Lying on the Atlantic coast in West Africa, Sierra Leone was an early site of contact between Europeans and Africans. The country owes its name to the 15th-century Portuguese explorers who first sighted it. They named the land Serra Lyoa (Lion Mountains), referring to the range of hills that surrounds the harbor at the present-day capital, Freetown. This name later was changed to Sierra Leone. GeographySierra Leone covers an area of 27,699 square miles (71,740 square kilometers). It is bordered on the north and east by Guinea and on the southeast by Liberia. The Atlantic Ocean is to the west. Sierra Leone has four physical regions. Along the Atlantic coast is a flat, swampy plain. The Sierra Leone peninsula is a region of thickly wooded mountains that rise from coastal swamps. Freetown is in this region. Inland from the coast are the interior plains, which are covered by savanna grasslands and some steep, rocky slopes and hills. The eastern part of the country is a plateau with many mountains. In this region is Mount Loma Mansa, which at 6,390 feet (1,948 meters) is the highest peak in all of West Africa. Many rivers flow across Sierra Leone, generally in a northeast to southwest direction into the Atlantic. The floodplains of these rivers provide fertile soil for farming. The climate is tropical, with high temperatures and humidity throughout the year. Plants and animalsThe rainy interior of Sierra Leone is heavily forested. Among the many valuable types of timber are mahogany and teak. The country's varied animal life includes monkeys, chimpanzees, tigers, porcupines, antelopes, crocodiles, and many types of birds. Elephants, leopards, lions, hyenas, and buffalo are more rare. For many years the government of Sierra Leone took steps to protect the country's rain forests and wildlife, setting aside huge areas as forest preserves. During a civil war that began in the 1990s, however, warring groups cleared large areas of these preserves. They sold the timber to other countries and established farms on the newly cleared lands. The destruction of the forests also destroyed the habitat of much of the nation's wildlife. People and cultureThe population of Sierra Leone includes people from about 18 ethnic groups. The largest groups are the Mende in the east and south and the Temne in the north. The Creole, descendants of freed black slaves, make up a small part of the population and live mainly around Freetown. English is the official language, but most of the people speak Krio, a mixture of English and a variety of African languages. Muslims form the largest religious group. Many other people are Christian or follow traditional African religions. The majority of the people live in rural areas. Freetown, the largest city, has a beautiful setting, with tall, heavily forested mountains and a white sand beach. It has one of the world's largest natural harbors. Other important towns include Koidu-New Sembehun, Bo, Kenema, and Makeni. Dance is the most outstanding feature of Sierra Leone's cultural life. The Sierra Leone Dance Troupe has toured throughout the world. The different peoples of the nation have their own styles of costume and dance. Traditional handicrafts include cloth weaving, leatherwork, basketry, pottery, and rug making. EconomySierra Leone is a very poor country. Its economy is based largely on agriculture and mining. The majority of the people are farmers who produce food for themselves and their families. Rice is the main food crop. Others include millet, peanuts (groundnuts), cassava, and sweet potatoes. Coffee, cocoa, and oil palm fruit are the main crops grown for export. Livestock raising is important in the north. Mining accounts for more than half of Sierra Leone's export earnings. Diamonds are the most valuable mineral product. The country's deposits of rutile, a form of titanium dioxide, are among the largest in the world. Oil refining and the production of bauxite, from which aluminum is made, are also important. Manufacturing is only a minor part of Sierra Leone's economy. Small factories produce such goods as cigarettes, sugar, beverages, soap, tires, and textiles. HistoryPeople have lived in what is now Sierra Leone for thousands of years. The Bulom, Temne, and Limba peoples of the coast were probably the earliest inhabitants. These groups and others who later migrated to the region organized themselves into independent kingdoms or chiefdoms. European influencePortuguese explorers first arrived in the area in the 15th century. The Portuguese built a fortress near the site of modern Freetown in the 1490s. They joined with Mende and Temne chiefs to establish a thriving ivory and slave trade. Over the next three centuries ships from many European nations sailed to Sierra Leone to trade. In 1787 British opponents of slavery helped freed slaves from Great Britain, the United States, and Nova Scotia to found Freetown. The settlement became a British colony in 1808. The inland region was named a British protectorate in 1896. This meant that the local African chiefs ruled under British supervision. IndependenceSierra Leone achieved independence in 1961. It became a republic in 1971. Five years later the government banned all political parties except the ruling party. The government was corrupt and the economy struggled. The military overthrew the government and took control of the country in 1992. Throughout the 1990s control of Sierra Leone passed between military dictatorships and elected governments. The country also experienced a civil war between the government and rebel groups. A peace agreement was signed in 1999, and the United Nations sent peacekeeping troops to the country. Fighting resumed in 2000, however. The warfare forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee to neighboring countries. Population (2000 estimate), 5,233,000. |