Geography

Physical geography

Sierra Leone, located on the west coast of Africa, covers a total area of 71,620 square kilometres. The coastal plain includes sandy beaches and mangrove swamps. Inland from the coast the land rises steeply to high plains covered by grasslands and forest. In the east is the Loma Mountain range, the highest peak of which is Mount Bintimani (also known as Loma Mansa), at 1,948 metres, near the Guinean border. The main rivers are the Rokal and the Sewa.

Climate

The climate is tropical, with high temperatures all year round and distinct wet (April to December) and dry (December to March) seasons. The maximum temperatures in the capital Freetown are 26.7 °C in January and 25.6 °C in July, and the average annual rainfall is 3,434 millimetres.

Environment

Sierra Leone is situated in what once was the heart of the Upper Guinea Rainforest. Today, more than 38% of the land area is covered in forest. Between December and February the dry, sand-laden Harmattan trade winds blow from the Sahara, cooling the land but causing sandstorms.

There is a high biodiversity, with an estimated 2,000 plant species; 15 primate species (monkeys and chimpanzees); ten antelope and duiker (small antelopes) species; large mammals including the pygmy hippopotamus, elephants and leopards; and more than 500 bird species (including owls and hornbills).

Population

The total population of Sierra Leone is 5,867,536, of which 38% live in urban areas.

People

Culture and identity

Twenty ethnic groups make up roughly 90% of the population. Of this, one-third belong to the Temne language group in the north and one-third belong to the Mende language group in the north and east. Krio, based on English and African languages, is spoken by descendants of freed slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late 18th century. Small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis and Indians make up the remainder of the population and are concentrated in urban areas. Sierra Leone is also host to over 27,000 refugees from neighbouring Liberia (2007 figures).

Although the official language is English, it is spoken only by educated people. Krio is understood by most of the population, although it is the first language of few.

Health

Life expectancy has steadily improved over the past 15 years and today averages 47 years (46 for males; 48 for females). The infant mortality rate is high at 114 per 1,000 live births, but again it is a figure that has been slowly improving since 1995. In order to reduce the rate of maternal mortality, free healthcare is offered to pregnant and lactating women. HIV/AIDS prevalence is becoming a concern, with 2% of the adult population living with the disease. Almost half the population have access to safe water, but fewer than two in five people have safe sanitation.

Religion and beliefs

Islam is the predominant religion, although many tribal groups have their own belief systems and a small percentage of the population is Christian. The many belief systems and religions co-exist peacefully.

Food and shelter

Cooking in rural areas takes place outdoors, using pots set on three stones. Rice is the principal staple. It is often rolled into balls and dipped into a spicy sauce made from fish, meat, peanuts and vegetables. Starchy vegetables such as potato, cassava, and plantains (a kind of banana) are also eaten. Tropical fruits including papaya, mango, avocado, guava and pineapple are consumed where available.

In rural areas houses are typically constructed from clay and mud and may have thatched or bamboo roofs. Housing in towns and villages may be constructed from cement, using metal sheeting for roofing.

Economy

Wealth and poverty

While the country has experienced improvements in recent years Sierra Leone is still an extremely poor nation, with tremendous inequality in income distribution. The poorest 10% of the population shares only 2.6% of the economy, while the richest 10% shares 33.6% (2003 figures). More than half the people live on less than US$1.25 a day.

Education and work

Education has been an area of focus in the post-conflict rehabilitation. Primary education and three years of secondary school is compulsory. There are four technical institutes, a rural institute and a university. The literacy rate is a low 41%, with 53% of men and 30% of women able to read and write English, Mende, Temne or Arabic. Just under half of Sierra Leone’s primary school teachers have received formal training. Sierra Leone has a labour participation rate of more than 66%.

Industries and products

Sierra Leone’s main agricultural products include rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts, poultry, beef, lamb, pork and fish. Agriculture accounts for 49% of the country’s GDP.

Its industries include diamond mining, small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear), petroleum refining, and small commercial ship repair.

Trade

In 2010 Sierra Leone exported diamonds, rutile (a major ore in titanium), cocoa, coffee and fish worth US$469 million, mainly to Belgium (29%), Romania (15%) and the USA (9%). It imported US$965 million worth of goods such as food, machinery, fuel and chemicals from its main trading partners South Africa (15%), China (11%) and Malaysia (7%).

Government

Sierra Leone is a constitutional monarchy established in 1991, when the constitution was introduced. The current President, Ernest Bai Koroma, was elected in 2007 for a five-year term, after serving five years in opposition. Sierra Leone faces many poverty-related human rights challenges. The rights of women and children have been a focus for human rights groups in Sierra Leone, as have corruption in the police force and political and ethnic violence.

Achievements and challenges

The government is slowly rebuilding the country’s infrastructure and institutions after the 1991–2002 civil war, which resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of up to two million people (about one-third of the population), many suffering the trauma of violence. Refugees from conflict in neighbouring Liberia are living in camps in the eastern region. Sierra Leone continues to receive UN assistance in peacekeeping efforts, improving economic integration in rural areas and among youth, and improving access to healthcare.

Despite steady economic growth since the end of the civil war and good leadership from the government, Sierra Leone will not meet the Millennium Development Goals. The government has nominated agriculture, education, gender, health, HIV/AIDS, the environment, transportation, energy, water and sanitation, science, innovation and technology, private sector development and job creation, and public sector management as the 13 focus areas of the country’s development.

Links with Australia

In 2010 Sierra Leone imported specialised machinery and parts, civil engineering equipment and parts, trailers and semi-trailers, and mechanical handling equipment and parts worth almost AUD14.5 million from Australia. It exported goods such as rubber tyres, treads and tubes, electrical machinery and parts, plastics and medicines worth AUD7.4 million to Australia.

At the 2006 census there were 1,810 Sierra Leone-born people recorded in Australia, almost half of whom live in New South Wales.

The majority of Australia’s assistance to Sierra Leone has been delivered through activities that allow its citizens to get the skills needed to develop their country. These activities include study in Australia, trade and diplomacy training courses and study tour participation. Australia is supporting peace-building activities identified by the United Nations Peace-Building Commission, which include the placement of a Peace-Building Advisor in Freetown and helping small-scale farmers to improve youth employment and agricultural training opportunities. Australia has also supported the Special Court for Sierra Leone, which has the task to try those responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian and Sierra Leonean law during the civil conflict. Australia has also been active in curbing the worldwide trade in ‘conflict diamonds’, which helped finance the conflict in Sierra Leone.