RELIGION: 30% Muslim, 30% indigenous beliefs, 10% Christian, 30% other or none
LANGUAGE: English (official); regular use limited to literate minority; principal vernaculars are Mende in south and Temne in north; Krio is the language of the resettled ex-slave population of the Freetown area and is lingua franca
LITERACY: 15% (est.)
LABOR FORCE: 1,500,000; 65% agriculture, 19% industry, 16% services (1981); only about 65,000 earn wages (1985); 55% of population of working age
ORGANIZED LABOR: 35% of wage earners
.GOVERNMENT OF SIERRA LEONE
LONG-FORM NAME: Republic of Sierra Leone
TYPE: republic under presidential regime since April 1971
CAPITAL: Freetown
ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS: 4 provinces; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western
INDEPENDENCE: 27 April 1961 (from UK)
CONSTITUTION: 14 June 1978
LEGAL SYSTEM: based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; highest court of appeal is the Sierra Leone Court of Appeals; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
NATIONAL HOLIDAY: Republic Day, 27 April (1961)
BRANCHES: executive--president; legislative--unicameral parliament consists of 104 authorized seats, 85 of which are filled by elected representatives of constituencies, 12 by paramount chiefs elected by fellow paramount chiefs in each district, and president authorized to appoint up to seven members; judicial--independent
CHIEFS OF STATE: Gen. Joseph MOMOH, President (since 28 November 1985); Abu Bakar KAMARA, First Vice President (since 4 April 1987); Salia JUSU-SHERIFF, Second Vice President (since 4 April 1987)
SUFFRAGE: universal over age 21
ELECTIONS: members of parliament elected to five-year terms in 1986 Political party and LEADER: All People's Congress (APC), Gen. Joseph Momoh (Constitution provides for one-party rule)
DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATION: Ambassador George CAREW; Chancery at 1701 19th Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 939-9261
U.S. FOREIGN SERVICE POST: Ambassador Cynthia S. PERRY; Embassy at the corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Street, Freetown; telephone 26481
FLAG: three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue
.ECONOMY OF SIERRA LEONE
OVERVIEW: The economic and social infrastructure is not well developed. Subsistence agriculture dominates the economy, generating about one-third of GDP and employing about two-thirds of the working population. Manufacturing accounts for less than 10% of GDP, consisting mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. Diamond mining provides an important source of hard currency. The economy suffers from high unemployment, rising inflation, large trade deficits, and a growing dependency on foreign assistance.
GDP: $965 million, per capita $250; real growth rate 1.8% (FY87)
INFLATION RATE (CONSUMER PRICES): 167.1% (FY87)
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE: 12% (1987)
BUDGET: revenues $98.5 million; expenditures $181.6 million, including capital expenditures of $45.4 million (FY87)
EXPORTS: $129 million (f.o.b., 1987); commodities-- diamonds 20%, cocoa 20%, rutile 21%, bauxite 17%, coffee; partners-- US, UK, Netherlands, FRG, other West Europe
IMPORTS: $137 million (c.i.f., 1987); commodities-- capital goods 40%, food 32%, petroleum 15%, consumer goods 7%, light industrial goods; partners-- US, EC, Japan, China
EXTERNAL DEBT: $895 million (1988)
INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION: growth rate 13.4% (FY87)
ELECTRICITY: 65,000 kW capacity; 116 million kWh produced, 30 kWh per capita (1988)
AGRICULTURE: palm kernels, coffee, cocoa, rice, yams, millet, ginger, cassava; much of cultivated land devoted to subsistence farming; food crops insufficient for domestic consumption
RAILROADS: 84 km (52 mi) 1.067-meter narrow-gauge mineral line is used on a limited basis because the mine at Marampa is closed
HIGHWAYS: 7,400 km (4,595 mi) total; 1,150 km bituminous, 490 km laterite (some gravel), remainder improved earth
INLAND WATERWAYS: 800 km; (496 mi) 600 km navigable year round
PORTS: Freetown, Bonthe, Pepel
CIVIL AIR: no major transport aircraft
AIRPORTS: 12 total, 9 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 3 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
TELECOMMUNICATIONS: fair telephone and telegraph service; national microwave radio relay system unserviceable at present; 23,650 telephones; stations--3 AM, 1 FM, 2 TV; 1 INTELSAT Atlantic Ocean satellite ground station
.DEFENSE FORCES OF SIERRA LEONE
BRANCHES: Army, Navy
MILITARY MANPOWER: males 15-49, 897,427; 433,060 fit for military service; no conscription
MILITARY BUDGET: $6.7 million, 9.6% of central government budget (FY86)
.TRAVEL IN SIERRA LEONE
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS: Passport and visa required. Transit visa may be obtained upon arrival. Single-entry visa valid 3 months from date of issuance for visit of up to 1 month, $20.50, requires 2 photos, 2 applications, onward/return ticket, and proof of financial support from bank or employer. Visitors must declare the amount of foreign currency they are carrying (and exchanging) on an exchange control form (M) which is certified and stamped at the port of entry. A minimum of $100 must be exchanged by all adult travelers over the age of 16 upon entry. Send cash or money order and prepaid envelope or postage for return of passport by registered mail. Vaccination certificates required for yellow fever and cholera.
HEALTH: Malarial suppressants recommended. Tapwater is not potable. Inoculations for typhoid, typhus, polio and hepatitis are recommended for any but brief visits. Mosquitos and tumba flies are common. Avoid contact with freshwater streams and ponds outside Freetown. Health requirements change; check latest information.
WEATHER AND CLOTHING: Summer clothing is suitable year round. Bring light raincoats and overshoes for rainy season May to mid- Oct.
TELEPHONE: When direct dialing to Sierra Leone from the U.S., dial 011 (international access code) + 232 [country code] + local number, or made through the international operator. Outgoing overseas calls must be arranged in advance.
TIME: 5 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Standard Time, and the same as Greenwich Mean Time.
ELECTRIC CURRENT: 220V
NATIONAL HOLIDAYS: Id al-Adha (variable); Good Friday, Easter Monday (variable); Republic Day (Apr 19); Id al-Fitr, Mouloud un Nabi (variable); Christmas Day (Dec 25); Boxing Day (Dec 26).
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS: Freetown is a scenic city that includes unspoiled Lumley Beach, the Heddle Farm for bird hunting, and the National Museum.
IMPORTANT!! All requirements/recommendations are subject to change. Be sure to check latest information..GEOGRAPHY OF RWANDA
TOTAL AREA: 26,340 sq km (10,157 sq mi); LAND AREA: 24,950 sq km (9,621 sq mi)
COMPARATIVE AREA: slightly smaller than Maryland
LAND BOUNDARIES: 893 km (555 mi) total; Burundi 290 km (180 mi), Tanzania 217 km (135 mi), Uganda 169 km (105 mi), Zaire 217 km (135 mi)
COASTLINE: none--landlocked
MARITIME CLAIMS: none--landlocked
CLIMATE: temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible
TERRAIN: mostly grassy uplands and hills; mountains in west
