Sierra Leone

The Republic of Sierra Leone is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea on the north and Liberia on the southeast, with the Atlantic Ocean on the southwest. The name Sierra Leone was adapted from the Spanish version: Sierra León, and in turn, from the Portuguese Serra-Leão, which stands for "lioness mountains." It was an important centre of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Much like neighbouring Liberia, it was founded by freed slaves, who in 1791 founded the capital, Freetown. In 1806, Freetown became a British Protectorate (as did the remainder of the country in 1896), reaching independence in 1961. From 1991 to 2002, the country has suffered greatly from a devastating civil war.

External links

Government

• The Republic of Sierra Leone official government site

News

• allAfrica.com - Sierra Leone news headline links

Overviews

• BBC News Country Profile - Sierra Leone
• CIA World Factbook - Sierra Leone

Directories

• Columbia University Libraries - African Studies: Sierra Leone directory category
• LookSmart - Sierra Leone directory category
• Open Directory Project - Sierra Leone directory category
• Stanford University - Africa South of the Sahara: Sierra Leone directory category
• The Index on Africa - Sierra Leone directory category
• Yahoo! - Sierra Leone directory category

Tourism

• {{wikitravel}}
• National Tourist Board of Sierra Leone official site
• Visit Sierra Leone Travel and Tourism information
• ShowbizSierraLeone.com Sierra Leone music, showbiz and entertainment information

Other

• Dossier about Sierra Leone from Freedomhouse.org
• Cry Freetown
• No Peace Without Justice in Sierra Leone
• Photos: People of Sierra Leone
• Sierra Leone Encyclopedia 2004
• Sierra Leone Web
• UNAMSIL
• War Crimes Trials in Sierra Leone