de
principal vernacular in the south, Temne principal vernacular in the
north, Krio the language of the re-settled ex-slave population of the
Freetown area and is lingua franca
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write English, Merde, Temne, or Arabic
(1990 est.)
total population:
21%
male:
31%
female:
11%
Labor force:
1.369 million (1981 est.)
by occupation:
agriculture 65%, industry 19%, services 16% (1981 est.)
note:
only about 65,000 wage earners (1985); 55% of population of working
age

@Sierra Leone, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
Republic of Sierra Leone
conventional short form:
Sierra Leone
Digraph:
SL
Type:
military government
Capital:
Freetown
Administrative divisions:
3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western*
Independence:
27 April 1961 (from UK)
National holiday:
Republic Day, 27 April (1961)
Constitution:
1 October 1991; suspended following 19 April 1992 coup
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 and head of government:
Chairman of the Supreme Council of State Capt. Valentine E. M.
STRASSER (since 29 April 1992)
cabinet:
Council of Secretaries; responsible to the NPRC
Legislative branch:
unicameral House of Representatives (suspended after coup of 29 April
1992); Chairman STRASSER promises multi-party elections sometime in
1995
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (suspended after coup of 29 April 1992)
Political parties and leaders:
status of existing political parties is unknown following 29 April
1992 coup
Member of:
ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory
user), INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Thomas Kahota KARGBO
chancery:
1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone:
(202) 939-9261
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Lauralee M. PETERS
embassy:
Walpole and Siaka Stevens Street, Freetown
mailing address:
use embassy street address
telephone:
[232] (22) 226-481
FAX:
[232] (22) 225-471
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands of li