49 Facts About Sierra Leone

1. Sierra Leone is a constitutional republic with a unicameral parliament and a directly elected president serving a five-year term with a maximum of two terms.

2. Sierra Leone is a secular nation with the constitution providing for the separation of state and religion and freedom of conscience.

3. Sierra Leone gained independence from the United Kingdom on 27 April 1961, and became a Commonwealth realm on the same day; the country's name changed to the Dominion of Sierra Leone.

4. Sierra Leone was reinstated after nine months through military intervention by ECOMOG.

5. Sierra Leone is rich in natural resources, especially diamond, gold, bauxite and aluminium.

6. Sierra Leone is home to Sub-Saharan Africa's first Western-style university: Fourah Bay College.

7. European contacts within Sierra Leone were among the first in West Africa during the 15th century.

8. Black settlers in Sierra Leone enjoyed much more autonomy than their white equivalent in European countries.

9. Sierra Leone developed as the educational centre of British West Africa.

10. Sierra Leone's employed her capacity for friendly communications to persuade the British to give her control of the Kpaa Mende chiefdom.

11. Sierra Leone's used diplomacy to communicate with many local chiefs who did not trust her friendship with the British.

12. In 1953, Sierra Leone was granted local ministerial powers and Margai was elected Chief Minister of Sierra Leone.

13. In May 1957, Sierra Leone held its first parliamentary election.

14. In May 1962, Sierra Leone held its first general election as an independent nation.

15. Sierra Leone based the government on the rule of law and the separation of powers, with multiparty political institutions and fairly viable representative structures.

16. Sierra Leone appointed government officials to represent various ethnic groups.

17. Sierra Leone was a close ally of Albert Margai, who had appointed him to the position in 1964.

18. Sierra Leone cancelled Juxon-Smith's construction of a church and mosque on the grounds of Victoria Park.

19. Sierra Leone created several government institutions that are still in use today.

20. NPRC Junta maintained relations with ECOWAS and strengthened support for Sierra Leone-based ECOMOG troops fighting in the Liberian war.

21. In 2014, an Ebola virus epidemic in Sierra Leone began that widely affected the country, including forcing Sierra Leone to declare a state of emergency.

22. In early August 2014 Sierra Leone cancelled league football matches because of the Ebola epidemic.

23. Sierra Leone is located on the southwest coast of West Africa, lying mostly between latitudes 7° and 10°N, and longitudes 10° and 14°W.

24. The current system of the Government of Sierra Leone is based on the 1991 Sierra Leone Constitution.

25. The executive branch of the Government of Sierra Leone, headed by the president of Sierra Leone has extensive powers and influences.

26. Supreme executive authority rests in the president and members of his cabinet and judicial power with the judiciary of which the Chief Justice of Sierra Leone is the head.

27. Current president of Sierra Leone is former military junta leader Julius Maada Bio.

28. Current members of the Parliament of Sierra Leone were elected in the 2012 Sierra Leone parliamentary election.

29. The current acting chief justice of Sierra Leone is Desmond Babatunde Edwards.

30. Sierra Leone is a member of the United Nations and its specialised agencies, the African Union, the African Development Bank, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

31. President of Sierra Leone is the Commander in Chief of the military, with the Minister of Defence responsible for defence policy and the formulation of the armed forces.

32. Law enforcement in Sierra Leone is primarily the responsibility of the Sierra Leone Police, which is accountable to the Minister of Internal Affairs (appointed by the president).

33. Republic of Sierra Leone is composed of five regions: the Northern Province, North West Province, Southern Province, the Eastern Province, and the Western Area.

34. Since the end of hostilities in January 2002, massive infusions of outside assistance have helped Sierra Leone begin to recover.

35. Two-thirds of the population of Sierra Leone are directly involved in subsistence agriculture.

36. Sierra Leone is known for its blood diamonds that were mined and sold to diamond conglomerates during the civil war, to buy the weapons that fuelled its atrocities.

37. The Lungi International Airport located in the coastal town of Lungi in Northern Sierra Leone is the primary airport for domestic and international travel to or from Sierra Leone.

38. Sierra Leone appears on the EU list of prohibited countries with regard to the certification of airlines.

39. The constitution of Sierra Leone provides for freedom of religion and the Sierra Leone Government generally protects it.

40. Surveys of the religious make up of Sierra Leone vary widely, though Muslims make up the majority of the population.

41. Loko in the north are native people of Sierra Leone, believed to have lived in Sierra Leone since the time of European encounter.

42. Education in Sierra Leone is legally required for all children for six years at primary level and three years in junior secondary education, but a shortage of schools and teachers has made implementation impossible.

43. CIA estimated that the average life expectancy in Sierra Leone was 57.39 years.

44. AWC- Aberdeen Women's Centre in Freetown, the second busiest hospital in Sierra Leone, delivering up to 3000 babies each year.

45. Water supply in Sierra Leone is characterised by limited access to safe drinking water.

46. Stations mainly consist of local commercial stations with a limited broadcast range, combined with a few stations with national coverage – Capital Radio Sierra Leone being the largest of the commercial stations.

47. United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone ran one of the most popular stations in the country, broadcasting programs in a range of languages.

48. Arts in Sierra Leone are a mixture of tradition and hybrid African and western styles.

49. Sierra Leone is the first African country to join the International Floorball Federation.