Sierra Leone's Independence Day

Citizens of SIERRA LEONE celebrated independence on April 27th, almost 60 years after the first Independence Day established in 1961. That year, Sierra Leone achieved independence from the United Kingdom.

The Island for Primates

One of the world’s highest concentrations of primates can be found in a relatively remote area — isolated on an island in the middle of a SIERRA LEONE river, to be exact. This pristine place situated in the Moa River is Tiwai Island, known as “Big Island” in the Mende language. 11 identified species of primates — including chimpanzees and diana monkeys — live on the heavily forested island. Villages and towns near Tiwai Island include Baoma, Bogboabu, Giema, Gobioma, Jene, Mapumanobuma, Naiahun, and Segbwema.

Sierra Leone is Known for...

●    Banana, Bunce, Sherbro, and Turtle islands
●    Chimpanzees
●    Diamonds
●    Freetown’s cotton trees
●    Gara cloth
●    Murals
●    Palm-fringed beaches
●    Whale sightings in the Atlantic Ocean

Most items were listed in The Africa Book; the MLA citation is below. What are other "trademarks" of this African country? Feel free to share your thoughts with a comment!

Phillips et al. The Africa Book: A Journey through Every
          Country in the Continent. Lonely Planet, 2007.

— #AfricaWeek —

Sierra Leone Exports

According to National Geographic MapMaker (mapmaker.nationalgeographic.org), the following items are major exports of SIERRA LEONE: bauxite, beverages, boats, chromite, clothing and textiles, cocoa, coffee, diamonds, footwear, gold, iron ore, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts, rice, rutile materials, seafood, and titanium ore. According to the International Monetary Fund (data.imf.org), countries and territories buying and importing most of those exports (February 2017 statistics) include Côte d'Ivoire (top importer), Belgium, the United States, the Netherlands, China, Mauritius, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Ghana, Switzerland, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Germany, India, Guinea, Liberia, South Africa, Austria, Myanmar, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Senegal.

Sierra Leone Quiz

Post #3 — Country Quizzes Week

During the week of Monday, February 27th to Sunday, March 5th, GeoFact of the Day is hosting a Country Quiz Week. Every day or every other day, there will be a new quiz on a particular country around the world. Want to see a post about a favorite country? Feel free to share your suggestion by posting a comment! See if you can answer these questions pertaining to SIERRA LEONE without the help of literary resources and the Internet. Answers are provided at the end — Good Luck!

1)      True or false: The Bastions of Fort Thornton — a community with fortifications and various buildings constructed between 1792 and 1805 — is one of Sierra Leone's two UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

2)      Which of the following towns is not located on Sherbro island, by far the largest island of Sierra Leone?
A — Bachalo
B — Bonthe
C — Mattru Jong

3)      In what year did Sierra Leone's civil war — causing the deaths of over 50,000 people and displacing over 2,000,000 people from their homes — officially end?
A — 2002
B — 1999
C — 2005

4)      All of the following agricultural crops are grown and produced in Sierra Leone, but which one is considered the dominant one?
A — peanuts
B — rice
C — sweet potatoes

5)      Occurring from November to April (currently, when this post was written), Sierra Leone's dry season typically includes a hot wind blowing from the Sahara Desert. What is the name for this wind?
A — Harmattan wind
B — Sirocco wind
C — Etesian wind
D — Simoom wind


















ANSWERS
Question 1:
False — as of 2017, no sites in Sierra Leone are designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Question 2:
C . . . . . Mattru Jong

Question 3:
A . . . . . 2002

Question 4:
B . . . . . rice

Question 5:
A . . . . . Harmattan wind

So, how did you do? Thanks for taking this quiz! Map image is credited to National Geographic's Mapmaker Interactive (↗)

Sierra Leone Endangered Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for SIERRA LEONE in West Africa lists 16 critically endangered species and 38 endangered species. The following species are critically endangered in Sierra Leone: African Slender-Snouted Crocodile, Chiloglanis polyodon upside-down catfish, Eriocaulon petraeum and Eriocaulon sulanum pipewort flowers, Goliath Grouper fish, Hooded Vulture, Largetooth Sawfish, Pseudagrion mascagnii damselfly, Reuppell's Griffon bird, Scriptaphyosemion etzeli fish, Sierraia outambensis freshwater snail, Simirestis staudtii plant, Tarenna hutchinsonii plant, Triclisia macrophylla plant, White-Backed Vulture, and Wide Sawfish.

Endangered species include the Baer's Wood Mouse, Ballmann's Malimbe bird, Berthold's Killi fish, Bruening's Killi fish, Cape Hunting Dog, Cherry Mahogany, Common Chimpanzee, Dusky Grouper, Freetown Long-Fingered Frog, Jelly Bean Tetra fish, Pygmy Hippopotamus, Red Colobus monkey, Tai Toad, and Western Gecko. Species named after Sierra Leone include the Sierra Leone Free-Tailed Bat, Sierra Leone Prinia, Sierra Leone Reed Frog, Sierra Leone Water Frog, and Sierra Leone Worm Lizard.

Capital of Sierra Leone

Today's GeoFact of the Day is a quick one: The capital of SIERRA LEONE is Freetown. Learn more about Sierra Leone by searching Sierra Leone in the search box in the top left or by visiting my Countries page!

Sierra Leone

SIERRA LEONE is a circular nation located in Western Africa. There are 2 bordering countries: Guinea to the north and Liberia to the southeast. The capital and most-populated city is Freetown. Other cities include Bauya, Bo, Kenema, Lunsar, Makeni, Pendembu, and Serekolia. The currency is the Sierra Leonean Leone, and its ISO 4217 currency code was SLL. In 2022, a new currency code of SLE was established in 2022 to denote a revamped currency in hopes of combating inflation and reducing the number of 0s on coins and banknotes.