Part 169
Democracy is slowly being reestablished after the civil war from 1991 to 2002 that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (about one-third of the population). The military, which took over full responsibility for security following the departure of UN peacekeepers at the end of 2005, is increasingly developing as a guarantor of the country's stability. The armed forces remained on the sideline during the 2007 presidential election, but still look to the UN Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL) - a civilian UN mission - to support efforts to consolidate peace. The new government's priorities include furthering development, creating jobs, and stamping out endemic corruption.
Geography ::Sierra Leone
Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia
Geographic coordinates:
8 30 N, 11 30 W
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 71,740 sq km country comparison to the world: 118 land: 71,620 sq km
water: 120 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries:
total: 958 km
border countries: Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km
Coastline:
402 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)
Terrain:
coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m
Natural resources:
diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite
Land use:
arable land: 7.95%
permanent crops: 1.05%
other: 91% (2005)
Irrigated land:
300 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
160 cu km (1987)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.38 cu km/yr (5%/3%/92%)
per capita: 69 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February); sandstorms, dust storms
Environment - current 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
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Geography - note:
rainfall along the coast can reach 495 cm (195 inches) a year, making it one of the wettest places along coastal, western Africa
People ::Sierra Leone
Population:
6,440,053 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 103
Age structure:
0-14 years: 44.5% (male 1,407,226/female 1,460,366)
15-64 years: 52.2% (male 1,613,554/female 1,750,250)
65 years and over: 3.2% (male 95,533/female 113,124) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 17.5 years
male: 17.2 years
female: 17.8 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.282% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 40
Birth rate:
44.73 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 5
Death rate:
21.91 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 4
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population country comparison to the world: 80 note: refugees currently in surrounding countries are slowly returning (2009 est.)
Urbanization:
urban population: 38% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 2.9% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 154.43 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 2 male: 171.57 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 136.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 41.24 years country comparison to the world: 219 male: 38.92 years
female: 43.64 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.88 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 12
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.7% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 37
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
55,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 62
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
3,300 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 54
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Sierra Leonean(s)
adjective: Sierra Leonean
Ethnic groups:
20 African ethnic groups 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole (Krio) 10% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century), refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians
Religions:
Muslim 60%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs 30%
Languages:
English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic
total population: 35.1%
male: 46.9%
female: 24.4% (2004 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 7 years
male: 8 years
female: 6 years (2001)
Education expenditures:
3.8% of GDP (2005) country comparison to the world: 116
Government ::Sierra Leone
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Sierra Leone
conventional short form: Sierra Leone
local long form: Republic of Sierra Leone
local short form: Sierra Leone
Government type:
constitutional democracy
Capital:
name: Freetown
geographic coordinates: 8 30 N, 13 15 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western*
Independence:
27 April 1961 (from the UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 27 April (1961)
Constitution:
1 October 1991; amended several times
Legal system:
based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ernest Bai KOROMA (since 17 September 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Ernest Bai KOROMA (since 17 September 2007)
cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the president with the approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible to the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 11 August 2007 and 8 September 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
election results: second round results; percent of vote - Ernest Bai KOROMA 54.6%, Solomon BEREWA 45.4%
Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament (124 seats; 112 members elected by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 11 August 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - APC 59, SLPP 43, PMDC 10
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court
Political parties and leaders:
All People's Congress or APC [Ernest Bai KOROMA]; Peace and Liberation Party or PLP [Darlington MORRISON]; People's Movement for Democratic Change or PMDC [Charles MARGAI]; Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP [Solomon BEREWA]; numerous others
Political pressure groups and leaders:
other: student unions; trade unions
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIT, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Bockari Kortu STEVENS
chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263
FAX: [1] (202) 483-1793
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador June Carter PERRY
embassy: Southridge-Hill Station, Freetown
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [232] (22) 515 000 or (76) 515 000
FAX: [232] (22) 515 355
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue
Economy ::Sierra Leone
Economy - 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.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$4.388 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 163 $4.159 billion (2007 est.)
$3.909 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$1.953 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.5% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 75 6.4% (2007 est.)
7.4% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$900 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 217 $800 (2007 est.)
$800 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 49%
industry: 31%
services: 21% (2005 est.)
Labor force:
2.207 million (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 116
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Population below poverty line:
70.2% (2004)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.6%
highest 10%: 33.6% (2003)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
62.9 (1989) country comparison to the world: 5
Budget:
revenues: $96 million
expenditures: $351 million (2000 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
11.7% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 168
Central bank discount rate:
NA% (31 December 2008)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
24.5% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 12 25% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$184.6 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$177.7 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$162.9 million (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Agriculture - products:
rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish
Industries:
diamond mining; small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining, small commercial ship repair
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
80 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 194
Electricity - consumption:
74.4 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 194
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
2.99 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 114
Oil - consumption:
9,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 151
Oil - exports:
502.4 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 124
Oil - imports:
8,316 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 143
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 133
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 132
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 136
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 116
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 133
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 136
Current account balance:
-$63 million (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 73
Exports:
$216 million (2006) country comparison to the world: 179
Exports - commodities:
diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish
Exports - partners:
Belgium 35.6%, US 20.1%, India 15.2%, France 4.9% (2008)
Imports:
$560 million (2006) country comparison to the world: 185
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals
Imports - partners:
China 10.3%, Cote d'Ivoire 8.8%, US 7.8%, Belgium 6.6%, UK 6.6%, Thailand 5.2%, India 4.2% (2008)
Debt - external:
$1.61 billion (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 140
Exchange rates:
leones (SLL) per US dollar - NA (2007), 2,961.7 (2006), 2,889.6 (2005), 2,701.3 (2004), 2,347.9 (2003)
Communications ::Sierra Leone
Telephones - main lines in use:
31,500 (2008) country comparison to the world: 176
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.009 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 144
Telephone system:
general assessment: marginal telephone service
domestic: the national microwave radio relay trunk system connects Freetown to Bo and Kenema; mobile-cellular service is growing rapidly from a small base
international: country code - 232; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 9, shortwave 1 (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
2 (1999)
Internet country code:
.sl
Internet hosts:
273 (2009) country comparison to the world: 180
Internet users:
13,900 (2008) country comparison to the world: 196
Transportation ::Sierra Leone
Airports:
9 (2009) country comparison to the world: 158
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Heliports:
2 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 11,300 km country comparison to the world: 134 paved: 904 km
unpaved: 10,396 km (2002)
Waterways:
800 km (600 km year round) (2007) country comparison to the world: 73
Merchant marine:
total: 182 country comparison to the world: 37 by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 143, carrier 2, chemical tanker 3, container 6, liquefied gas 2, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 10, roll on/roll off 3, specialized tanker 2
foreign-owned: 95 (Belgium 1, China 15, Egypt 3, Greece 1, Hong Kong 1, Lebanon 1, Nigeria 1, Panama 1, Romania 3, Russia 11, Syria 18, Taiwan 1, Turkey 15, Ukraine 10, UAE 8, UK 2, US 1, Yemen 2) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Freetown, Pepel, Sherbro Islands
Military ::Sierra Leone
Military branches:
Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF): Army (includes Maritime Wing and Air Wing) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
17 years 6 months of age for voluntary military service (younger with parental consent); no conscription (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,315,561 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 692,469
females age 16-49: 762,239 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 71,524
female: 75,491 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
2.3% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 73
Transnational Issues ::Sierra Leone
Disputes - international:
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; 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
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 27,311 (Liberia) (2007)
page last updated on November 11, 2009
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@Singapore (East & Southeast Asia)
Introduction ::Singapore
Background:
Singapore was founded as a British trading colony in 1819. It joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but separated two years later and became independent. Singapore subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries with strong international trading links (its port is one of the world's busiest in terms of tonnage handled) and with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of Western Europe.
Geography ::Singapore
Location:
Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia
Geographic coordinates:
1 22 N, 103 48 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 697 sq km country comparison to the world: 192 land: 687 sq km
water: 10 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
193 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: within and beyond territorial sea, as defined in treaties and practice
Climate:
tropical; hot, humid, rainy; two distinct monsoon seasons - Northeastern monsoon (December to March) and Southwestern monsoon (June to September); inter-monsoon - frequent afternoon and early evening thunderstorms
Terrain:
lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water catchment area and nature preserve
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Singapore Strait 0 m
highest point: Bukit Timah 166 m
Natural resources:
fish, deepwater ports
Land use:
arable land: 1.47%
permanent crops: 1.47%
other: 97.06% (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Total renewable water resources:
0.6 cu km (1975)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.19 cu km/yr (45%/51%/4%)
per capita: 44 cu m/yr (1975)
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
industrial pollution; limited natural fresh water resources; limited land availability presents waste disposal problems; seasonal smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in Indonesia
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes
People ::Singapore
Population:
4,657,542 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 117
Age structure:
0-14 years: 14.4% (male 348,382/female 324,050)
15-64 years: 76.7% (male 1,737,972/female 1,833,415)
65 years and over: 8.9% (male 184,393/female 229,330) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 39 years
male: 38.5 years
female: 39.4 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.998% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 126
Birth rate:
8.82 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 216
Death rate:
4.66 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 196
Net migration rate:
5.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 17
Urbanization:
urban population: 100% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.2% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 2.31 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 224 male: 2.51 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 2.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 81.98 years country comparison to the world: 4 male: 79.37 years
female: 84.78 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.09 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 221
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 105
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
4,200 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 126
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 200 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 118
Nationality:
noun: Singaporean(s)
adjective: Singapore
Ethnic groups:
Chinese 76.8%, Malay 13.9%, Indian 7.9%, other 1.4% (2000 census)
Religions:
Buddhist 42.5%, Muslim 14.9%, Taoist 8.5%, Hindu 4%, Catholic 4.8%, other Christian 9.8%, other 0.7%, none 14.8% (2000 census)
Languages:
Mandarin 35%, English 23%, Malay 14.1%, Hokkien 11.4%, Cantonese 5.7%, Teochew 4.9%, Tamil 3.2%, other Chinese dialects 1.8%, other 0.9% (2000 census)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.5%
male: 96.6%
female: 88.6% (2000 census)
Education expenditures:
3.7% of GDP (2001) country comparison to the world: 122
Government ::Singapore
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Singapore
conventional short form: Singapore
local long form: Republic of Singapore
local short form: Singapore
Government type:
parliamentary republic
Capital:
name: Singapore
geographic coordinates: 1 17 N, 103 51 E
time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
none
Independence:
9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation)
National holiday:
National Day, 9 August (1965)
Constitution:
3 June 1959; amended 1965 (based on pre-independence State of Singapore Constitution)
Legal system:
based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
21 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state: President S R NATHAN (since 1 September 1999)
note: uses S R NATHAN but his full name and the one used in formal communications is Sellapan RAMANATHAN
head of government: Prime Minister LEE Hsien Loong (since 12 August 2004); Senior Minister GOH Chok Tong (since 12 August 2004); Senior Minister Shunmugam JAYAKUMAR (since 1 April 2009); Minister Mentor LEE Kuan Yew (since 12 August 2004); Deputy Prime Minister TEO Chee Huan (since 1 April 2009) and Deputy Prime Minister WONG Kan Seng (since 1 September 2005)
cabinet: appointed by president, responsible to parliament
elections: president elected by popular vote for six-year term; appointed on 17 August 2005 (next election to be held by August 2011); following legislative elections, leader of majority party or leader of majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by president; deputy prime ministers appointed by president