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Sierra Leone
Overview
| Flag |  |
| Anthem | High We Exalt Thee, Realm of the Free Watch on youtube (with lyrics in video description) |
| Capital | Freetown |
| Largest city | Freetown |
| Official language(s) | English |
| Demonym(a name for a resident of a locality, often the same as the name of the people's native language) | Sierra Leonean |
| Government | Constitutional republic |
| Area | 71,740 km2, 27,699 sq mi |
| Population | ~ 7 million |
| Currency | Leone (SLL) |
| Internet TLD | .sl |
Geography
Society and culture
Population
The 2009 estimate of Sierra Leone's population is 6.4 million. At the end of 2007, Sierra Leone had a population of 8,700 refugees(a person seeking a state of safety, protection or shelter in another country). Nearly all of the refugees were Liberian. There are officially fourteen ethnic groups in the country. The two largest and most dominant groups are the Mende and Temne. Each group comprises 30% of the population. The life expectancy(the chances of survival according to statistical tables) of Sierra Leoneans is 41 years.
Languages
English is the official language. It is spoken in schools, government administration, and is used by the media. Three other languages are present: Mende, Temne and Krio. Mende is mostly spoken in the south, Temne in the north. Krio is the principal spoken language of about 10% of the population but is understood by 95%.
Religion
The religious diversity of Sierra Leone has seldom(not often) led to conflict. Followers of Islam are estimated to make up 60% of the population. About 30% of the population are Christians. About 10% follow only African indigenous(native to a region) religion. Only small numbers of people have other faiths like Bahāʾī, Hinduism, and Judaism.
Government and politics
Sierra Leone is a constitutional republic. It has a directly elected president and a unicameral(of a government having only one chamber) legislature. The government comprises the Legislature(governmental body with the power to make, amend and repeal laws) (the Parliament), the Executive(that branch of government which is responsible for enforcing laws and judicial decisions, and for the day-to-day running of the state) (the President and members of his cabinet) and the Judiciary(the court system and judges considered collectively). The president is the head of state and the head of government. He is also the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces(the military forces of a nation, such as the army, navy, air force and marines) and the Police. The current president of Sierra Leone is Ernest Bai Koroma.
Economy
Rich in minerals, Sierra Leone relies on(to be dependent on) mining, especially diamonds, for its economic base. The country is among the top 10 diamond producing nations in the world. Still, it has historically struggled(to have difficulties) to manage their export. About two-thirds of the population engages in agriculture. There is high unemployment, especially among the youth. By the 1990s economic activity was declining(to become weaker, to fall down). Over the next decade(a period of 10 years) much of the economy was destroyed in the country’s civil war. Since 2002, the economy of Sierra Leone has been recovering(to get better).
Source: http://www.learning-english-online.net/cultural-studies/english-speaking-countries/sierra-leone/
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