are several systems of transport in Sierra Leone, which has a road, air and water infrastructure, including a network of highways and several airports. The RSLMF was renamed as the Armed Forces of the Republic of Sierra Leone (AFRSL). Turay, went into hiding and fled the country to Guinea, fearing for his life. The populations quoted above for the five largest cities are from the 2004 census. Waterloo is located about twenty miles east of Freetown. "Gbendembu" had a larger population of 12,139 in that census. The Krio have traditionally dominated Sierra Leone's judiciary and Freetown's elected city council. There are five hundred Ahmadiyya Mosque across Sierra Leone. The APC, with its leader Siaka Stevens, narrowly won a small majority of seats in Parliament over the SLPP in a closely contested 1967 general election. In April 1971, a new republican constitution was adopted under which Stevens became president. Over the next decade, much of the formal economy was destroyed in the country's civil war. (2003) Book review: "The Athens of West Africa: A History of International Education at Fourah Bay College, Freetown, Sierra Leone by Daniel J. Paracka Jr. New York: Routledge". Some of Sierra Leonean international footballers include Mohamed Kallon, Mohamed Bangura, Rodney Strasser, Kei Kamara, Ibrahim Teteh Bangura, Mustapha Dumbuya, Christian Caulker, Alhassan Bangura, Sheriff Suma, Osman Kakay, Mohamed Kamara, Umaru Bangura and Julius Gibrilla Woobay. The third-largest ethnic group are the Limba at about 8.4% of the population. There are a few internationally linked automated teller machines that accept Visa cards in Freetown operated by ProCredit Bank. However, females face gender discrimination making them the target of lower incomes and financial struggle. Kenema is the most populated district in Sierra Leone, according to the preliminary report of the final result of the Mid-Term Census report released by Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL) last week. [49] Black settlers in Sierra Leone enjoyed much more autonomy than their white equivalent in European countries. The highlands rise up to 700 feet, and are the highest in Sambaia Bendugu chiefdom. Freetown is Sierra Leone's political, economic, cultural, financial, and educational center. [209] In numbers, females present a lower per cent (6.3) versus males (15.2) when it comes to be paid employees. For example, some of the Liberated Africans were forced to change their name to a more Western sounding one. Many Sierra Leonean youth follow the local football league. Steven was later freed and fled the country; went into exile in neighbouring Guinea. The group set up the National Reformation Council (NRC), with Andrew Juxon-Smith as its chairman and Head of State of the country. Corporal Gborie quickly went to the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Services headquarters in New England, Freetown to announce the coup to a shocked nation and to alert all soldiers across the country to report for guard duty. Nwauwa, Apollos O. Sir Milton Margai became Sierra Leone's first prime minister. On 16 January 1996, after about four years in power, Strasser was arrested in a palace coup staged by his fellow NPRC soldiers led by Brigadier Bio at the Defence Headquarters in Freetown. After they established Granville Town, most of the first group of colonists died, owing to disease and warfare with the indigenous African peoples (Temne), who resisted their encroachment. Sierra Leone Police was established by the British colony in 1894; it is one of the oldest police forces in West Africa. Sir Albert's leadership was briefly challenged by Foreign Minister John Karefa-Smart, who questioned Sir Albert's succession to the SLPP leadership position. The three least populated districts are Karene, Falaba, and Koinadugu with 3.8%, 2.2%, and 2.7% respectively of the total population. [106], Human activities claimed to be responsible or contributing to land degradation in Sierra Leone include unsustainable agricultural land use, poor soil and water management practices, deforestation, removal of natural vegetation, fuelwood consumption and to a lesser extent overgrazing and urbanisation. The Military of Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF), are the unified armed forces of Sierra Leone responsible for the territorial security of Sierra Leone's border and defending the national interests of Sierra Leone within the framework of its international obligations. [235], The water supply in Sierra Leone is characterised by limited access to safe drinking water. Where is Sierra Leone located? Like the neighbouring Temne, the Loko are Muslim majority. During the British annexation in Sierra Leone, several chiefs in the northern and southern parts of the country were resisting the "hut tax" imposed by the colonial administrators but they used diplomacy to achieve their goal. The Temne predominate in the Northern Sierra Leone and some areas around the capital of Sierra Leone. The current system of the Government of Sierra Leone is based on the 1991 Sierra Leone Constitution. [97] By the end of 2014 there were nearly 3000 deaths and about 10,000 cases of the disease in Sierra Leone. This left them traumatised, with an estimated 400,000 people (by 2009) being mentally ill. Thousands of former child soldiers have fallen into substance abuse as they try to blunt their memories. Within hours after taking office, Stevens was ousted in a bloodless military coup led by Brigadier General David Lansana, the commander of the Sierra Leone Armed Forces. [157] The use of coal and firewood has also posed environmental concerns as they are both in conflict with the push for more sustainable sources of energy. Since 1985, the nation did not conduct any census for 19 years. Bo District Bombali District Bonthe District Kailahun District Kambia District Kenema District Koinadugu District Kono District Moyamba District [156] Part of the reason for this was due to the import duties and taxes and the lack of quality control. [155], As of 2016, about 12% of the population of Sierra Leone had access to electricity. The current speaker of the Sierra Leone parliament is Abass Bundu, who was elected by members of parliament on 21 January 2014. Accordingly, they began to consider Sir Albert a threat to the ruling houses across the country. The widely spoken dialect and the main language of communication in the city is the Krio. Bai Sherbro was captured and with Bai Bureh, exiled to the Gold Coast (modern Ghana). On 25 May 1997, 17 soldiers in the Sierra Leone army led by Corporal Tamba Gborie, loyal to the detained Major Johnny Paul Koroma, launched a military coup which sent President Kabbah into exile in Guinea and they established the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC). This polygon shapefile contains the boundary of Sierra Leone (adm0). All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions 2023 worldatlas.com. The Sierra Leonean Government is constitutionally forbidden from establishing a state religion, though Muslim and Christian prayers are usually held in the country at the beginning of major political occasions, including presidential inaugurations and the official opening of the new session of Parliament. Media in Sierra Leone began with the introduction of the first printing press in Africa at the start of the 19th century. [104][105], Sierra Leone is home to four terrestrial ecoregions: Guinean montane forests, Western Guinean lowland forests, Guinean forest-savanna mosaic, and Guinean mangroves. In November 1968, unrest in the provinces led Stevens to declare a state of emergency across the country. Black settlers were captured by unscrupulous traders and sold as slaves, and the remaining colonists were forced to arm themselves for their own protection. Despite efforts by the government and numerous non-governmental organisations, access has not much improved since the end of the Sierra Leone Civil War in 2002, stagnating at about 50% and even declining in rural areas. She used diplomacy to communicate with many local chiefs who did not trust her friendship with the British. In September 2014 there were many Districts with travel restrictions including Kailahun, Kenema, Bombali, Tonkolili, and Port Loko because of Ebola. [111] On paper, 55 protected areas covered 4.5% of Sierra Leone as of 2003. Bambay Kamara was also a strong Momoh loyalist and supporter. 49,839; Regent Urban Area: pop. ", War and state collapse: The case of Sierra Leone, "NPRC's Komba Kambo Speaks After Eleven Years Of Silence! Each one of Sierra Leone's sixteen administrative districts (with the exception of the Western Area Urban District) is governed by a directly elected district council headed by a council chairman. In November 1951, Margai oversaw the drafting of a new constitution, which united the separate Colonial and Protectorate legislatures and provided a framework for decolonisation. How Many Languages Are There In The World? In the 1972 by-elections, the opposition SLPP complained of intimidation and procedural obstruction by the APC and militia. Bombali became one of the most heavily affected districts in Sierra Leone, with 873 confirmed patients with Ebola during July-November 2014. Kenema is also governed by an elected city council and headed by a Mayor. Sierra Leone's third president, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, and Sierra Leone's first Vice-President, Sorie Ibrahim Koroma, were both ethnic Mandingo. After the return to civilian rule, by-elections were held (beginning in autumn 1968) and an all-APC cabinet was appointed. Strasser was later ousted by his army colleague and second-in-command Julius Maada Bio, for failing to commit to a quick transfer to civilian rule. In June 2005, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and BirdLife International agreed to support a conservation-sustainable development project in the Gola Forest in south eastern Sierra Leone,[113] an important surviving fragment of rainforest in Sierra Leone. The rice is prepared in numerous ways, and topped with a variety of sauces made from some of Sierra Leone's favourite toppings, including potato leaves, cassava leaves, crain crain, okra soup, fried fish and groundnut stew.[244]. The district has both highlands and lowlands. Freetown [24], The country takes its name from the Lion Mountains near Freetown. The Maliki school is by far the largest and most dominant Islamic school of jurisprudence across Sierra Leone. Humphrey J. Fisher (1969), "Elections and Coups in Sierra Leone, 1967". Dozens of soldiers loyal to the ousted president Momoh were arrested, including Colonel Kahota M. Dumbuya and Major Yayah Turay. They are descendants of traders from Guinea who migrated to Sierra Leone during the late nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries. They have no tradition of origin, and it is believed that they have lived in Sierra Leone since before the European encounter. The soldiers immediately released Koroma from prison and installed him as their chairman and Head of State. The Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service (SLBS) was created by the colonial government in 1934 making it the earliest English language radio broadcaster service in West Africa. In the southern region of the North West Province is Sierra Leones only international airport, which lies just across the Sierra Leone River from Freetown, the nations capital. Mining of diamonds in the east and other minerals expanded, drawing labourers there from other parts of the country. [107] Mining and slash and burn for land conversion such as cattle grazing dramatically diminished forested land in Sierra Leone since the 1980s. In eastern Sierra Leone the plateau is interspersed with high mountains, where Mount Bintumani reaches 1,948m (6,391ft), the highest point in the country. [188] The two largest mosques in Sierra Leone are the Freetown Central Mosque and the Ghadafi Central Mosque (built by former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi), both located in the capital Freetown. The first is the Guma plant which was decommissioned in 1982, the second is the Dodo Plant which is located in the Eastern Province, and finally the Bumbuna plant. The Southern Province is divided into four districts: The North West Province of Sierra Leone borders the Atlantic Ocean, Guinea, and three domestic regions. The name Yalunka literally means "inhabitants of the Jallon (mountains)". Other popular destinations for tourists include the Freetown Cotton Tree, located in Central Freetown, a significant national monument and integral to the founding of the city; Bunce Island, which is a boat ride from the city, is home to the ruins of the slave fortress that was being used during the Transatlantic slave trade; the Sierra Leone Museum, which has a collection of both precolonial as well as colonial artifacts and other items of historical significance; the National Railway Museum; or take a journey around the city's coastline with the popular Sea Coach Express. , drawing labourers there from other parts of the slave trade, human trafficking became the major commodity and were. 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