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Government of 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 UK)
National holiday:Independence Day, 27 April (1961)
Constitution:1 October 1991; subsequently 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 Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998)
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 14 May 2002 (next to be held on 11 August 2007)
election results: Ahmad Tejan KABBAH reelected president; percent of vote - Ahmad Tejan KABBAH 70.6%, Ernest Bai KOROMA 22.4%
Legislative branch:unicameral Parliament (124 seats; 112 members elected by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 14 May 2002 (next to be held on 11 August 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - SLPP 70.1%, APC 22.4%, PLP 3%, others 4.5%; seats by party - SLPP 83, APC 27, PLP 2
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:trade unions and student 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, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:chief of mission: Ambassador Ibrahim M. KAMARA
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 Thomas N. HULL
embassy: Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets, Freetown
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [232] (22) 515 000 or [232] (76) 515 000
FAX: [232] (22) 225471
Flag description:three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue

Sierra Leone Quickstats

  • Population: 6,144,562 (July 2007 est.)
  • Area: 71,740 sq km
  • Density: 83 /km² (114th¹)
  • GDP (total): $4.921 billion (151st)
  • GDP (per capita): $903 (172nd)
  • Literacy: 35.1%

Languages of Sierra Leone

Useful to know

  • Currency: Leone (SLL)
  • Dial code: +232

International Trade

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