|
|
Advertisements:
GovernmentCountry name
Conventional long form Republic of Sierra Leone
Conventional short form Sierra Leone Local long form Republic of Sierra Leone Local short form Sierra Leone Government type
Constitutional democracy
Capital
Name Freetown
Geographic coordinates 8 29 N, 13 14 W Time difference UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions
3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western* Independence
27 April 1961 (from the UK)
Constitution
1 October 1991; amended several times Legal system
Mixed legal system of English common law and customary law International law organization participation
Has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
Chief of state
President Ernest Bai KOROMA (since 17 September 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government Head of government President Ernest Bai KOROMA (since 17 September 2007) Cabinet Ministers of State appointed by the president with the approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible to the president Elections President elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 11 August 2007 and 8 September 2007 (next to be held on 17 November 2012) Election results Second round results; percent of vote - Ernest Bai KOROMA 54.6%, Solomon BEREWA 45.4% Legislative branch
Unicameral Parliament (124 seats; 112 members elected by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; members to serve five-year terms) Elections Last held on 11 August 2007 (next to be held on 17 November 2012) Election results Percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - APC 59, SLPP 43, PMDC 10 Judicial branch
Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court Political parties and leaders
All People's Congress or APC [Ernest Bai KOROMA]; Peace and Liberation Party or PLP [Darlington MORRISON]; People's Movement for Democratic Change or PMDC [Charles MARGAI]; Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP [Julius Maada BIO]; numerous others Political pressure groups and leaders
Other Student unions; trade unions
International organization participation
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNISFA, UNMISS, UNMIT, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the us
Chief of mission
Ambassador Bockari Kortu STEVENS Chancery 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 Telephone [1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263 FAX [1] (202) 483-1793Diplomatic representation from the us
Chief of mission Ambassador Michael S. OWEN
Embassy Southridge-Hill Station, Freetown Mailing address Use embassy street addressTelephone [232] (22) 515 000 or (76) 515 000 FAX [232] (22) 515 355Flag description
Three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and blue; green symbolizes agriculture, mountains, and natural resources, white represents unity and justice, and blue the sea and the natural harbor in Freetown National symbol(s)
Lion
National anthem
Name
"High We Exalt Thee, Realm of the Free" Lyrics/music Clifford Nelson FYLE/John Joseph AKA Note Adopted 1961
Comments
Add a new comment: |
Advertisement
Members area
Sierra Leone (Freetown):
 
GPS points from Sierra Leone (Freetown)
|
||||||||
Democracy is slowly being reestablished after the civil war from 1991 to 2002 that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (about a third of the population). The military, which took over full responsibility for security following the departure of UN peacekeepers at the end of 2005, is increasingly developing as a guarantor of the country's stability. The armed forces remained on the sideline during the 2007 presidential election but still look to the UN Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL) - a civilian UN mission - to support efforts to consolidate peace. The new government's priorities include furthering development, creating jobs, and stamping out endemic corruption.