Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: All People's Congress or APC [Edward
Mohammed TURAY, chairman]; Democratic Centre Party or DCP [Adu Aiah
KOROMA]; National Democratic Alliance or NDA ;
National Republican Party or NRP ; National Unity
Party or NUP ; People's Democratic Party or
PDP ; People's Progressive Party or PPP
; Revolutionary United Front Party or
RUFP ; Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP
; United National People's
Party or UNPP [John KARIFA-SMART in exile, Raymond KAMARA, acting
leader]
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA,
ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC,
ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador John Ernest LEIGH chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: (202) 939-9261 through 9263 FAX: (202) 483-1793
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph MELROSE embassy: Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets, Freetown mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: (22) 226481 through 226485 FAX: (22) 225471
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue
@Sierra Leone:Economy
Economy - overview: Sierra Leone has substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources. However, the economic and social infrastructure is not well developed, and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development. About two-thirds of the working-age population engages in subsistence agriculture. Manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. Bauxite and rutile mines have been shut down by civil strife. The major source of hard currency is found in the mining of diamonds, the large majority of which are smuggled out of the country. The resurgence of internal warfare in 1999 brought another substantial drop in GDP. The fate of the economy in 2000 depends on the mid-1999 peace accord holding and the rebels reopening territory under their control.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $2.5 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: -10% (1999 est.)