Sierra Leone
Facts of Sierra Leone
Country Symbol
The lion is a symbol of Sierra Leone. And the mountains the country named after it It appears on the nations coat of arms as well as it's currency.
Fun Facts
Sierra Leone is one of the top diamond mining nations in the world. The country is famous for it's blood diamond's, that were mined and sold illegally to pay for weapons during the civil war.
Facts of Awesomeness (and Sierra Leone)
Sierra Leone Coat of Arms
Sierra Leone is led by a president who is elected by the people to serve a five year term. The president cannot serve more than two terms. The president also appoints a number of ministers of state as advisors. Parliament makes the laws. It's 124 members are elected to serve five year terms. The nations constitution guarantees basic civil rights for it's people, including religious freedom. Sierra Leone is divided into three provinces (similar to states) and one area. Tribal chiefs are in charge of local government. The voting age is 18.
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone is home to the Queen Elizabeth II Quay, one of the largest harbors in the world. Sherbo Island off the southern coast is a prime breeding ground for green and leatherback turtles. Endangered dwarf crocodiles and pygmy hippos live in the nation wetlands. Established by the British in 1894 the Sierra Leone police is one of the oldest police forces in west Africa.
Sierra Leone Flag
The flag of Sierra Leone was adopted on April 27 1961. The green part of the flag symbolizes the Country's farmland mountains and natural resources. The white represents justice peace and unity .The blue stands for the sea and the natural harbor in Freetown.
Sierra Leonean Civil Wars
Sierra Leone Civil War
The people grew more and more unhappy with their government, and not long after president Stevens retried in 1985 violence broke out between the government and a rebel group known as the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). More than 10,000 people were killed in the resulting conflict. The military too control of the government in 1992, and four years later multiparty elections were held. Unfortunatley, the fighting continued. RUF forced president Kabbah from power in 1997, and the government takeover leader Johnny Paul Koroma , took control of the country with the help of RUF rebels. A Nigerian-led peacekeeping force arrived in Sierra Leone that summer and drove Koroma out returning Kabbah to office.
Sierra Leone Civil War Part 2
In 1999 rebel troops stormed Freetown. Thousands were killed in the fight for the city , and thousands more became refugees (people forced to leave their homes because of war). The two sides signed a peace agreement and a United Nations peacekeeping force arrived to disarm soldiers on both sides. Rebels still controlled around half the country, including most of Sierra Leone's diamond mines, from which they had smuggled millions of dollars in diamonds to pay for the war. They gradually disarmed them over the next few years. Peace was officially declared in 2002, and elections were held. More than 50,000 lives were lost in the civil war, and hundreds of thousands of Sierra Leoneans fled to live in different countries. Today many have returned to their homes and are working on rebuilding their lives.