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Sierra Leone Images
It would be all too easy to start information about Sierra Leone with the devastating civil war that afflicted the country for over a decade, leaving tens of thousands dead, mutilated and around one third of Sierra Leone's population displaced. The war, however, is now over and the United Nations has lifted the remaining sanctions against Sierra Leone in recognition that the government there has disarmed the rebels and re-exerted control over the country, precluding the possibility of future turmoil.
Whilst never forgetting the horrors of that period and its enduring legacy, it would be wrong to define Sierra Leone by those events alone. A former British colony until its independence in 1961, Sierra Leone is a country of some 8.606 million (2022) and is about the size of the Czech Republic.
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Located on the west coast of Africa, it is bordered by Guinea to its north and east, by 291 miles of Atlantic Ocean coastline to the west and south-west and Liberia to its south-east. It has mountains to the east of the country, whilst the coastal area has mangrove swamps leading to wooded hills then an upland plateau as you move inland. Sierra Leone is prone to sand storms from the Sahara Desert particularly from December to February, part of its winter season which runs until April, and then has a hot and humid tropical climate from May through to December, its summer and rainy season.
Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries in the
world with just over 70% of its people existing below the
poverty line. Alluvial diamond mining is the main source
of income into the country, yet the majority of its people
scratch out a living by subsistence farming.
Images
worth seeing whilst in Sierra Leone include the slave fort at
Bunce Island which was a major conduit for the British slave
trade to South Carolina and Georgia. Founded in 1670, tens of
thousands of slaves, mainly the Gullah who lived on land on the
Sierra Leone/Liberia border, were trafficked through the island
until its closure in 1808. Cont/...
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If you like islands check out Tiwai Island on the Moa River with
its popular wildlife sanctuary where, amongst other animals, you
can see the colourful Diana & Colobus monkeys. (You can also
take a tour along the Moa river from Guinea right down to the
sea if you have a few thousand pounds and a couple of weeks to
spare). Again, the Outamba-Kilimi National Park on the border
with Guinea has many types of primates as well as pygmy hippos,
elephants, antelopes and many species of birds.
