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Compare Sierra Leone (2004) - Reunion (2004)

Compare Sierra Leone (2004) z Reunion (2004)

 Sierra Leone (2004)Reunion (2004)
 Sierra LeoneReunion
Administrative divisions 3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western* none (overseas department of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 4 arrondissements, 24 communes, and 47 cantons
Age structure 0-14 years: 44.8% (male 1,291,621; female 1,343,827)


15-64 years: 52% (male 1,458,610; female 1,599,109)


65 years and over: 3.2% (male 91,232; female 99,490) (2004 est.)
0-14 years: 30.9% (male 121,050; female 115,440)


15-64 years: 63.1% (male 238,553; female 245,236)


65 years and over: 6% (male 18,626; female 27,248) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn
Airports 10 (2003 est.) 2 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)
total: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 9


914 to 1,523 m: 7


under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
-
Area total: 71,740 sq km


land: 71,620 sq km


water: 120 sq km
total: 2,517 sq km


land: 2,507 sq km


water: 10 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than South Carolina slightly smaller than Rhode Island
Background The 1991 to 2002 civil war between the government and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) 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. With the support of the UN peacekeeping force and contributions from the World Bank and international community, demobilization and disarmament of the RUF and Civil Defense Forces (CDF) combatants has been completed. National elections were held in May 2002 and the government continues to slowly reestablish its authority. However, the gradual withdrawal of most UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) peacekeepers in 2004 and early 2005, deteriorating political and economic conditions in Guinea, and the tenuous security situation in neighboring Liberia may present challenges to the continuation of Sierra Leone's stability. The Portuguese discovered the uninhabited island in 1513. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, French immigration, supplemented by influxes of Africans, Chinese, Malays, and Malabar Indians, gave the island its ethnic mix. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 cost the island its importance as a stopover on the East Indies trade route.
Birth rate 43.34 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) 19.69 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget revenues: $96 million


expenditures: $351 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2000 est.)
revenues: $1.26 billion


expenditures: $2.62 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (1998)
Capital Freetown Saint-Denis
Climate tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April) tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April
Coastline 402 km 207 km
Constitution 1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Sierra Leone


conventional short form: Sierra Leone
conventional long form: Department of Reunion


conventional short form: Reunion


local long form: none


local short form: Ile de la Reunion


former: Bourbon Island
Currency leone (SLL) euro (EUR)
Death rate 20.62 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) 5.48 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external $1.5 billion (2002 est.) NA
Dependency status - overseas department of France
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Peter Russell CHAVEAS


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
none (overseas department of France)
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Ibrahim M. KAMARA


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


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


FAX: [1] (202) 483-1793
none (overseas department of France)
Disputes - international domestic fighting among disparate rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone have created insurgencies, street violence, looting, arms trafficking, ethnic conflicts, and refugees in border areas; in 2003, Guinea and Sierra Leone established a boundary commission to resolve a dispute over the town of Yenga none
Economic aid - recipient $103 million (2001 est.) $NA; note - substantial annual subsidies from France (2001 est.)
Economy - overview 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, following a 11-year civil war. 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. Plans continue to reopen bauxite and rutile mines shut down during the conflict. The major source of hard currency consists of the mining of diamonds. 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 to supplement government revenues. The economy has traditionally been based on agriculture, but services now dominate. Sugarcane has been the primary crop for more than a century, and in some years it accounts for 85% of exports. The government has been pushing the development of a tourist industry to relieve high unemployment, which amounts to one-third of the labor force. The gap in Reunion between the well-off and the poor is extraordinary and accounts for the persistent social tensions. The white and Indian communities are substantially better off than other segments of the population, often approaching European standards, whereas minority groups suffer the poverty and unemployment typical of the poorer nations of the African continent. The outbreak of severe rioting in February 1991 illustrates the seriousness of socioeconomic tensions. The economic well-being of Reunion depends heavily on continued financial assistance from France.
Electricity - consumption 232.6 million kWh (2001) 1.005 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 250.1 million kWh (2001) 1.08 billion kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: Piton des Neiges 3,069 m
Environment - current issues 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 NA
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, 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 native African tribes 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 French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian
Exchange rates leones per US dollar - 2,347.94 (2003), 2,099.03 (2002), 1,986.15 (2001), 2,092.12 (2000), 1,804.19 (1999) euros per US dollar - 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999)
Executive branch 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 last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2007); note - president's tenure of office is limited to two five-year terms


election results: Ahmad Tejan KABBAH reelected president; percent of vote - Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (SLPP) 70.6%, Ernest KOROMA (APC) 22.4%
chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Dominique VIAN (since 16 August 2004)


head of government: President of the General Council Jean-Luc POUDROUX (since NA March 1998) and President of the Regional Council Paul VERGES (since NA March 1993)


cabinet: NA


elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils
Exports NA (2001) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish (1999) sugar 63%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 2%, lobster 3%, (1993)
Exports - partners Belgium 61.2%, Germany 14.2%, UK 4.5%, US 4.5% (2003) France 74%, Japan 6%, Comoros 4% (2000)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue the flag of France is used
GDP purchasing power parity - $3.057 billion (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $4.348 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 49%


industry: 31%


services: 21% (2001 est.)
agriculture: 8%


industry: 19%


services: 73% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $500 (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $5,800 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 6.5% (2003 est.) 2.5% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates 8 30 N, 11 30 W 21 06 S, 55 36 E
Geography - note rainfall along the coast can reach 495 cm (195 inches) a year, making it one of the wettest places along coastal, western Africa this mountainous, volcanic island has an active volcano, Piton de la Fournaise; there is a tropical cyclone center at Saint-Denis, which is the monitoring station for the whole of the Indian Ocean
Heliports 2 (2003 est.) -
Highways total: 11,330 km


paved: 895 km


unpaved: 10,435 km (1999)
total: 2,724 km


paved: 1,300 km (including 73 km of four-lane road)


unpaved: 1,424 km (1994)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 0.5%


highest 10%: 43.6% (1989)
lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
Imports NA (2001) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals (1995) manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products
Imports - partners Germany 23.7%, UK 9.9%, Cote d'Ivoire 7.4%, France 7.4%, US 5.3%, Netherlands 5.1%, Ukraine 4.6% (2003) France 64%, Bahrain 3%, Germany 3%, Italy 3% (2000)
Independence 27 April 1961 (from UK) none (overseas department of France)
Industrial production growth rate NA NA
Industries mining (diamonds); small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil extraction
Infant mortality rate total: 145.24 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 162.64 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 127.32 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
total: 7.95 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 8.71 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 7.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1% (2002 est.) NA
International organization participation ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO InOC, UPU, WFTU
Irrigated land 290 sq km (1998 est.) 120 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel
Labor force 1.369 million (1981 est.) 309,900 (2000)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture NA, industry NA, services NA agriculture 13%, industry 12%, services 75% (2000)
Land boundaries total: 958 km


border countries: Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km
0 km
Land use arable land: 6.98%


permanent crops: 0.89%


other: 92.13% (2001)
arable land: 13.6%


permanent crops: 1.2%


other: 85.2% (2001)
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%) French (official), Creole widely used
Legal system based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction French law
Legislative branch unicameral Parliament (124 seats - 112 elected by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; members serve five-year terms)


elections: last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - SLPP 70.06%, APC 22.35%, PLP 3%, others 4.59%; seats by party - SLPP 83, APC 27, PLP 2
unicameral General Council (49 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council (45 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve six-year terms)


elections: General Council - last held 15 and 22 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004); Regional Council - last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held NA 2010)


election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - various right-wing candidates 13, PCR 10, PS 10, UDF 8, RPR 6, other left-wing candidates 2; Regional Council (second round) - percent of vote by party - PCR 44.9%, UMP 32.8%, PS-Greens 22.3%; seats by party - PCR 27, UMP 11, PS-Greens 7


note: Reunion elects three representatives to the French Senate; elections last held NA 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Reunion also elects five deputies to the French National Assembly; elections last held 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1, UMP 1, PCR 1
Life expectancy at birth total population: 42.69 years


male: 40.23 years


female: 45.21 years (2004 est.)
total population: 73.69 years


male: 70.29 years


female: 77.26 years (2004 est.)
Literacy 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.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 88.9%


male: 87%


female: 90.8% (2003 est.)
Location Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
Map references Africa World
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 7,435 GRT/8,750 DWT


by type: cargo 2 (2004 est.)
total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 28,264 GRT/44,885 DWT


by type: chemical tanker 1


foreign-owned: Sweden 1


registered in other countries: 1
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of France
Military branches Army (RSLAF) no regular indigenous military forces; French forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force, and Gendarmerie)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $11.7 million (2003) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.5% (2003) -
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 1,265,140 (2004 est.) males age 15-49: 202,385 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 614,338 (2004 est.) males age 15-49: 103,073 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 7,070 (2004 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 27 April (1961) Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
Nationality noun: Sierra Leonean(s)


adjective: Sierra Leonean
noun: Reunionese (singular and plural)


adjective: Reunionese
Natural hazards dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February); sandstorms, dust storms periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano
Natural resources diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite fish, arable land, hydropower
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population


note: refugees currently in surrounding countries are slowly returning (2004 est.)
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Political parties and leaders All People's Congress or APC [Ben KANU]; Peace and Liberation Party or PLP [Darlington MORRISON, interim chairman]; Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP [Sama BANYA]; numerous others Communist Party of Reunion or PCR [Paul VERGES]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Andre Maurice PIHOUEE]; Socialist Party or PS [Jean-Claude FRUTEAU]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Gilbert GERARD]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP [leader NA]
Political pressure groups and leaders Trade Unions and Student Unions NA
Population 5,883,889 (July 2004 est.) 766,153 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line 68% (1989 est.) NA
Population growth rate 2.27% (2004 est.) 1.42% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors Bonthe, Freetown, Pepel Le Port, Pointe des Galets
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 9, shortwave 1 (1999) AM 2, FM 55, shortwave 0 (2001)
Religions Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10% Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist (1995)
Sex ratio 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: 0.92 male(s)/female


total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: marginal telephone and telegraph 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)
general assessment: adequate system; principal center is Saint-Denis


domestic: modern open-wire and microwave radio relay network


international: country code - 262; radiotelephone communication to Comoros, France, Madagascar; new microwave route to Mauritius; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC/SAFE) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia
Telephones - main lines in use 24,000 (2002) 300,000 est (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular 67,000 (2002) 489,800 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 2 (1999) 35 (plus 18 low-power repeaters) (2001)
Terrain coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast
Total fertility rate 5.79 children born/woman (2004 est.) 2.5 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate NA 36% (1999 est.)
Waterways 800 km (2003) -
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