Sierra Leone by Maggie

For several years, the UN has listed Sierra Leone as the world’s ‘least livable’ country, which sums up perfectly the country’s recent history. From the illegal diamond trade to HIV/AIDs to refugees pouring in from Liberia, Sierra Leone isn’t looking too good at the moment. In this presentation, we will explore Sierra Leone, and learn about a country far away and very different from our own.

Where in the World is Sierra Leone... Above, left: Map of Sierra Leone Above, right: Sierra Leone (in green) in relation to Africa

The National Flag -Sierra Leone’s national flag (pictured lower right) is comprised of three equal horizontal bands colored light green, white, and light blue. -When Sierra Leone gained independence from Great Britain on April 27 th, 1961, they adopted their current flag. Most experts agree it is based off of the country’s coat of arms (pictured upper left) -Supposedly, the green stripe stands for agriculture, wealth and mountains, the white stripe symbolizes justice and unity and the blue stripe represents the Atlantic Ocean and the harbor of Freetown (Sierra Leone’s capital)

The People -Population: 5,132,138 -Life expectancy: years -38% of the people live in urban areas -32 nd highest rate of death in the world -15 th highest infant mortality rate in the world (for every thousand live births, there are almost eighty-two deaths, as compared to eight deaths per every thousand in the USA) -55,000 people in Sierra Leone have HIV/AIDS (ranked 62 nd in the world) -Religious beliefs: Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10% -35% of the population is literate - 3.8% of GDP spent on education

Government -They are a constitutional democracy (“a system of government based on popular sovereignty in which the structures, powers, and limits of government are set forth in a constitution,” definition from Dictionary.com) -President: Ernest Bai KOROMA (above, right) -Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term) -Unicameral Parliament with 124 seats. They serve five year terms.

Geographically and Environmentally -Total area: 71,740 sq km Slightly larger than South Carolina -Climate: tropical, hot, humid -Current environmental issues: rapid population growth pressuring the environment, deforestation as a result of overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing and slash-and-burn agriculture, overfishing, and natural resources depleted by recent civil war -Terrain: mangrove swamps along the coast, wooded hill country, upland plateau and mountains in the east

Economy -GDP per capita: $900 (ranked 217 th in the world) -70.2% of the population below the poverty line -The national debt is $1.61 billion (estimate from 2003)

The Military -The service age is 17 years and 6 months for voluntary military service (younger with parental consent) -No conscription -1,454,708 citizens aged are fit for military service -2.8% of GDP (as of 2006) spent on the military

Other ‘Fun’ Facts -Radio stations: 1 AM, 9 PM, 1 shortwave -2 TV stations (as of 1999) -9 airports, only 1 of which has a paved runway -11,300 km of road, of which only 904 km are paved

Remaking a Country: The Aftereffects of Civil War

The civil war in Sierra Leone has long been thought of as one of the most brutal wars in recent history. People routinely got limbs hacked off by the rebels with machetes. More than 2 million people were displaced by the war. Countless women and girls were raped, often multiple times. 10,000 children fought as full-fledged soldiers. They were given drugs and guns, and told to fight. Today, Sierra Leoneans still suffer from this war.

Pictures From Music Provided By... Microsoft PowerPoint What I Wouldn’t Give, by Holly Brook