Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone is a country in West Africa. It is bounded on the north by Guinea, Liberia, in the southeast and the Atlantic Ocean in the south and west. It covers a total area of 71,740 km ² and has an estimated population of 6,296,803 inhabitants. The country has a tropical climate with a diverse environment ranging from savannah to rainforests. The republic's capital of Freetown, the seat of government, the main economic center and largest city, with approximately 1.1 million inhabitants. It is the country with the third lowest in the HDI ranking.

History..

The country is a former English colony founded in the late eighteenth century by freed blacks from slavery. And obtained independence on 27 April 1961 and is a member of the Commonwealth. It was considered by the UN in 1997, the least developed country in the world, despite its natural wealth. The country's political life has been marked by massive military coups, executions and looting.

Most of Sierra Leone's coastline consists of mangrove, the only exception being the peninsula where is located the capital, Freetown. The rest of Sierra Leone is mainly a plateau (about 300 m altitude) covered by forests, with mountains in the east (highest point Loma Mansa is with 1948 m).

Culture..

The Mendes, Temne and other groups have a system of secret societies that undertook through the centuries to convey the culture of different tribes. These are inculcated members of each group since childhood. For this most secretive of cultural activities are closed to the outsider.

The official language of Sierra Leone is English, which emerged during the expeditions of colonization, when countries such as Britain took possession of parts of Africa such as Sierra Leone, which for years has been settled. The inhabitants were forced to learn so a way to spread the language throughout the world, but in fact the lingua franca Krio is the language, native to the Sierra Leone Creoles, but spoken by 98% of the population.

The British also influenced the culture of these people, every people of Africa have different religious beliefs. With the coming of the British, were lost tens of rites, for now have to follow the Gospel and Catholic Christian, the same cost for meals and dancing, eating only the English food, dancing and generally influenced by the dances of England.
            There is a football team that won the title “Leonesa Amiliar Cabral” in 1993 and 1995. The colors of the flag of Sierra Leone are: green, white and blue, also has the coat of arms was granted by the College of Arms "in 1960, the shield shows a lion and zig zag, representing the Sierra Leone which derives the name of the country, this country is the motto: unity, freedom and justice.

Ethnic groups..

In Sierra Leone to highlight two ethnic groups: Creole is a term given to non-natives of Africa, this ethnic group has a community of about 200,000 descendants of freed slaves of the West Indies, North America and Britain, and they live mostly in eastern Sierra Leone especially in the capital.

Also Topics that are already the longest in Sierra Leone, have lived there even before the arrival of Pedro Sintra who discovered the place, that ethnicity is one third of the population.

Culinary..

Quimbobó

The kitchen in Sierra Leone stands out from other countries of the western continent. It is customary for each family to cultivate their own products (including themselves build houses). The tourist will find few places to eat, but every city has at least some establishments to sample the best cuisine in the country. On the street are also registered food stalls offering a variety of typical products.

           The country's main dish is rice with neoplasias which is a sauce made with potatoes or made with tapioca leaves bruised and cooked with palm oil and is accompanied by fish or veal. Other traditional dishes are Quimbobó sauce, stew and peanut soup chili.

Politic..

Form of government: Presidential Republic.

Administrative Division: 4 regions subdivided into 12 districts.

Major parties: the People of Sierra Leone (SLPP)

United National People's (UNPP) and the Democratic People (PDP).

Legislative branch: unicameral - Parliament,

with 80 members elected by direct suffrage for a term of five years.

Constitution in force: 1991.

Religion..

Islam is predominant in 60% of the population, Christianity covers 30% and 10% African tribal religions profess. The constitution of Sierra Leone provides religious freedom and the government generally supports this right and will not tolerate its abuse. Unlike many African countries, ethnic and religious mix rarely causes religious or tribal conflict.

Economy..

Sierra Leone is rich in minerals such as diamond, iron, bauxite and platinum. Extractive activities are managed largely by the foreign company. The industries include facilities for processing agricultural and forestry products and diamonds. Still, Sierra Leone is the seventh poorest country in the world having the third worst HDI (0.365) and, moreover, its GDP is very low, and to keep up, get a little relief from other countries.

General and social data about the country..

Official name: Republic of Sierra Leone.

Official language: English, Creole, Mende, Limba, Temne.
Capital: Freetown.
Current President: Ahmad Tejan Kabbah.
Independence: 27 April 1961.
Currency: Leone.
Location: West Africa, southern Guinea and northern Liberia;
the Atlantic Ocean.
Death rate: 23.03 deaths / 1,000 inhabitants.
Birth rate: 45.76 births / 1,000 population.
Population: 6,005,250.
Growth rate: 2.3%.
Life expectancy:Men: Approximately 38 years.
Women: Approximately 43 years.
Population below poverty line: about 70%.
Literacy: Seven in ten adults are illiterate.
AIDS / HIV: Like virtually all countries of Africa, thousands of Sierra Leoneans are infected with HIV. And a large portion of their mortality rate is a result.