Sierra Leone

A CIVIL WAR (1991–2002) in Sierra Leone led to the deaths of tens of thousands of people and the displacement of around a third of the population. Since United Nations (UN) peacekeeping forces left Sierra Leone in 2005, the government has begun the recovery process. Internal political tensions, the tenuous political and economic situation in Guinea, and security issues with Liberia, however, threaten the stability of Sierra Leone. Even though the country has a wealth of natural resources that include diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, and chromite, weak infrastructures make adequate exploitation of resources difficult.

Nearly seven percent of land area in Sierra Leone is arable; two-thirds of the work force is engaged in subsistence agriculture, which provides 49 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. Alluvial diamond mining accounts for almost half of export earnings, and bauxite mining has resumed operation. Participation in the International Monetary Fund's Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility program has helped to promote economic stability. With a per capita income of only $900, however, Sierra Leone is the 16th poorest county in the world. Some 68 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, and half the population is seriously undernourished. Great income disparity exists in Sierra Leone, which ranks 62.9 on the Gini index of inequality. The richest 10 percent of society holds 43.6 percent of all wealth, with the poorest 10 percent sharing only 0.5 percent. The UN Development Programme's Human Development Reports rank Sierra Leone 176 of 232 countries on overall quality-of-life issues.

Bordering on the North Atlantic Ocean, Sierra Leone has a coastline of 402 kilometers and 120 square kilometers of inland water resources. The land is comprised of a coastal belt of mangrove [Page 1604]swamps that give way to wooded hills and an upland plateau with mountains in the east. Elevations range from sea level to 1,948 meters at Loma Mansa. The tropical climate is hot and humid with distinct seasons. Sierra Leone is one of the wettest places in coastal west Africa, experiencing as much as 195 inches of rainfall per year. The summer rainy season from May to December is followed by a fivemonth dry season. Sierra Leone is subject to sand and dust storms; from December to February, the harmattan—a hot, dry, sand-laden wind—blows in from the Sahara Desert, creating massive environmental damage.

Like most poor countries in Africa, Sierra Leoneans face major environmental health hazards. Some 43 percent of the population lack sustained access to safe drinking water, and 61 percent lack access to improved sanitation. Consequently, the population of 6,005,250 has a very high risk of contracting food and waterborne diseases including bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever, the water contact disease schistosomiasis, and Lassa fever, which is contracted from contact with contaminated aerosolized dust and soil. In some areas, the risk is high for contracting vectorborne diseases such as malaria and yellow fever. An HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate of seven percent is also causing major concern. Some 170,000 Sierra Leoneans have this disease, which has killed 11,000 people since 2001.

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