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Compare Congo, Democratic Republic of the (2002) - Sierra Leone (2001)

Compare Congo, Democratic Republic of the (2002) z Sierra Leone (2001)

 Congo, Democratic Republic of the (2002)Sierra Leone (2001)
 Congo, Democratic Republic of theSierra Leone
Administrative divisions 10 provinces (provinces, singular - province) and one city* (ville); Bandundu, Bas-Congo, Equateur, Kasai-Occidental, Kasai-Oriental, Katanga, Kinshasa*, Maniema, Nord-Kivu, Orientale, Sud-Kivu 3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western*
Age structure 0-14 years: 48.2% (male 13,369,493; female 13,256,174)


15-64 years: 49.3% (male 13,343,303; female 13,860,996)


65 years and over: 2.5% (male 581,568; female 813,944) (2002 est.)
0-14 years:
44.73% (male 1,190,207; female 1,237,326)

15-64 years:
52.12% (male 1,351,455; female 1,477,155)

65 years and over:
3.15% (male 84,364; female 86,111) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber, tea, quinine, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, bananas, root crops, corn, fruits; wood products rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish
Airports 232 (2001) 11 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 24


over 3,047 m: 4


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 16


914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2002)
total:
1

over 3,047 m:
1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 205


1,524 to 2,437 m: 19


914 to 1,523 m: 95


under 914 m: 91 (2002)
total:
10

914 to 1,523 m:
7

under 914 m:
3 (2000 est.)
Area total: 2,345,410 sq km


land: 2,267,600 sq km


water: 77,810 sq km
total:
71,740 sq km

land:
71,620 sq km

water:
120 sq km
Area - comparative slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US slightly smaller than South Carolina
Background Since 1997 the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC; formerly called Zaire) has been rent by ethnic strife and civil war, touched off by a massive inflow in 1994 of refugees from the fighting in Rwanda and Burundi. The government of former president MOBUTU Sese Seko was toppled by a rebellion led by Laurent KABILA in May 1997; his regime was subsequently challenged by a Rwanda- and Uganda-backed rebellion in August 1998. Troops from Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Chad, and Sudan intervened to support the Kinshasa regime. A cease-fire was signed on 10 July 1999 by the DROC, Zimbabwe, Angola, Uganda, Namibia, Rwanda, and Congolese armed rebel groups, but sporadic fighting continued. KABILA was assassinated on 16 January 2001 and his son Joseph KABILA was named head of state ten days later. In October 2002, the new president was successful in getting occupying Rwandan forces to withdraw from eastern Congo; two months later, an agreement was signed by all remaining warring parties to end the fighting and set up a government of national unity. Since 1991, civil war between the government and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (well over one-third of the population) many of whom are now refugees in neighboring countries. A peace agreement, signed in July 1999, collapsed in May 2000 after the RUF took over 500 UN peacekeepers hostage. The RUF stepped up attacks on Guinea in December 2000, despite a cease-fire that it signed with the Freetown government one month earlier. As of late 2000, up to 13,000 UN peacekeepers were protecting the capital and key towns in the south. A UK force of 750 was helping to reinforce security and train the Sierra Leone army.
Birth rate 45.55 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) 45.11 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues: $269 million


expenditures: $244 million, including capital expenditures of $24 million
revenues:
$96 million

expenditures:
$351 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Capital Kinshasa Freetown
Climate tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north of Equator - wet season April to October, dry season December to February; south of Equator - wet season November to March, dry season April to October tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)
Coastline 37 km 402 km
Constitution 24 June 1967, amended August 1974, revised 15 February 1978, amended April 1990; transitional constitution promulgated in April 1994; in November 1998, a draft constitution was approved by former President Laurent KABILA but it was not ratified by a national referendum; one outcome of the ongoing inter-Congolese dialogue is to be a new constitution 1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times
Country name conventional long form: Democratic Republic of the Congo


conventional short form: none


local long form: Republique Democratique du Congo


local short form: none


former: Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Congo/Leopoldville, Congo/Kinshasa, Zaire


abbreviation: DROC
conventional long form:
Republic of Sierra Leone

conventional short form:
Sierra Leone
Currency Congolese franc (CDF) leone (SLL)
Death rate 14.93 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) 19.19 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external $12.9 billion (2000 est.) $1.28 billion (1999)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Aubrey HOOKS


embassy: 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa


mailing address: Unit 31550, APO AE 09828


telephone: [243] (88) 43608


FAX: [243] (88) 43467
chief of mission:
Ambassador Joseph H. MELROSE, Jr.

embassy:
Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets, Freetown

mailing address:
use embassy street address

telephone:
[232] (22) 226481 through 226485

FAX:
[232] (22) 225471
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Faida MITIFU


chancery: 1800 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009


telephone: [1] (202) 234-7690, 7691


FAX: [1] (202) 234-2609
chief of mission:
Ambassador John Ernest LEIGH

chancery:
1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone:
[1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263

FAX:
[1] (202) 483-1793
Disputes - international Democratic Republic of the Congo is in the grip of a civil war that has drawn in military forces from neighboring states, with Uganda and Rwanda supporting the rebel movements that occupy much of the eastern portion of the state; Tutsi, Hutu, and other conflicting ethnic groups, political rebels, and various government forces continue fighting in Great Lakes region, transcending the boundaries of Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda; most of the Congo River boundary with the Republic of the Congo is indefinite (no agreement has been reached on the division of the river or its islands, except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area) civil war has engendered massive refugee movements into neighboring Guinea and Liberia
Economic aid - recipient $195.3 million (1995) (1995) $203.7 million (1995)
Economy - overview The economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - a nation endowed with vast potential wealth - has declined drastically since the mid-1980s. The war, which began in August 1998, has dramatically reduced national output and government revenue and has increased external debt. Foreign businesses have curtailed operations due to uncertainty about the outcome of the conflict, lack of infrastructure, and the difficult operating environment. The war has intensified the impact of such basic problems as an uncertain legal framework, corruption, raging inflation, and lack of openness in government economic policy and financial operations. A number of IMF and World Bank missions have met with the government to help it develop a coherent economic plan, and President KABILA has begun implementing reforms. Sierra Leone is an extremely poor African nation with tremendous inequality in income distribution. It does have substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources. However, the economic and social infrastructure is not well developed, and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development. About two-thirds of the working-age population engages in subsistence agriculture. Manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. Bauxite and rutile mines have been shut down by civil strife. The major source of hard currency is found in the mining of diamonds, the large majority of which are smuggled out of the country. The resurgence of internal warfare in 1999 brought another substantial drop in GDP, with GNP recovering part of the way in 2000. The fate of the economy depends upon the maintenance of domestic peace and the continued receipt of substantial aid from abroad.
Electricity - consumption 4.55 billion kWh (1999) 223.2 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports 404 million kWh (1999) 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports 55 million kWh (1999) 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - production 5.268 billion kWh (1999) 240 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 2%


hydro: 98%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (1999)
fossil fuel:
100%

hydro:
0%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Pic Marguerite on Mont Ngaliema (Mount Stanley) 5,110 m
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point:
Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m
Environment - current issues poaching threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; deforestation; refugees responsible for significant deforestation, soil erosion, and wildlife poaching; mining of minerals (coltan - a mineral used in creating capacitors, diamonds, and gold) causing environmental damage rapid population growth pressuring the environment; overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil exhaustion; civil war depleting natural resources; overfishing
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups over 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu; the four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population 20 native African tribes 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole 10% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century), refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians
Exchange rates Congolese francs per US dollar - 305 (January 2002), 21.82 (2000), 4.02 (1999), 1.61 (1998), 1.31 (1997)


note: on 30 June 1998 the Congolese franc was introduced, replacing the new zaire
leones per US dollar - 1,653.39 (January 2001), 2,092.13 (2000), 1,804.20 (1999), 1,563.62 (1998), 981.48 (1997), 920.73 (1996)
Executive branch chief of state: President Joseph KABILA (since 26 January 2001); note - following the assassination of his father, Laurent Desire KABILA, on 16 January 2001, Joseph KABILA succeeded to the presidency; the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Joseph KABILA (since 26 January 2001); note - following the assassination of his father, Laurent Desire KABILA, on 16 January 2001, Joseph KABILA succeeded to the presidency; the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: National Executive Council, appointed by the president


elections: before Laurent Desire KABILA seized power on 16 May 1997, the president was elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 29 July 1984 (next was scheduled to be held in May 1997); formerly, there was also a prime minister who was elected by the High Council of the Republic; note - elections were not held in 1991 as called for by the constitution


election results: results of the last election were: MOBUTU Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga reelected president in 1984 without opposition


note: Marshal MOBUTU Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga was president from 24 November 1965 until forced into exile on 16 May 1997 when his government was overthrown militarily by Laurent Desire KABILA; KABILA immediately assumed governing authority and pledged to hold elections by April 1999, but, in December 1998, announced that elections would be postponed until all foreign military forces attempting to topple the government had withdrawn from the country; KABILA was assassinated in January 2001 and was succeeded by his son Joseph KABILA
chief of state:
President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government:
President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

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; election held 26-27 February and 15 March 1996 (next to be held NA September 2001); note - president's tenure of office is limited to two five-year terms

election results:
Ahmad Tejan KABBAH elected president; percent of vote - Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (SLPP) 59.5%, John KAREFA-SMART (UNPP) 40.5%
Exports $750 million f.o.b. (2001 est.) $65 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities diamonds, copper, coffee, cobalt, crude oil diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish
Exports - partners Benelux 62%, US 18%, South Africa, Finland, Italy (1999) Belgium 38%, US 6%, Italy 4%, UK 4% (1999)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description light blue with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center and a columnar arrangement of six small yellow five-pointed stars along the hoist side three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue
GDP purchasing power parity - $32 billion (2001 est.) purchasing power parity - $2.7 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 54%


industry: 9%


services: 37% (1999 est.)
agriculture:
43%

industry:
26%

services:
31% (1999)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $590 (2001 est.) purchasing power parity - $510 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate -4% (2001 est.) 4.2% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 0 00 N, 25 00 E 8 30 N, 11 30 W
Geography - note straddles Equator; has very narrow strip of land that controls the lower Congo River and is only outlet to South Atlantic Ocean; dense tropical rain forest in central river basin and eastern highlands -
Heliports 1 (2002) 1 (2000 est.)
Highways total: 157,000 km (including 30 km of expressways)(1996)


paved: NA km


unpaved: NA km
total:
11,300 km

paved:
904 km

unpaved:
10,396 km (1997)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%:
0.5%

highest 10%:
43.6% (1989)
Illicit drugs illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for domestic consumption; while rampant corruption and inadequate supervision leaves the banking system vulnerable to money laundering, the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center -
Imports $1.024 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) $145 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, mining and other machinery, transport equipment, fuels foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals
Imports - partners South Africa 28%, Benelux 14%, Nigeria 9%, Kenya 7%, China (1999) UK 34%, US 8%, Italy 7%, Nigeria 5% (1999)
Independence 30 June 1960 (from Belgium) 27 April 1961 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate NA% NA%
Industries mining (diamonds, copper, zinc), mineral processing, consumer products (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods and beverages), cement mining (diamonds); small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining
Infant mortality rate 98.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) 146.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 358% (2001 est.) 15% (2000 est.)
International organization participation ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEEAC, CEPGL, ECA, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW (signatory), PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2001) 1 (2000)
Irrigated land 110 sq km (1998 est.) 290 sq km (1993 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court or Cour Supreme Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court
Labor force 14.51 million (1993 est.) 1.369 million (1981 est.)

note:
only about 65,000 wage earners (1985)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 65%, industry 16%, services 19% (1991 est.) agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%
Land boundaries total: 10,730 km


border countries: Angola 2,511 km (of which 225 km is the boundary of Angola's discontiguous Cabinda Province), Burundi 233 km, Central African Republic 1,577 km, Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Rwanda 217 km, Sudan 628 km, Tanzania 459 km, Uganda 765 km, Zambia 1,930 km
total:
958 km

border countries:
Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km
Land use arable land: 2.96%


permanent crops: 0.52%


other: 96.52% (1998 est.)
arable land:
7%

permanent crops:
1%

permanent pastures:
31%

forests and woodland:
28%

other:
33% (1993 est.)
Languages French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%)
Legal system based on Belgian civil law system and tribal law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch a 300-member Transitional Constituent Assembly established in August 2000


elections: NA; members of the Transitional Constituent Assembly were appointed by former President Laurent Desire KABILA
unicameral House of Representatives (80 seats - 68 elected by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; members serve five-year terms)

elections:
last held 26-27 February 1996 (next to be held NA 2001)

election results:
percent of vote by party - SLPP 36.1%, UNPP 21.6%, PDP 15.3%, APC 5.7%, NUP 5.3%, DCP 4.8%, other 11.2%; seats by party - SLPP 27, UNPP 17, PDP 12, APC 5, NUP 4, DCP 3; note - first elections since the former House of Representatives was shut down by the military coup of 29 April 1992
Life expectancy at birth total population: 49.13 years


male: 47.19 years


female: 51.13 years (2002 est.)
total population:
45.6 years

male:
42.69 years

female:
48.61 years (2001 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write French, Lingala, Kingwana, or Tshiluba


total population: 77.3%


male: 86.6%


female: 67.7% (1995 est.)
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic

total population:
31.4%

male:
45.4%

female:
18.2% (1995 est.)
Location Central Africa, northeast of Angola Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia
Map references Africa Africa
Maritime claims exclusive economic zone: boundaries with neighbors


territorial sea: 12 NM
territorial sea:
200 NM

continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Merchant marine none (2002 est.) total:
1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,057 GRT/3,498 DWT

ships by type:
cargo 1 (2000 est.)
Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force, Special Security Battalion Army
Military expenditures - dollar figure $250 million (FY97) $46 million (FY96/97)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 4.6% (FY97) 2% (FY96/97)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 11,996,175 (2002 est.) males age 15-49:
1,161,790 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 6,110,595 (2002 est.) males age 15-49:
563,631 (2001 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 30 June (1960) Independence Day, 27 April (1961)
Nationality noun: Congolese (singular and plural)


adjective: Congolese or Congo
noun:
Sierra Leonean(s)

adjective:
Sierra Leonean
Natural hazards periodic droughts in south; Congo River floods (seasonal); in the east, in the Great Rift Valley, there are active volcanoes dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February); sandstorms, dust storms
Natural resources cobalt, copper, cadmium, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, germanium, uranium, radium, bauxite, iron ore, coal, hydropower, timber diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite
Net migration rate -2.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population


note: one million refugees fled into Zaire (now called the Democratic Republic of the Congo or DROC) in 1994 as a result of the ethnic fighting in Rwanda; fighting in the DROC between rebels and government forces in October 1996 caused 875,000 refugees to return to Rwanda in late 1996 and early 1997 and additional refugees have returned in subsequent years; fighting between the Congolese government and Uganda- and Rwanda-backed Congolese rebels spawned a regional war in DROC in August 1998, which left 1.8 million Congolese displaced in DROC and caused 300,000 Congolese refugees to flee to surrounding countries (2002 est.)
10.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

note:
by the end of 1999 refugees from Sierra Leone are assumed to be returning
Pipelines petroleum products 390 km -
Political parties and leaders Democratic Social Christian Party or PDSC [Andre BO-BOLIKO]; Forces for Renovation for Union and Solidarity or FONUS [Joseph OLENGHANKOY]; National Congolese Lumumbist Movement or MNC [Francois LUMUMBA]; Popular Movement of the Revolution or MPR [three factions: MPR-Fait Prive (Catherine NZUZI wa Mbombo); MPR/Vunduawe (Felix VUNDUAWE); MPR/Mananga (MANANGA Dintoka Mpholo)]; Unified Lumumbast Party or PALU [Antoine GIZENGA]; Union for Democracy and Social Progress or UDPS [Etienne TSHISEKEDI wa Mulumba]; Union of Federalists and Independent Republicans or UFERI [two factions: UFERI (Lokambo OMOKOKO); UFERI/OR (Adolph Kishwe MAYA)] All People's Congress or APC [Edward Mohammed TURAY, chairman]; Democratic Centre Party or DCP [Adu Aiah KOROMA]; National Democratic Alliance or NDA [Amadu M. B. JALLOH]; National Republican Party or NRP [Sahr Stephen MAMBU]; National Unity Party or NUP [Dr. John KARIMU, chairman]; People's Democratic Party or PDP [Thaimu BANGURA, chairman]; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Abass Chernok BUNDU, chairman]; Revolutionary United Front Party or RUFP [Foday SANKOH, chairman]; Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP [President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH, chairman]; United National People's Party or UNPP [John KARIFA-SMART in exile, Raymond KAMARA, acting leader]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA Trade Unions and Student Unions
Population 55,225,478


note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.)
5,426,618 (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 68% (1989 est.)
Population growth rate 2.79% (2002 est.) 3.61% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors Banana, Boma, Bukavu, Bumba, Goma, Kalemie, Kindu, Kinshasa, Kisangani, Matadi, Mbandaka Bonthe, Freetown, Pepel
Radio broadcast stations AM 3, FM 11, shortwave 2 (2001) AM 1, FM 9, shortwave 1 (1999)
Radios 18.03 million (1997) 1.12 million (1997)
Railways total: 5,138 km


narrow gauge: 3,987 km 1.067-m gauge (858 km electrified); 125 km 1.000-m gauge; 1,026 km 0.600-m gauge


note: severely reduced route-distance in use because of damage to facilities by civil strife (2000 est.)
total:
84 km used on a limited basis because the mine at Marampa is closed

narrow gauge:
84 km 1.067-m gauge
Religions Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs 10% Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
0.96 male(s)/female

15-64 years:
0.91 male(s)/female

65 years and over:
0.98 male(s)/female

total population:
0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal and compulsory 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: poor


domestic: barely adequate wire and microwave radio relay service in and between urban areas; domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations


international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
general assessment:
marginal telephone and telegraph service

domestic:
national microwave radio relay trunk system, made unserviceable by military activities, is now operating from Freetown to Bo and Kenema (April 2001)

international:
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 20,000 (2000) 17,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 15,000 (2000) 650 (1999)
Television broadcast stations 4 (2001) 2 (1999)
Terrain vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east
Total fertility rate 6.77 children born/woman (2002 est.) 6.01 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% NA%
Waterways 15,000 km (including the Congo and its tributaries, and unconnected lakes) 800 km (of which 600 km navigable year round)
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