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Compare Pacific Ocean (2008) - Sierra Leone (2008)

Compare Pacific Ocean (2008) z Sierra Leone (2008)

 Pacific Ocean (2008)Sierra Leone (2008)
 Pacific OceanSierra Leone
Administrative divisions - 3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western*
Age structure - 0-14 years: 44.8% (male 1,349,878/female 1,400,297)


15-64 years: 52% (male 1,531,763/female 1,664,996)


65 years and over: 3.2% (male 92,360/female 105,268) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products - rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish
Airports - 10 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways - total: 1


over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total: 9


914 to 1,523 m: 7


under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Area total: 155.557 million sq km


note: includes Bali Sea, Bering Sea, Bering Strait, Coral Sea, East China Sea, Gulf of Alaska, Gulf of Tonkin, Philippine Sea, Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, South China Sea, Tasman Sea, and other tributary water bodies
total: 71,740 sq km


land: 71,620 sq km


water: 120 sq km
Area - comparative about 15 times the size of the US; covers about 28% of the global surface; larger than the total land area of the world slightly smaller than South Carolina
Background The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the world's five oceans (followed by the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). Strategically important access waterways include the La Perouse, Tsugaru, Tsushima, Taiwan, Singapore, and Torres Straits. The decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Pacific Ocean south of 60 degrees south. Democracy is slowly being reestablished after the civil war from 1991 to 2002 that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (about one-third of the population). The military, which took over full responsibility for security following the departure of UN peacekeepers at the end of 2005, is increasingly developing as a guarantor of the country's stability. The armed forces remained on the sideline during the 2007 presidential election, but still look to the UN Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL) - a civilian UN mission - to support efforts to consolidate peace. The new government's priorities include furthering development, creating jobs, and stamping out endemic corruption.
Birth rate - 45.41 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget - revenues: $96 million


expenditures: $351 million (2000 est.)
Capital - name: Freetown


geographic coordinates: 8 30 N, 13 15 W


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate planetary air pressure systems and resultant wind patterns exhibit remarkable uniformity in the south and east; trade winds and westerly winds are well-developed patterns, modified by seasonal fluctuations; tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico from June to October and affect Mexico and Central America; continental influences cause climatic uniformity to be much less pronounced in the eastern and western regions at the same latitude in the North Pacific Ocean; the western Pacific is monsoonal - a rainy season occurs during the summer months, when moisture-laden winds blow from the ocean over the land, and a dry season during the winter months, when dry winds blow from the Asian landmass back to the ocean; tropical cyclones (typhoons) may strike southeast and east Asia from May to December tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)
Coastline 135,663 km 402 km
Constitution - 1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times
Country name - conventional long form: Republic of Sierra Leone


conventional short form: Sierra Leone


local long form: Republic of Sierra Leone


local short form: Sierra Leone
Death rate - 22.64 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external - $1.61 billion (2003 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US - chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas N. HULL


embassy: Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets, Freetown


mailing address: use embassy street address


telephone: [232] (22) 515 000 or [232] (76) 515 000


FAX: [232] (22) 225471
Diplomatic representation in the US - chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Hassan M. CONTECH


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


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


FAX: [1] (202) 483-1793
Disputes - international some maritime disputes (see littoral states) as domestic fighting among disparate ethnic groups, rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone gradually abate, the number of refugees in border areas has begun to slowly dwindle; UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) has maintained over 4,000 peacekeepers in Sierra Leone since 1999; Sierra Leone considers excessive Guinea's definition of the flood plain limits to define the left bank boundary of the Makona and Moa rivers and protests Guinea's continued occupation of these lands including the hamlet of Yenga occupied since 1998
Economic aid - recipient - $343.4 million (2005 est.)
Economy - overview The Pacific Ocean is a major contributor to the world economy and particularly to those nations its waters directly touch. It provides low-cost sea transportation between East and West, extensive fishing grounds, offshore oil and gas fields, minerals, and sand and gravel for the construction industry. In 1996, over 60% of the world's fish catch came from the Pacific Ocean. Exploitation of offshore oil and gas reserves is playing an ever-increasing role in the energy supplies of the US, Australia, NZ, China, and Peru. The high cost of recovering offshore oil and gas, combined with the wide swings in world prices for oil since 1985, has led to fluctuations in new drillings. Sierra Leone is an extremely poor nation with tremendous inequality in income distribution. While it possesses substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources, its physical and social infrastructure is not well developed, and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development. Nearly half 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. Alluvial diamond mining remains the major source of hard currency earnings accounting for nearly half of Sierra Leone's exports. The fate of the economy depends upon the maintenance of domestic peace and the continued receipt of substantial aid from abroad, which is essential to offset the severe trade imbalance and supplement government revenues. The IMF has completed a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility program that helped stabilize economic growth and reduce inflation. A recent increase in political stability has led to a revival of economic activity such as the rehabilitation of bauxite and rutile mining.
Electricity - consumption - 227.9 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports - 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports - 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production - 245 million kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench -10,924 m


highest point: sea level 0 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m
Environment - current issues endangered marine species include the dugong, sea lion, sea otter, seals, turtles, and whales; oil pollution in Philippine Sea and South China Sea 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 depleted natural resources; overfishing
Environment - international agreements - party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Ethnic groups - 20 African ethnic groups 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole (Krio) 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 - leones per US dollar - NA (2007), 2,961.7 (2006), 2,889.6 (2005), 2,701.3 (2004), 2,347.9 (2003)
Executive branch - chief of state: President Ernest Bai KOROMA (since 17 September 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Ernest Bai KOROMA (since 17 September 2007)


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 (eligible for a second term); election last held 11 August 2007 and 8 September 2007 (next to be held in 2012)


election results: second round results; percent of vote - Ernest Bai KOROMA 54.6%, Solomon BEREWA 45.4%
Exports - 431.1 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities - diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish
Exports - partners - Belgium 52.1%, US 19.1%, Netherlands 6.8% (2006)
Fiscal year - calendar year
Flag description - three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue
GDP - composition by sector - agriculture: 49%


industry: 31%


services: 21% (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate - 6.8% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 0 00 N, 160 00 W 8 30 N, 11 30 W
Geography - note the major chokepoints are the Bering Strait, Panama Canal, Luzon Strait, and the Singapore Strait; the Equator divides the Pacific Ocean into the North Pacific Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean; dotted with low coral islands and rugged volcanic islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean rainfall along the coast can reach 495 cm (195 inches) a year, making it one of the wettest places along coastal, western Africa
Heliports - 2 (2007)
Household income or consumption by percentage share - lowest 10%: 0.5%


highest 10%: 43.6% (1989)
Imports - 8,864 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities - foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals
Imports - partners - Cote d'Ivoire 9.3%, US 7.7%, China 7.7%, Brazil 6.9%, UK 6.7%, Netherlands 5.5%, South Africa 4.5%, India 4.3%, France 4.2% (2006)
Independence - 27 April 1961 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate - NA%
Industries - diamond mining; small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining, small commercial ship repair
Infant mortality rate - total: 158.27 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 175.39 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 140.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) - 1% (2002 est.)
International organization participation - ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIT, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Irrigated land - 300 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch - Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court
Labor force - 1.369 million (1981 est.)
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
Land boundaries - total: 958 km


border countries: Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km
Land use - arable land: 7.95%


permanent crops: 1.05%


other: 91% (2005)
Languages - 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 English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch - unicameral Parliament (124 seats; 112 members elected by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; to serve five-year terms)


elections: last held on 11 August 2007 (next to be held in 2012)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - APC 59, SLPP 43, PMDC 10
Life expectancy at birth - total population: 40.58 years


male: 38.36 years


female: 42.87 years (2007 est.)
Literacy - definition: age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic


total population: 35.1%


male: 46.9%


female: 24.4% (2004 est.)
Location body of water between the Southern Ocean, Asia, Australia, and the Western Hemisphere Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia
Map references Political Map of the World Africa
Maritime claims - territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm
Merchant marine - total: 113 ships (1000 GRT or over) 314,549 GRT/419,409 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 85, chemical tanker 4, combination ore/oil 1, container 4, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 7, roll on/roll off 4


foreign-owned: 47 (Belgium 1, China 8, Greece 1, Romania 2, Russia 5, Syria 8, Turkey 7, Ukraine 8, UAE 7) (2007)
Military branches - Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF): Army (includes Air Wing, Navy (Maritime Wing)) (2007)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 2.3% (2006)
National holiday - Independence Day, 27 April (1961)
Nationality - noun: Sierra Leonean(s)


adjective: Sierra Leonean
Natural hazards surrounded by a zone of violent volcanic and earthquake activity sometimes referred to as the "Pacific Ring of Fire"; subject to tropical cyclones (typhoons) in southeast and east Asia from May to December (most frequent from July to October); tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico and strike Central America and Mexico from June to October (most common in August and September); cyclical El Nino/La Nina phenomenon occurs in the equatorial Pacific, influencing weather in the Western Hemisphere and the western Pacific; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme north from October to May; persistent fog in the northern Pacific can be a maritime hazard from June to December dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February); sandstorms, dust storms
Natural resources oil and gas fields, polymetallic nodules, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, fish diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite
Net migration rate - 0.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population


note: refugees currently in surrounding countries are slowly returning (2007 est.)
Political parties and leaders - All People's Congress or APC [Ernest Bai KOROMA]; Peace and Liberation Party or PLP [Darlington MORRISON]; People's Movement for Democratic Change or PMDC [Charles MARGAI]; Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP [Solomon BEREWA]; numerous others
Political pressure groups and leaders - trade unions and student unions
Population - 6,144,562 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line - 70.2% (2004)
Population growth rate - 2.292% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations - AM 1, FM 9, shortwave 1 (2001)
Religions - Muslim 60%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs 30%
Sex ratio - at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 0.964 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.877 male(s)/female


total population: 0.938 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage - 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system - general assessment: marginal telephone service


domestic: the national microwave radio relay trunk system connects Freetown to Bo and Kenema


international: country code - 232; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2000)
Telephones - main lines in use - 24,000 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular - 113,200 (2003)
Television broadcast stations - 2 (1999)
Terrain surface currents in the northern Pacific are dominated by a clockwise, warm-water gyre (broad circular system of currents) and in the southern Pacific by a counterclockwise, cool-water gyre; in the northern Pacific, sea ice forms in the Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk in winter; in the southern Pacific, sea ice from Antarctica reaches its northernmost extent in October; the ocean floor in the eastern Pacific is dominated by the East Pacific Rise, while the western Pacific is dissected by deep trenches, including the Mariana Trench, which is the world's deepest coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east
Total fertility rate - 6.01 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Transportation - note Inside Passage offers protected waters from southeast Alaska to Puget Sound (Washington state) -
Unemployment rate - NA%
Waterways - 800 km (600 km year round) (2005)
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