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 nation's capital, seat of government, and largest city.

MISSIONARIES:

Owens, Larry & Jackie

HISTORY:

Sierra Leone was first inhabited by the Sherbro and Limba peoples, and later the Mende, to whom the country was known 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 its capital 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 with the assistance of the United Nations in 2002. Since the civil war's end, almost 72,500 former combatants have disarmed 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, suppression of the press and the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

RELIGION:

The Sierra Leone constitution provides freedom of religion and the government generally protects this right, and does not tolerate its abuse.