Sierra Leone - Nuts and Bolts

Sierra Leone was founded in the late 18th century by the British as a settlement for Africans freed from slavery. The country's nasty brother to the south, Liberia, was established by the Americans for the same purpose. In retrospect, even the snowiest of doves has conceded this was a bad idea. So, for now, the British content themselves with relieving the country of its natural resources (mainly diamonds and bauxite) and meddling into the questionable affairs of a questionable government.

Sierra Leone is the classic West African hellhole. The country can proudly boast the lowest life expectancy of any country in the world (41.5 years). It also has the second-highest infant mortality rate on the globe, and leads the human race in overall destitution and despair in other key categories as well. Zany and paranoid, the government executed 26 people in December 1992 for plotting to topple the regime-while most were in jail at the time!

Sierra Leonians bathe in rain water, and they have plenty of opportunities for showers. It rains about 195 inches a year in Freetown and on the coast, making the country the steamiest and wettest in coastal West Africa. During the harmattan season from November to April, it can be hot and dry. Most of Sierra Leone is fetid lowlands with scenic mountains in the northeast.

The currency is the leone, which is worth nothing, perhaps due to the country's 81 percent inflation rate. Unemployment is endemic and Sierra Leonians make an average of US$145 a year, making it the sixth most impoverished nation on Earth. The official language is English. Electricity is 220V/50Hz.

http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/Country_Specific/S_Leone.html

http://hypertextbook.com/eworld-links/salone.shtml

Embassy Location

The U.S. Embassy is located in the capital of Freetown

Corner Walpole and Siaka Stevens Street

Freetown

Tel.: 26481