Sierra Leone

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, Sierra Leone spends US$26 million on its military, or 0.62 percent of its GDP. This makes Sierra Leone the 157th highest military spender in the world and represents 0.001 percent of total global military expenditure.

The military of Sierra Leone, called the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces, consist of a Navy, an Air Force and ground forces which are under the direct control of the president of Sierra Leone. Its Army is mainly trained and supplied by the United Kingdom.

Military membership

Sierra Leone is also a member of 5 international military organizations. This makes it the 87th most militarily connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
International Atomic Energy Agency
Non-Aligned Movement

Military membership

International wars

Sierra Leone has partaken in 2 international wars. These are:

Sierra Leone Civil War 1991-2001
Second Liberian Civil War 1999-2003

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

In total, Sierra Leone is a member of 11 international political organizations. This makes it the 121st most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member state of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
Asian–African Legal Consultative Organization
African Union
Commonwealth of Nations
Organization of Islamic Cooperation
International Criminal Court

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

Throughout the 20th century, Sierra Leone has had a limited democracy. Since the end of its civil war at the start of the 21st century, it had held elections. However, its current democratic deficits are widespread corruption as well as gender-based discrimination which makes it the 91st most democratic

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of Sierra Leone take place in the form of a republic where the president is head of state and is directly elected for a four-year term.

Interpol
Association of World Election Bodies
South Centre (organization)
World Organization for Animal Health

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Known for its diamond industry as well as its wildlife, Sierra Leone has been in conflict throughout most of the 20th century. Before contact with the Europeans, the area was inhabited by the Bulom people and later on, other tribes entered the area. Its first contact with Europeans was with Portuguese explorers during the 15th century which named it the area Sierra Leone after its coastal mountains that resembled the teeth of a lion. From the 15th century until the 19th century, the area was exploited for the European slave trade under the British Empire. After the abolishment of slavery, many former slaves were returned to Sierra Leone. In 1961, it gained its independence, but it has seen several civil wars as well as military coups until its first democratically elected leader in 1996. Since then, and with the help of the United Nations, the violence has toned down and at the start of the 21st century, Sierra Leone has started to develop its economy.

Sierra Leone

Located in Western Africa, the geography of Sierra Leone consists of a mountainous eastern part and a flat Western part. Its terrain is lightly forested in its mountainous area as well as its flat Western area. In total, it borders two other states with Guinea along its northern border and Liberia along its southeastern border. Along its west, it borders the Atlantic Ocean.

It is the 117th largest state with a total surface area of 72.099 square kilometers or 27.839 square miles. This makes Sierra Leone slightly smaller than Ireland and slightly larger than Panama.

It has a total water surface area of 121 square kilometers or 46 square miles. This makes Sierra Leone the 139th largest state in the world.

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

Most of its drinking water is derived from groundwater which can be found in its numerous river basins as well as local wells. Its tap water as well as its well water is considered unsafe to drink.

The climate of Sierra Leone is a tropical climate with a wet and a dry season which is influenced by the winds from the Atlantic Ocean. The average temperature is 26.1 degrees Celsius or 79 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes Sierra Leone the 40th warmest state in the world.

During its dry season, from December to April, the average high temperature is 30 degrees Celsius or 86 degrees Fahrenheit.

During its wet season, from May to November, the average low temperature is 22.4 degrees Celsius or 72.3 degrees Fahrenheit.

Its rainfall mainly occurs during its wet season which receives up to four times as much as its dry season. On average, Sierra Leone receives 272.2 centimetres or 107.1 inches of rainfall per year which ranks it as the 9th highest in the world.

The capital of Sierra Leone, Freetown, is home to approximately 1 million people. The closest capital is Conakry, Guinea, with a distance of 108 kilometers or 67 miles. The capital that is the furthest removed is Honiara, Solomon Islands, with a distance of 19.299 kilometers or 11.992 miles.

The economy of Sierra Leone is an underdeveloped economy with unequal income distribution. A large part of this is attributed to its civil wars, military coups, lack of infrastructure and government corruption. Its economy has had a small boost due to its discovery of oil off of its coast. However, its main export products are diamonds and cocoa which represent roughly 85 percent of all exported goods. These products mainly go to China, South Korea and the Netherlands which represent roughly 50 percent of all exports. Most of its imports comes from China which is solely responsible for more than 20 percent of all imports.

Sierra Leone is a member of 12 international economic organizations. This makes it the 108th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Alliance for Financial Inclusion
African development Bank
International Monetary Fund
Islamic Development Bank
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
International Bamboo and Rattan Organization
Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States
Economic Community of West African States
International Renewable Energy Agency
Group of 77

It has a GDP of US$4.040 million, which makes it the 162nd highest in the world and represents 0.0048 percent of total global GDP.

Its GDP per surface area is the 165th highest in the world with US$56.028 per square kilometer or US$145.105 per square mile.

Its GDP per capita is the 187th highest in the world with US$513.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power parity per capita is the 180th highest in the world with US$1768.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

Sierra Leone is the 102nd most populous state in the world with a total population of 7.9 million people. Its population is mainly made up of more than 15 different African tribes which each speak their own language. Aside from this, Sierra Leone has adopted English as its official language. Aside from its African tribes, some freed African slaves from Jamaica and the United States also reside within Sierra Leone.

It has the 76th highest population density in the world with 109 people per square kilometer or 282 people per square mile.

Around 1.9 percent of the population, or just over 150,000 people have migrated to other states. Aside from migration as refugees in the past, Sierra Leone currently has an exodus of migrants due to its economic situation. The main destinations have been regional African states as well as the United States and the United Kingdom for economic reasons.

0.7 percent of the population, or just over 50,000 people, have migrated to Sierra Leone. This makes Sierra Leone the 115th state with the highest number of immigrants and represents 0.02 percent of total global immigration. The main form of migration has been a re-migration of refugees that have returned from neighbouring states.

The literacy rate in Sierra Leone is the 184th highest in the world and stands at 46.3 percent. Despite making education mandatory, these laws are not enforced. Also, during its civil war, there has been a lack of education as well as the destruction of educational facilities which has left the elderly population mostly illiterate.

The health care system of Sierra Leone is also underdeveloped and there is a large discrepancy between rural areas with no health facilities and urban areas with moderate health facilities. The largest health threats to the population are communicable diseases with tuberculosis, HIV, diarrheal diseases and malaria being the leading cause of death. Another threat regarding communicable diseases is Ebola which broke out in 2014. Noncommunicable diseases are mainly related to deaths related to pregnancy, as well as deaths related to lifestyle choices such as alcohol consumption, tobacco use and malnutrition. The average life expectancy is 55.94 years which is the 190th highest in the world. Women have an average life expectancy of 56.78 years, while men have an average life expectancy of 55 years.

Sierra Leone provides freedom of religion towards all religions.

Christianity is represented by 17.5 percent of the population which makes it the 145th most Christian state in the world. Despite being introduced during its colonial era, the majority of the population has remained unconverted.

On the right, the global share of Christians per state is displayed

Islam is represented by 78.2 percent which makes it the 35th most Islamic state in the world. The largest denomination is the Sunni branch of Islam with the Maliki school of thought.

There are no official Buddhist organizations in Sierra Leone.

Hinduism is represented by 0.05 percent of the population and are mainly located within the capital Freetown.

There are no Jewish organizations in Sierra Leone.

Other religions are represented by 0.63 percent of the population. These are mainly traditional African religions. However, a large portion of the Islamic population as well as the Christian population combined their religion with these traditional African religions.

Irreligion is represented by 0.07 percent of the population.