Sierra Leone - Tourism and Travel

The Republic of Sierra Leone is a country in West Africa, on the Atlantic coast.

It has an area of 27,699 square miles (71,740 square kilometers).

Sierra Leone has a heavily indented coastline.

Mangrove swamps line the coast.

Moving toward the interior, there are forests.

Further inland, the land rises to a savannah plateau.

Sierra Leone has a tropical climate with heavy rainfall.

The capital of Sierra Leone is Freetown.

5,696,000 people live in Sierra Leone.

35% are Mende, 32% are Temne, 8% are Limba and 4% are Kuranko.

English is the official language. Mende, Temne and Krio are also spoken.

30% of the people are Muslim, 30% practice traditional beliefs and 10% are Christian.

Most of the workforce is involved in subsistence farming.

Diamonds and rutile, a type of titanium ore, are the primary exports.

The main cash crops are coffee and cocoa.

Sierra Leone experienced a civil war that lasted from 1991 to 2002.

It is now one of the poorest countries on Earth and is heavily dependent on foreign aid.

Sierra Leone is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.

It has a presidential system of government.

The official currency is the leone, which equals 100 cents.