Economic Overview
Sierra leone is an extremely poor nation with tremendous inequality in income distribution. while it possesses substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources, its physical and social infrastructure is not well developed, and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development. nearly half of the working-age population engages in subsistence agriculture. manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. alluvial diamond mining remains the major source of hard currency earnings accounting for nearly half of sierra leone's exports. the fate of the economy depends upon the maintenance of domestic peace and the continued receipt of substantial aid from abroad, which is essential to offset the severe trade imbalance and supplement government revenues. the imf has completed a poverty reduction and growth facility program that helped stabilize economic growth and reduce inflation. a recent increase in political stability has led to a revival of economic activity such as the rehabilitation of bauxite and rutile mining.
Environmental Issues
Rapid population growth pressuring the environment; overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil exhaustion; civil war depleted natural resources; overfishing
Government Type
Constitutional democracy
Population
6,294,774 (july 2008 est.)
Location
Western africa, bordering the north atlantic ocean, between guinea and liberia
Area
Total: 71,740 sq km
land: 71,620 sq km
water: 120 sq km
Slightly smaller than south carolina
Country Aliases
Conventional long form: republic of sierra leone
conventional short form: sierra leone
local long form: republic of sierra leone
local short form: sierra leone
Capital
Name: freetown
geographic coordinates: 8 30 n, 13 15 w
time difference: utc 0 (5 hours ahead of washington, dc during standard time)
Military Service
17 years 6 months of age for voluntary military service (younger with parental consent); no conscription (2008)
International Disputes
As domestic fighting among disparate ethnic groups, rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in cote d'ivoire, guinea, liberia, and sierra leone gradually abate, the number of refugees in border areas has begun to slowly dwindle; un mission in sierra leone (unamsil) has maintained over 4,000 peacekeepers in sierra leone since 1999; sierra leone considers excessive guinea's definition of the flood plain limits to define the left bank boundary of the makona and moa rivers and protests guinea's continued occupation of these lands including the hamlet of yenga occupied since 1998
Sources: Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
