Interesting and
Surprising 50 Facts about
Sierra Leone
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Interesting and Surprising Facts about Sierra Leone
1. 1961 was a special year for Sierra Leone,
when it gained independence from
Great Britain
2. The name comes from the words ‘Serra
Leão’ meaning ‘Lion Mountain Range’
in Portuguese
3. Sierra Leone is the 118th largest country on
the planet, ahead of Ireland and Sri Lanka
4. More than 1.2 billion people – one in every
five on earth, survive on less than 60p a day.
This is extremely common in Sierra Leone
5. Freetown is the capital and largest city of
the country
6. English is the official language
7. Sierra Leone is among the Top 10 diamond
producing nations in the world
8. Sierra Leone is perhaps best known for its
blood diamonds during the Civil War
9. Eunice Barber, one of the world’s top female
athletes was born in Sierra Leone
10. Sierra Leone has the third largest harbour in
the world called the Queen Elizabeth II Quay
11. Sierra Leone ranks 103rd in the list of most
populated countries in the world
12. Two thirds of the population is illiterate
13. Sierra Leone has a high infant mortality and
low life expectancy. The maternal death rate
is Sierra Leone is the highest in the world at
2,000 deaths per 100,000 live births
14. The Sierra Leone Police is one of the oldest
police forces in West Africa established by
the British in 1894
15. Miss World 2009 delegate Mariatu Kargbo
from Sierra Leone spoke Chinese,
Creole and English
16. Sierra Leone is a member of the International
Olympic Committee (IOC)
17. Sierra Leone covers an area of 27,699 square
miles (71740 km2)
18. A devastating Civil War began in Sierra Leone
in 1991 and was resolved in 2000
19. Ernest Bai Koroma is the president of Sierra
Leone and was sworn in on 17th
September 2007
20.Sierra Leone is one of the lowest ranked
countries on the Human Development Index
21. Sierra Leone is the 8th lowest country on the
Human Poverty Index
22.Republic of Sierra Leone is in West Africa and
is bordered by Guinea to the north and east,
Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic
Ocean to the west and southwest
23.The population of Sierra Leone is estimated
to be 6.5 million people
24.About two thirds of the inhabitants engage in
subsistence agriculture
25.Sierra Leone became a British colony in 1808
26.Sierra Leone enjoys a tropical climate with
beautiful tropical rain forests, mountains,
savannahs, as well as beaches and
mangrove swamps
27. Sierra Leone is rich in mineral resources
including titanium, bauxite, gold and rutile as
well as diamonds
28.Despite its natural wealth, the vast majority of
the people of Sierra Leone live in poverty
29.Early inhabitants of Sierra Leone included the
Cherbro, Temne, Limba and Tyra and
Mede people
30.On March 11th 1792 Freetown was founded
as a home for formerly enslaved
African Americans
31. Unity, Freedom, Justice – is the motto of
Sierra Leone
38.The Civil War resulted in the destruction of
1,270 primary schools, and in 2001, 67% of all
school age children were out of school
39.Sierra Leone has 2 Universities founded in
1827 and another in 2005
40.The Sierra Leone Armed Forces consists of
around 15,500 personnel
41. There are 11,700 kilometers (about 7,720
miles) of highways in Sierra Leone and only
approx 8% are paved
42.Football is the most popular sport in Sierra
Leone and the national team is called the
Leone Stars
43.Ryan Giggs (footballer), Rochelle Wiseman
(The Saturdays), Amanda Mealing (Holby
City actress), although British, are of Sierra
Leonean descent
44.Little jewel in West Africa is another name
often given to Sierra Leone
45.Denise Lewis (Great Britain Olympic athlete)
was born in Sierra Leone
32.Vehicles are driven on the right hand side of
the road
46.The East End Lions and the Mighty Blackpool
are the two biggest and most successful
football clubs
33.H.E. Mr Edward M. Turay is the Sierra Leone
High Commissioner for the UK and
Northern Ireland
47. There are 800 km (497 miles) of waterways
in Sierra Leone of which 600 km (373 miles)
are navigable year round
34.The Sierra Leone High Commission is in
Eagle Street, Holborn, London
48.The Free Health Care Initiative was
established in 2010 giving free services for
pregnant women and children under 5
35.The Leone is the currency of Sierra Leone
36.Sierra Leone is home to 16 ethnic groups
including Mandika, Fula, Creole and Kuranko
37. Education is legally required for all children
for 6 years at primary level and 3 years in
junior secondary education and is free
49.Sierra Leone is celebrating its Golden Jubilee
- 50 years of independence in 2011
50.Life expectancy in Sierra Leone is 48 years
of age
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