塞拉利昂,正式塞拉利昂共和国、国家、非洲西部。面积:27699平方英里(71740平方公里)。人口:2023(美国东部时间)7672000年。资本:弗里敦。大约18曼德和滕内人是最大的民族。语言:英语(官方)、克里奥尔语(来自英语和多种非洲语言)。宗教:伊斯兰教(逊尼派),基督教,传统信仰。货币:里昂。塞拉利昂有四个物理区域:沿海沼泽;塞拉利昂半岛,从沼泽遍布茂密的树林山; the interior plains, consisting of grasslands and rolling wooded country; and the interior plateau and mountain regions. Wildlife includes chimpanzees, crocodiles, and many species of birds. The economy is based largely on agriculture and mining; rice, cassava, coffee, cacao, and oil palm are major crops, and diamonds, rutile, and bauxite are mined. Sierra Leone is a republic with one legislative house; the head of state and government is the president. The earliest inhabitants were probably the Bulom and Temne; Mande-speaking peoples began arriving in the 15th century. The coastal region was visited by the Portuguese in the 15th century, who built a fort near the site of modern Freetown. European ships visited the coast regularly to trade for slaves and ivory, and the English built trading posts on offshore islands in the 17th century. British abolitionists and philanthropists founded Freetown in 1787 as a private venture for freed and runaway slaves. In 1808 the coastal settlement became a British colony. The region became a British protectorate in 1896. It achieved independence in 1961 and became a republic in 1971. Since independence Sierra Leone experienced a series of military coups. An 11-year civil war, which was marked by horrific atrocities and further devastated the country, ended in 2002.
