Sheku Sei/About my country

Sheku Sei

About my country

ECONOMY

GDP estimated for 2002 was $836 million, GDP growth rate: 6.6%, GDP per capita income: $171, Average annual inflation rate: -3.2%. Natural resources are: Diamonds, rutile, bauxite, gold, platinum and chromite. Agriculture: Products--coffee, cocoa, ginger, palm kernels, cassava, bananas, citrus, peanuts, plantains, rice, sweet potatoes, vegetables. Land--30% potentially arable, 8% cultivated. Diamonds, bauxite, and rutile mining; forestry; beverages; cigarettes; construction goods; tourism.Trade 2002 estimates are: Exports--$72.5 million: rutile, diamonds, bauxite, coffee, cocoa, fishes. Major markets are U.S., Belgium, Spain, U.K. and other west European nations. Imports--$190 million: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuel and lubricants, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, building materials, light consumer goods, used clothing, textiles. Mineral exports remain Sierra Leone's principal foreign exchange earner. Sierra Leone is a major producer of gem-quality diamonds. Though rich in this resource, the country has historically struggled to manage its exploitation and export. Annual production estimates range between $250-300 million. However, only a portion of that passes through formal export channels (1999: $1.2 million; 2000: $7 million; 2001: $26 million; 2002: $42 million; 2003: $76 million; 2004: $127 million). The balance is smuggled out, where it is used for money laundering and the financing of war. Fisheries is another important source of revenue. However not much is got from this sector due to limitations of exploitation resources such as a national fleet, and infrastructure. Most of the fishing trawlers are foreign owned, taken exporting the largest portion of the catch. More information on the Sierra Leone fishery can be found from the Sierra Leone Encyclopaedia: http://www.daco-sl.org/encyclopedia2004/5_gov/5_2mofmr.htm

PEOPLE
The indigenous population is made up of 18 ethnic groups. The Temne in the north and the Mende in the South are the largest. About 60,000 are Krio, the descendants of freed slaves who returned to Sierra Leone from Great Britain and North America and slave ships captured on the high seas. In addition, about 4,000 Lebanese, 500 Indians, and 2,000 Europeans reside in the country. In the past, Sierra Leoneans were noted for their educational achievements, trading activity, entrepreneurial skills, and arts and crafts work, particularly woodcarving. Many are part of larger ethnic networks extending into several countries, which link West African states in the area. However, the level of education and infrastructure has declined sharply over the last 30 years.

HISTORY
European contacts with Sierra Leone were among the first in West Africa. In 1652, the first slaves in North America were brought from Sierra Leone to the Sea Islands off the coast of the southern United States. During the 1700s there was a thriving trade bringing slaves from Sierra Leone to the plantations of South Carolina and Georgia where their rice-farming skills made them particularly valuable.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS

Type: Republic with a democratically elected President and Parliament.
Independence: From Britain, April 27, 1961, and constitution in: October 1, 1991.Thirteen political parties contested the 1996 elections. There are now 22 registered political parties. Major parties--All People's Congress (APC), Democratic Center Party (DCP), National Unity Party (NUP), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), United National People's Party (UNPP).
Sierra Leone is a republic with an executive president and a multi-party system of government. Civil rights and religious freedom are respected. A critical press continues to operate, although the government has intervened for alleged inaccurate reporting.The basic unit of local government generally is the chiefdom, headed by a paramount chief and council of elders. There also is an elected council and mayor in Freetown, Bo, Kenema, and Makeni. More information can be found on the Sierra Leone Web :http://www.sierra-leone.org/govt.html

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