Sierra Leone gained independence in 1961. The Atlantic Ocean borders Sierra Leone to the west, Guinea to the north, and Liberia to the south.
Freetown is the capital city and main port of Sierra Leone and other major towns and cities include Koidu, Bo, Kenema, Makeni, Lunsar, Waterloo, Port Loko, Kabala, Yengema, Goderich, Magburaka, Kailahun, Rokupr and Segbwema
The Sierra Leone economy is based on industrial diamond production, and other precious stones; along with agriculture. Sierra Leone is one of the leading producers of diamonds in the world.
Other mineral and resource deposits in Sierra Leone include: vast amounts of rutile, iron-ore and bauxite. The major industries in Sierra Leone include: drinks, flour, wood, cigarettes, and furniture, plants, along with crude oil refining.
Rice, coffee, cocoa, oil palm and kernel, peanut, cassava, pissava, ginger, millet, livestock, and cattle are farmed in Sierra Leone for sale in the domestic market and for export to countries abroad.
The principal Sierra Leone exports are: diamond, rutile, and livestock.
The climate in Sierra Leone is tropical, with an average temperature of about 800F or 270C. It occupies a total landmass of about 71,740 square kilometres.
The terrain of Sierra Leone contains: flat lowlands, savannah grassland, plains, rocky territory, hills, mountains rising to a height of over 1,900 metres, rivers, coastal mangrove swamps, and dense tropical rain forests.
The forests and rivers of Sierra Leone contain: crocodiles, porcupine, lions, antelopes, monkeys, chimpanzees, and various birds.