Sierra Leone 2006
In 2006, Sierra Leone was a country located in West Africa with a population of approximately 5.4 million people. The official language was English and the majority of the population practiced Christianity. The economy was largely based on agriculture, mining, and fishing and its main exports included diamonds, coffee, cocoa beans, and fish.
According to constructmaterials, the government at this time was a presidential republic led by President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah who had been in power since 1998. Sierra Leone had experienced civil war from 1991 to 2002 which had devastated the nation. In terms of education, Sierra Leone had achieved universal primary education by this time but literacy rates were still low amongst adults aged 15-24 years old due to the effects of the war.
Overall, Sierra Leone in 2006 was a diverse nation that embraced its cultural heritage whilst making positive strides towards economic development. Despite its long history of conflict and poverty, it was slowly recovering from its turbulent past and making progress towards stability and prosperity.
Yearbook 2006
Sierra Leone. According to CountryAAH, major public holidays in Sierra Leone include Independence Day (April 27) and New Year (January 1). A new civilian United Nations organization, the United Nations Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL), began its work at the turn of the year. It replaced the UNAMSIL peacekeeping military force and will help S. strengthen the democratic system so that general elections can be carried out in good order in 2007. For the same purpose, the government appointed a commission to review and improve the 1991 constitution. The Commission includes representatives of all major parties, religious communities, the judiciary, the media, business and other social organizations. The proposal for a new constitution must be submitted to a referendum in 2007.
After the bloody civil war of the 1990s, relative stability has emerged and Sierra Leone is starting to benefit from its vast mineral wealth. Economic growth in 2005 was just over 7% and was expected to be at the same level in 2006. The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank rewarded Sierra Leone for its sound economic policy by writing off most of the country’s foreign debt of about SEK 12 billion.
The work of investigating those responsible for the civil war took a major step forward when in March Nigeria agreed to extradite the wanted Charles Taylor, former president of Liberia and designated as a key person behind the war. He is charged with 17 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. In the preliminary hearings in the UN-backed Special Court in Freetown, he pleaded not guilty in all cases. For security reasons, he was transferred to The Hague in the Netherlands in June, where the trial is expected to begin in April 2007 with organizational support from the International Criminal Court (ICC). It was considered too risky to keep him in Sierra Leone, where exemption attempts and perhaps provocations into a new war could be feared.
Country data
Sierra Leone, which covers an area of 72,323 km 2 has 2,500,000 residents (dens. 34.5), has been rapidly evolving over the last decade. The most important product is rice (260,000 ha with over 2.5 million q per year), followed by cassava, millet, sorghum and other minor products. The Raphia vinifera and Raphia gaertneri provide, inter alia, a fiber, the piassava, and is in the Bonthe district that it produces the best quality (the “raw Sherbro”). The production of the kola nut is also important. At the beginning we find the cultivation of the banana tree. The equatorial forest occupies an area in the country. of 3000 km 2and is under state control. Important is the production of minerals, especially those of iron near Lunsar, conducted by rail to Pepel and exported (over 1,000,000 tons). More important are the deposits of the Sula Mountains, however difficult to access and therefore still in their potential state. The richest area in minerals is undoubtedly that of the internal highlands: diamonds (1,400,846 carats exported in 1959), whose trade is in the hands of Lebanese, chromite near Hangha, columbite, not yet exploited. The enhancement of ilmenite and rutilio is expected.
Area: 71,740 km2 (world rank: 117)
Population: 7,557,000
Population density: 105 per km2 (as of 2017, world rank: 102)
Capital: Freetown
Official languages: English
Gross domestic product: 3.8 billion US $; real growth: 4.2%
Gross national product (GNP, per resident and year): 510 US$
Currency: 1 Leone (Le) = 100 cents
Embassy
Herwarthstr. 4, 12207 Berlin
Telephone 030 77205850,
Fax 030 772058529
www.slembassy-germany.org
Government
Head of State and Government: Julius Maada BioMohamed Juldeh Jalloh, Outside: Kailfala Marah
National holiday: 27.4.
Administrative structure
4 provinces
State and form of government
Constitution of 1991
Presidential republic (in the Commonwealth)
Parliament: House of Representatives with 146 members (132 elected, 14 traditional leaders), election every 5 years
Direct election of the head of state every 5 years (one-off Re-election) Right to
vote from 18 years.
Population of: Sierra
Leoneans, last census 2015: 7,092,113 residents,
especially Mande groups: 32% Temne, 8% Limba, 4% Kuranko in the N, 35% Mende in the S; Europeans, Lebanese and other
Cities (with population): (as of 2015) Freetown 1,055,964 inh., Kenema 200,443, Bo 174,369, Koidu 124,662, Makeni 124,634
Religions: 77% Muslims (Sunnis), 21% Christians; indigenous religions, etc. (status: 2006)
Languages: English; Mande languages (including Malinké, Mende), Temne, Limba and Krio (English Creole) Employed
By economic sector: No information
Unemployment (in% of all economically active persons)
No information
Inflation rate (in%): 2017: 18.0%
Foreign trade: Import: 1.1 Billion US $ (2017); Export: US $ 0.8 billion (2017)
