Ethnic divisions: native African 99% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%);
Creole, European, Lebanese, and Asian 1%; 13 tribes
Religion: Muslim 30%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10%,
other or none 30%
Language: English (official); regular use limited to literate
minority; principal vernaculars are Mende in south and Temne in north;
Krio is the language of the resettled ex-slave population of the Freetown
area and is lingua franca
Literacy: 21% (male 31%, female 11%) age 15 and over can
read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic (1990 est.)
Labor force: 1,369,000 (est.); agriculture 65%, industry 19%,
services 16% (1981); only about 65,000 earn wages (1985); 55% of
population of working age
Organized labor: 35% of wage earners
GOVERNMENT
Long-form name: Republic of Sierra Leone
Type: republic under presidential regime
Capital: Freetown
Administrative divisions: 4 provinces; Eastern, Northern, Southern,
Western
Independence: 27 April 1961 (from UK)
Constitution: 14 June 1978
Legal system: based on English law and customary laws indigenous to
local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Republic Day, 27 April (1961)
Executive branch: president, two vice presidents, Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Gen. Joseph
Saidu MOMOH (since 28 November 1985); First Vice President Abu Bakar
KAMARA (since 4 April 1987); Second Vice President Salia JUSU-SHERIFF
(since 4 April 1987)
Political parties and leaders: only party--All People's Congress
(APC), Gen. Joseph Saidu MOMOH; note--constitutional referendum to
adopt a multiparty system is scheduled for June 1991
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
President--last held 1 October 1985 (next to be held October 1992);
results--Gen. Joseph Saidu MOMOH was elected without opposition;
House of Representatives--last held 30 May 1986 (next to be
held February 1992);
results--APC is the only party;
seats--(127 total, 105 elected) APC 105
Communists: no party, although there are a few Communists and a
slightly larger number of sympathizers
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador George CAREW; Chancery at
1701 19th Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 939-9261;
US--Ambassador Johnny YOUNG; Embassy at the corner of Walpole and
Siaka Stevens Street, Freetown; telephone 232 (22) 26481
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and
light blue
ECONOMY
Overview: The economic and social infrastructure is not well
developed. Subsistence agriculture dominates the economy, generating
about one-third of GDP and employing about two-thirds of the working
population. Manufacturing accounts for less than 10% of GDP, consisting
mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for
the domestic market. Diamond mining provides an important source of hard
currency. The economy suffers from high unemployment, rising inflation,
large trade deficits, and a growing dependency on foreign assistance.
The government in 1990 was attempting to get the budget deficit under
control and, in general, to bring economic policy in line with the
recommendations of the IMF and the World Bank.
GDP: $1,302 million, per capita $325; real growth rate 2.8% (FY90)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): over 100% (1990)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $134 million; expenditures $187 million,
including capital expenditures of $32 million (FY91 est.)
Agriculture: accounts for over 30% of GDP and two-thirds of the
labor force; largely subsistence farming; cash crops--coffee, cocoa, palm
kernels; harvests of food staple rice meets 80% of domestic needs;
annual fish catch averages 53,000 metric tons
Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $161
million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-87), $698 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $18 million;
Communist countries (1970-89), $101 million
COMMUNICATIONS
Railroads: 84 km 1.067-meter narrow-gauge mineral line is used on a
limited basis because the mine at Marampa is closed
Highways: 7,400 km total; 1,150 km bituminous, 490 km laterite
(some gravel), remainder improved earth
Inland waterways: 800 km; 600 km navigable year round
Ports: Freetown, Pepel
Civil air: no major transport aircraft
Airports: 12 total, 8 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
3 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: marginal telephone and telegraph service;
national microwave radio relay system unserviceable at present; 23,650
telephones; stations--1 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth
station
DEFENSE FORCES
Branches: Army, Navy, Police
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 939,214; 453,877 fit for
military service; no conscription
Defense expenditures: $6 million, 0.7% of GDP (1988 est.)
