and
Asian 1%; 13 tribes
Religions:
Muslim 30%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10%, other or none 30%
Languages:
English (official); regular use limited to literate minority; principal
vernaculars are Mende in south and Temne in north; Krio is the language of
the resettled ex-slave population of the Freetown area and is lingua franca
Literacy:
21% (male 31%, female 11%) age 15 and over can read and write English,
Mende, Temne, or Arabic (1990 est.)
Labor force:
1,369,000 (est.); agriculture 65%, industry 19%, services 16% (1981); only
about 65,000 earn wages (1985); 55% of population of working age
Organized labor:
35% of wage earners

:Sierra Leone Government

Long-form name:
Republic of Sierra Leone
Type:
military government
Capital:
Freetown
Administrative divisions:
Western Area and 3 provinces; Eastern, Northern, Southern
Independence:
27 April 1961 (from UK)
Constitution:
1 October 1991; amended September 1991
Legal system:
based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
Republic Day, 27 April (1961)
Executive branch:
National Provisional Ruling Council
Legislative branch:
unicameral House of Representatives (suspended after coup of 29 April 1992)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (suspended after coup of 29 April 1992)
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government:
President Gen. Joseph Saidu MOMOH was ousted in coup of 29 April 1992;
succeeded by Chairman of the National Provisional Ruling Council Valentine
STRASSER (since 29 April 1992)
Political parties and leaders:
status of existing political parties are unknown following 29 April 1992
coup
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
suspended after 29 April 1992 coup; Chairman STRASSER promises multi-party
elections sometime in the future
Member of:
ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU,
OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador (vacant); Chancery at 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009;
telephone (202) 939-9261
US:
Ambassador Johnny YOUNG; Embassy at the corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens
Street, Freetown; telephone [232] (22) 226-4