Kambia

Kambia – a town in north-west of Sierra Leone, the administrative center of Kambia District in Northern Province. It lies on the Great Scarcies river near the border with Guinea.

Koinadugu District

Koinadugu District – one of the 14 districts in Sierra Leone.

Sierra Leone – Guide with tips for your holiday

Sierra Leone has a randtropisches climate. The annual mean temperature is 26.7 ° C. The average annual precipitation is on the coast at more than 3 810 millimeters and take in the northern inland up to about 2 032 millimeters from. Most of the rain falls from May to October.

The north of the landlocked country of Sierra Leone by savannah vegetation with grasses and shrubs determined. The remnants of tropical rain forests in southeast accommodate different types of palm and mahogany trees and Teakbäume. On the coast, there are mangrove swamps, the country’s interior in swampy grasslands go on. For heavily depleted by human fauna include large mammals such as chimpanzees and other apes, lions, leopards and hyenas and elephants, zebras, antelopes, hippos and porcupines. Pink-backed Pelican are remarkable birds, parrots, such as brains and orange collar parakeets, semi storks, Kúhegri, Holy ibises, eagles scream, Fledermausaare, jugglers and palm vultures. In the rivers live crocodiles. The rising demand for farmland and firewood as well as the ruthless felling of forests by the timber industry has led to an annual deforestation of about 3 percent. A large part of the natural habitats and hence many species are already lost.

The population consists mostly of members from 20 different nations. The largest groups are the Mende in the south and the Time in the north. Creoles are a significant minority in the area of the city of Freetown, in which a small number of Lebanese, Indians and Europeans living. The majority of the population lives in small villages. The population of Sierra Leone is approximately 5.88 million (2004), giving a population density of 82 persons per square kilometer is. Freetown, the capital, has 822 000 inhabitants (2000). Other major cities are Bo (269 000) and Kenema (52 000), both in southern inland lie.

The official language is English, but only by the educated citizens is needed. Of the approximately 20 African languages spoken Mende and Time are the most common, followed by Krio, a Creole who are from English and various African languages derived. In secondary schools will also be taught French as the country to several countries with French-speaking population border. 36.3 percent of the population can read and write (2000). About 60 percent of the population are Muslims, about 30 percent are traditional beliefs to about 10 percent (mostly Creoles) are Christians.

Sierra Leone has two national holidays: On 27 April is the Independence Day and on 29 April Revolution offense. Christian holidays like New Year (January 1), Easter and Christmas are also on the calendar as the Muslim holiday on the last day of Ramadan.

The median life expectancy for women with 45.2 years for men and 40.2 years indicated (2004). The infant mortality rate is one of the highest in Africa. The medical staff and facilities are highly inadequate.

Early History

Archaeological finds show that Sierra Leone has been inhabited continuously for at least 2,500 years,populated by successive movements from other parts of Africa.^[17] The use of iron was introduced to Sierra Leone by the 9th century, and by AD 1000 agriculture was being practiced by coastal tribes.^[18] Sierra Leone’s dense tropical rainforest largely protected it from the influence of any precolonial African empires^[19] and from further Islamic colonization, which were unable to penetrate through it until the 18th century.

European contacts with Sierra Leone were among the first in West Africa. In 1462, Portuguese explorer Pedro da Cintra mapped the hills surrounding what is now Freetown Harbour, naming shaped formation Serra de Leão (Portuguese for Lion Mountains). Its Italian rendering is Sierra Leone, which became the country’s name.

Banana Islands

Diving and snorkelling are superb at the Banana Islands, which are off the southeastern tip of the peninsula that Freetown is on. There is some coral and one of the shipwrecks left a pile of Portuguese cannons in shallow water. In Dublin, on the northern tip of the main Banana Island, there are the remains of an 1881 church, and the old slave docks.

Pay your respects to the chief before going off exploring and the locals will happily provide a guide.

The easiest way to get to the Bananas is to hire a local fishing boat at Tokeh Village. It’s a two-hour round trip and you should allow at least an hour to explore the ruins in Dublin.

Weather

Sierra Leone is hot and very humid. The coast gets up to 3250mm (128in) precipitation per year and the wet season stretches from mid-May to November – the south may get a break in July and August. While temperatures remain hot throughout the year, they climb even higher inland during the dry season from November to March.

The heat and humidity combination between July and October along the coast can get uncomfortably sticky, though sea breezes bring some relief. The effects are somewhat tamer inland but the ever present sun is no picnic either. Sierra Leone doesn’t really have a cold season, but December and January are the coolest and driest months, albeit with hazy skies from the harmattan (desert winds).

Freetown

Freetown, population 1,070,200  is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, and a major port on the Atlantic Ocean. Located in the Western Area of the country on the Sierra Leone peninsula, Freetown is the hub of the nation’s administrative, financial, educational, communications, cultural and economic center, as well as its main port.

Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea in the north and east, Liberia in the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean in the southwest and west. Sierra Leone covers a total area of 71,740 sq km (27,699 sq mi) and has a tropical climate, with a diverse environment ranging from savannah to rainforests. Freetown is the capital, seat of government, and largest city.

Sierra Leone was first inhabited by the Sherbro, Temne and Limba peoples, and later the Mende, who knew the country as Romarong. In 1462, it was visited by the Portuguese explorer Pedro da Cintra, who gave it its current designation, meaning ‘Lion Mountains’. Sierra Leone became an important centre of the transatlantic slave trade, until 1787 when Freetown was founded by the Sierra Leone Company as a home for formerly enslaved African Americans and West Indians. In 1808, Freetown became a British Crown Colony, and in 1896, the interior of the country became a British Protectorate;in 1961, the two combined and gained independence. Political instability over the following decades eventually led to the Sierra Leone Civil War,which began in 1991 and was resolved in 2002 when the United Nations led by Britain defeated the rebel forces and installed a civilian government. Since then, almost 72,500 former combatants have disarmed^[8] and the country has reestablished a functioning democracy. The Special Court for Sierra Leone was set up in 2002 to deal with war crimes and crimes against humanity committed since 1996.

Sierra Leone is the lowest ranked country on the Human Development Index and seventh lowest on the Human Poverty Index, suffering from endemic corruption,^[12] suppression of the press and the HIV/AIDS pandemic