Sierra Leone

     Before I started my research about Sierra Leone I have watched a few things in school about the civil war that is going on there. "The Blood Diamond" with Leonardo DiCaprio also comes to mind when I heard about our research topic. The child soldiers who are kidnapped with parents murdered in front of their eyes only to be recruited to kill.  

     

     Ok, so that was before my research and this is after. Sierra Leone is a country in West Africa that is bordered by Guinea to the northeast, Liberia to the southeast and the Atlantic Ocean to the southwest. Their capital is Freetown. Currency used her is Sierra Leonean leone. Their president is Ernest Bai Koroma. I found their national anthem to be very interesting, much different than the other ones I have come across: “High we exalt thee, realm of the free.” I found this interesting and scary at the same time since I know a little about what is really going on currently in that country. Their motto is “Unity, Freedom, Justice” another really intense saying about freedom. Another interesting fact is their official language is English, I would never have thought that before my research. Their government is Unitary state, Presidential system, and Constitutional republic.

     

     When I do research about different countries I like to look at their recommended destinations. Normally Google has beautiful pictures describing each destination, but not for Sierra Leone. The three places they recommend to visit is Freetown (their capital), Bo, and Koidu Sierra Leone. The pictures they had for these destinations had not a single person in them which I found interesting. As a whole the destinations looked very impoverished compared to other destinations in Africa. I found their GDP of $8.276 billion to be an interesting contrast to these impoverished areas.

     

     Sierra Leone is divided into four administrative regions: the Northern Province, Eastern Province, Southern Province and the Western Area. Each area is subdivided into 14 districts that have its own directly elected local government known as district council. 

Since their Independence from the United Kingdom April 27^th, 1961 to present, Sierra Leone’s politics has been dominated by two major political parties: the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the All People’s Congress (APC).

     

     Another thing I found interesting about Sierra Leone is that they are predominantly a Muslim country though with an influential Christian minority. Sierra Leone is regarded as one of the most religiously tolerant countries in the world. I found it interesting that my sources tried to say that religious violence is very rare in Sierra Leone even though the country itself is known for being one of the most violent in the world.

     

     Sierra Leone has relied on mining, especially diamonds, for its economic base. It is also among the largest producers of titanium and bauxite, a major producer of gold, and has one of the world’s largest deposits of rutile. Sierra Leone is home to the third-largest natural harbor in the world. Despite exploitation of this natural wealth, 70% of its people live in poverty.