Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of <a href="/facts/West_Africa/oV8Dk0kp">West Africa</a>. It is bordered to the southeast by <a href="/facts/Liberia/U99yfl2k">Liberia</a> and by <a href="/facts/Guinea/MaBu4ysQ">Guinea</a> to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is 73,252 km2 (28,283 sq mi). It has a <a href="/facts/Tropical_climate/LaAgIWtj">tropical climate</a> and environments ranging from <a href="/facts/Savannas/M0tPdd1l">savannas</a> to <a href="/facts/Rainforests/IEY5TMEc">rainforests</a>. As of the 2023 census, Sierra Leone has a population of 8,460,512. <a href="/facts/Freetown/uAIVc2rb">Freetown</a> is its capital and largest city.
Sierra Leone is a <a href="/facts/Presidential_republic/lFFCrzpv">presidential republic</a>, with a <a href="/facts/Unicameral_parliament/Uv6VUhG4">unicameral parliament</a> and a <a href="/facts/Directly_elected/mEu2tH8w">directly elected</a> president. It is a <a href="/facts/Secular_state/bG5ltTju">secular state</a>. Its <a href="/facts/Constitution_of_Sierra_Leone/mwo1SE51">constitution</a> provides for the <a href="/facts/Separation_of_state_and_religion/Yd05wU3P">separation of state and religion</a> and <a href="/facts/Freedom_of_conscience/3fUStDu9">freedom of conscience</a>. <a href="/facts/Muslims/W2ukq4pg">Muslims</a> constitute three-quarters of the population, and there is a significant <a href="/facts/Christian/15hE11VR">Christian</a> minority. Notably, religious tolerance is very high.
Sierra Leone's current territorial configuration was established in two phases: in 1808, the coastal <a href="/facts/Sierra_Leone_Colony_and_Protectorate/yzolmqHV">Sierra Leone Colony</a> was founded as a place to resettle returning Africans after the <a href="/facts/Abolition_of_the_slave_trade/hxBKUmYG">abolition of the slave trade</a>; then in 1896, the inland Protectorate was created as a result of the <a href="/facts/Berlin_Conference_of_1884%25E2%2580%25931885/ukrQD9bU">Berlin Conference of 1884–1885</a>. This led to the formal recognition of the territory as the <a href="/facts/Sierra_Leone_Colony_and_Protectorate/yzolmqHV">Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate</a>. Sierra Leone attained independence from the <a href="/facts/United_Kingdom/kuPAILt2">United Kingdom</a> in 1961 under the leadership of Prime Minister <a href="/facts/Sir_Milton_Margai/hdFNRwF8">Sir Milton Margai</a> of the <a href="/facts/Sierra_Leone_People%2527s_Party/cb0Jzrca">Sierra Leone People's Party</a> (SLPP). In 1971, under Prime Minister <a href="/facts/Siaka_Stevens/DQFh4UuX">Siaka Stevens</a> of the <a href="/facts/All_People%2527s_Congress/naB1Xsm6">All People's Congress</a> (APC), the country adopted a new constitution, transforming Sierra Leone into a presidential republic, with Stevens as the inaugural president. In 1978, Stevens declared the APC to be the <a href="/facts/One_party_system/bTmHoaGu">sole legally recognized party</a>. In 1985, he was succeeded by <a href="/facts/Joseph_Saidu_Momoh/eXRh4IrQ">Joseph Saidu Momoh</a>. Momoh's enactment of a new constitution in 1991 reintroduced a <a href="/facts/Multi-party_system/QaTh5oox">multi-party system</a>. That same year, a protracted <a href="/facts/Sierra_Leone_Civil_War/hXS60BUT">civil war</a> broke out between the government and the <a href="/facts/Revolutionary_United_Front/xBot472q">Revolutionary United Front</a> (RUF) rebel group. The conflict, characterized by multiple <a href="/facts/Coup_d%2527%25C3%25A9tat/eUK9HBw7">coups d'état</a>, persisted for 11 years. Intervention by <a href="/facts/ECOMOG/S6GAovWJ">ECOMOG</a> forces and later by the United Kingdom resulted in the defeat of the RUF in 2002, ushering in a period of relative stability.
Sierra Leone is a culturally diverse country, home to approximately <a href="/facts/Ethnic_groups_in_Sierra_Leone/Bt64cdlH">18 ethnic groups</a>, with the <a href="/facts/Temne_people/bCRF1HBy">Temne</a> and <a href="/facts/Mende_people/rVICSyEf">Mende peoples</a> being predominant. The <a href="/facts/Krio_people/qRdVzfd7">Creole people</a>, descendants of freed African-American, Afro-Caribbean slaves and liberated Africans, constitute about 1.2% of the population. English is the official language, while <a href="/facts/Krio_language/mzzSTMBE">Krio</a> is the <a href="/facts/Lingua_franca/dlGrD7ra">lingua franca</a>, spoken by 97% of the population. The country is rich with natural resources, notably diamonds, gold, <a href="/facts/Bauxite/CJ10QPc6">bauxite</a> and aluminium. As of the most recent survey in 2019, 59.2% of the population is affected by <a href="/facts/Multidimensional_Poverty_Index/BnQjhzCt">multidimensional poverty</a> and an additional 21.3% vulnerable to it. Sierra Leone maintains membership in several international organisations, including the United Nations, African Union, <a href="/facts/Economic_Community_of_West_African_States/7fszzNxT">Economic Community of West African States</a> (ECOWAS), and the <a href="/facts/Commonwealth_of_Nations/TcIRQnNq">Commonwealth of Nations</a>, among others.

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Sierra Leone