Sierra+Leone+Emily+S!

Sierra Leone!!! The Flag  The Country    The People The Government and the Economy  Timeline Travel Cooking Sources (links are currently not working. i really can't figure it out. but i seriously tried for at least an hour.)

The Flag:
The flag of Sierra Leone has three stripes which each represent something. The green represents Sierra Leone's agriculture, mountains, and natural resources. The white stripe represents unity and justice. Finally, the blue stripe is symbolic of, "the natural harbor in Freetown."

About Sierra Leone:

 * **__Location-__**
 * [[image:sierra_leone_rel_2005.jpg width="247" height="274" align="right"]]Longitude: -13.5
 * Latitude: 8.30
 * __**Area-**__ 27,699 square miles
 * __**Borders-**__ Guinea, Liberia, the Atlantic Ocean
 * __**Climate-**__ tropical
 * __**Terrain-**__
 * the coast is marsh
 * the east is a plateau forests and mountains
 * the north is a savanna
 * the south is rainforest
 * __**Land Use-**__ farming in the rainforest area
 * __**Natural Hazards-**__ sandstorms, heat
 * __**Environmental Issues-**__ overfishing, scarcity in natural resources, rapid population growth, deforestation



=The People:= Sierra Leone is a place where one's family and tribe come before the government. With the great diversity of ethnic groups, this is a big problem. The country is presently working on bringing deocracy back after their recent civil war (ended in 2002). Despiter all of the problems in their country, Sierra Leonans enjoy to have fun. They prefer to look on the bright side of any situation. To stay positive, they attend soccer games and go to movie theaters.
 * __**Population-**__ 5,132,138 (as of July 2010)
 * __**Birth Rate-**__ 39.08 out of 1000 people
 * **__Death Rate-__** 12.22 out of 1000 people
 * __**Infant Mortality Rate-**__ 81.86 out of 1000 live births
 * __**Net Migration Rate-**__ 5.08 migrant(s) out of 1000 people
 * __**Population Growth Rate-**__ 2.179%
 * **__Ethnic Groups:__**
 * African ethnic groups make up 90% of the population
 * Temne (30%)
 * Mende (30%)
 * Other (30%)
 * Creole (Krio) (10%)
 * Refugees from Liberia
 * A small number of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians
 * **__Life Expectancy:__**
 * [[image:people.jpg width="310" height="229" align="right"]]Average- 55.25 years
 * Male- 52.86 years
 * Female- 57.71 years
 * **__Literacy:__**
 * Average- 35.1%
 * Male- 46.9%
 * Female- 24.4%
 * **__Unemployment-__** N/A
 * **__Religion:__**
 * 60% Muslim
 * 10% Christian
 * 30% indigenous beliefs
 * **__Time Spent Getting an Education:__**
 * Average- 7 years
 * Male- 8 years
 * Female- 6 years
 * **__Languages:__**
 * English is the official language, but it is only commonly used by a minority of the people
 * Mende is mostly spoken in the south.
 * Temne is mostly spoken in the north.
 * Krio is spoken around the Freetown area. It is understood by 95% of the population.
 * __**Internet Access-**__ 13,900 (as of 2009)

The Government and Economy:
Sierra Leone is a very unstable country at the moment. Not only is it extremely poor, but it has recently gone through two civil wars. These wars have not helped the Economy at all. It also doesn't help that half of the people of working age only subsistence farm. All of this has caused Sierra Leone to rely heavily on funding from other countries.

Government:

 * **__Independence-__** On April 27th, 1961, Sierra Leone gained independence for Britain.
 * **__Government Type-__** constitutional democracy[[image:leone.jpg width="226" height="191" align="right"]]
 * **__Suffrage-__** 18 years of age
 * **__Capital-__** Freetown
 * **__Leader-__** President Ernest Bai Koroma

**Economy:**

 * GDP per Capita- $900 (as of 2009)
 * Labor Force By Occupation- N/A
 * Currency/Exchange Rate: (currency is the Leone)
 * 1 Leone = 0.0002466 Dollars
 * 1 Dollar = 4,055.00 Leones
 * Industries- diamond mining, manufacturing, petroleum refining, ship repair
 * Agriculture Products- rice, coffee, cocoa, palm products, peanuts, animals
 * Imports- foodstuffs, equiptment, fuel chemicals
 * Exports- diamonds, cocoa, coffee, fish
 * Illicit Drugs-

Timeline:
=== **Sierra Leone has a very interesting history. Most of it is different groups striving for power. Below is a timeline of important events in the history of Sierra Leone. ** ===
 * **13th-16th centuries-** The area that is now Sierra Leone was a part of the Mali Empire.
 * **1462-** The Portugese began to explore the area. They named the region Serra Lyoa which means lion range.
 * **1896-** Britain took protectorate over Sierra Leone. This just means that Britain, as a stronger country, would look after Sierra Leone and it's affairs until it was strong enough to do so on its own.
 * **April 27, 1961-** Sierra Leone gained independence from Britain and Sir Milton Margai became the first Prime Minister.
 * **1978-** As prime minister, Siaka Stevens banned all parties except the All People's Conference (APC)
 * **Starting in 1991-** A rebel group known as the RUF (Revolutionary United Front) started war which destroyed the economy and killed at least 10,000
 * **1992-** Captain Valentine Strasser took over and leads the country under military rule.
 * **1996-** Peace is reached with the RUF and an election is held. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah is elected president.
 * **March 1997-** RUF begins to rebel again.
 * **May 1997-** Kabbah is forced to leave and a rebel leader, Johnny Paul Koromah, becomes president.
 * **March 1998-** Koromah is run out, Kabbah comes back
 * **July 1999-** The RUF sign a treaty and get to hold positions in government. Koromah goes back to the army.
 * **2000-** The RUF broke the treaty by not giving back smuggled diamonds.
 * **June 2000-** RUF takes over
 * **March 2001-** The UN helps to restore peace. The RUF is peacefully gone.
 * **January 2002-** Kabbah is relected president.
 * **2007-** Ernest Bai Koroma becomes president.

Before Coming here...

 * Bring money with you because credit card use is limited.
 * Have a visa or passport (duh)
 * Health Information:
 * 4 to 6 weeks before leaving to go on a trip to Sierra Leone, you should visit your doctor. they can help you to keep safe while you are there. Before leaving, you should make sure that your routine vaccines are current. You should also have vaccines for hepatitis A and B, typhoid, polio, yellow fever, and rabies. Also discuss with your doctor the best ways to prevent catching malaria. Remember, you should not ever drink tap water in Sierra Leone so bring extra money for bottled water! Be safe!

Things to do and things to see here... [[image:Cotton_Tree_(Sierra_Leone).jpg width="240" height="180" align="right" caption="The Cotton Tree"]]

 * Fishing
 * Club Scenes
 * watch out for pick pockets!
 * Turtle Islands
 * clear water great for swimming!
 * The Cotton Tree
 * a landmark in the city of Freetown
 * over 200 years old
 * on the Leone
 * Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary
 * 30 minutes from Freetown
 * The United States Embassy-**
 * **__Ambassador:__** June Carter Perry
 * **__Location:__** Southridge-Hill Station, Freetown
 * **__Phone:__** [232] (22) 515 000 or (76) 515 000
 * **__FAX:__** [232] (22) 515 355



Benne Cakes (Sesame Cookies) [[image:BenneWafers.jpg width="235" height="191" align="right"]]
3/4 cup butter, softened1 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 eggs beate 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup sesame seeds toasted 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1/4 tsp. baking powder DIRECTIONS: 1. cream butter and sugar together and mix with other ingredients, in the order as listed. 2. Using a teaspoon, drop spoonfuls of dough on cookie sheet. Bake at 325 F for 30 minutes.

**Sources:**

 * Information:
 * Hasday, Judy. __Sierra Leone__. Philadelphia: Mason Crest, 2008.
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