Sir Milton Margai became Sierra Leone's first prime minister. The next few years under the Momoh administration were characterised by corruption, which Momoh defused by sacking several senior cabinet ministers. Non-denominational Protestants form a significant minority of Sierra Leone's Christian population. Sierra Leone had its own parliament and its own prime minister, and had the ability to make 100% of its own laws, however, as with countries such as Canada and Australia, Sierra Leone remained a "Dominion" and Queen Elizabeth was Queen of the independent Dominion of Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone has a population of more than 7 million people and has some major cities that subdivide the country. For several months, Bureh's fighters had the advantage over the vastly more powerful British forces but both sides suffered hundreds of fatalities. In addition to information about the provinces of Sierra Leone, well also look at how many districts are in Sierra Leone and data relating to each. [126][127] The RSLMF remained a single-service organisation until 1979, when the Sierra Leone Navy was established. The land was also home to the Temee and Loko peoples, whose presence predates the arrival of Europeans. [133][134] In total, there are 19 local councils: 13 district councils, one for each of the 12 districts and one for the Western Area Rural, and six municipalities also have elected local councils. According to a 2020 estimates by the Pew Research Center[175] 78.5% of Sierra Leone's population are Muslims (mostly Sunni), 20.4% are Christians (mostly Protestants) and 1.1% belong to a traditional African religion or other beliefs. The standard of print journalism tends to be low owing to lack of training, and people trust the information published in newspapers less than that found on the radio.[257]. In 1462, Portuguese explorer Pedro de Sintra mapped the hills surrounding what is now Freetown Harbour, naming the shaped formation Serra da Leoa or "Serra Leoa" (Portuguese for Lioness Mountains). As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. On the coast in Bonthe District in the south are the Sherbro. Association football is by far the most popular sport in Sierra Leone. Just like Freetown, Bo has an ethnically diverse population but is home to the Mende people, and the primary language is the Krio language. Each of the country's 14 districts is represented in parliament. There were thousands of these Black Loyalists, people of African descent who joined the British military forces during the American Revolutionary War. . Hundreds of thousands of people were forced from their homes and many became refugees in Guinea and Liberia. The Loko in the north are native people of Sierra Leone, believed to have lived in Sierra Leone since the time of European encounter. Agyepong I. Accordingly, they began to consider Sir Albert a threat to the ruling houses across the country. The city is governed by an elected city council and is headed by a Mayor. The army was devoted to Bangura, and this made him potentially dangerous to Stevens. If no candidate gets 55%, there is a second-round runoff between the top two candidates. One of the biggest minority ethnic groups are the Fula at around 3.8% of the population. Both genders experienced and were involved in high levels of violence. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began working in Sierra Leone in the 1970's, focusing on Lassa fever. Bai Sherbro was captured and with Bai Bureh, exiled to the Gold Coast (modern Ghana). But at the equivalent tournament in 2006, Division Three of the African region of the World Cricket League, it finished as runner-up to Mozambique, and just missed promotion to Division Two. This left them traumatised, with an estimated 400,000 people (by 2009) being mentally ill. Thousands of former child soldiers have fallen into substance abuse as they try to blunt their memories. [25], Archaeological finds show that Sierra Leone has been inhabited continuously for at least 2,500 years;[27] populated successively by societies who migrated from other parts of Africa. The Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, which is located within the peninsula's vast rainforest reserve, just a few kilometres from the centre of Freetown, has a collection of rare and endangered chimpanzees. [255], In 2006, President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah committed to reforming the laws governing the press and media to create a freer system for journalists to work in. Four of these are provinces, and one is simply called the Western Area. There are two mountain ranges in this province, and it is one of two provinces without any coastline. Riots in 1955 and 1956 involved "tens of thousands" of Sierra Leoneans in the Protectorate.[67]. [62] Fourah Bay College soon became a magnet for Sierra Leone Creoles and other Africans seeking higher education in British West Africa. [209], Children who have been forced to be part of a war have experienced severe mental and emotional damage in Sierra Leone. In 1792 nearly 1,200 persons from Nova Scotia crossed the Atlantic to build the second (and only permanent) Colony of Sierra Leone and the settlement of Freetown on 11 March 1792. The population of Bo is estimated at about 233,684 . This is due to substandard safety standards.[154]. [35] The Dutch and French also started arriving and set up trade near the coast. The Lumley-Aberdeen beach stretches all the way from Cape Sierra Leone down to Lumley. [131] Each chiefdom has ruling families that were recognised at that time; the Tribal Authority, made up of local notables, elects the paramount chief from the ruling families. 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Its numerous creeks and estuaries contain mangrove swamps. When the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade was abolished in 1806, the freed slaves from Britain and the Americas were repatriated to the capital which was named Freetown. In 1992, just a year after the war broke out, President Momoh was ousted in a coup led by Sierra Leone Army captain Valentine Strasser. These Police Commissioners report directly to the Inspector General of Police at the Sierra Leone Police headquarters in Freetown. The Susu and Yalunka are both descendants of migrants from Guinea; they both are virtually all Muslims at over 99%. After 11 years, the country conducted another census in 1974, in that headcount, the population grew to two million, seven hundred and thirty-five thousand one hundred and fifty-nine (2,735,159) and after another 11 years in 1985, the census report recorded a population of three million five hundred and fifteen thousand, eight hundred and twelve (3,515,812). The majority of the Kono ethnic group are Christians, though with an influential Muslim minority. The war was later known as the Hut Tax War. [226], In the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) conducted by UNICEF in 2012, the prevalence of female genital mutilation in Sierra Leone was 94%. Male same-sex sexual activity is illegal under Section 61 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861, and imprisonment for life is possible. Within hours after taking office, Stevens was ousted in a bloodless military coup led by Brigadier General David Lansana, the commander of the Sierra Leone Armed Forces. More and more of the country fell into the hands RUF fighters, and by 1994 they had gotten control of much of the diamond-rich Eastern Province and were getting close toward the capital Freetown. [90] The NPRC Junta immediately suspended the constitution, banned all political parties, limited freedom of speech and freedom of the press and enacted a rule-by-decree policy, in which soldiers were granted unlimited powers of administrative detention without charge or trial, and challenges against such detentions in court were precluded. Turay, a key loyalist of ousted president Momoh. They seized control of the government, arresting Lansana, and suspending the constitution. [citation needed]. Reference Location: Bombali District, Sierra Leone. Protesters have been killed by security forces, as have prison rioters (in one incident at Pademba Road Prison, 30 inmates and one correction officer were killed). Each district has both major and small cities and towns. Based on the commission's recommendations, a constitution re-establishing a multi-party system was approved by the exclusive APC Parliament by a 60% majority vote, becoming effective on 1 October 1991. Margai used his conservative ideology to lead Sierra Leone without much strife. The president is the highest and most influential position within the government of Sierra Leone. The 2021 census is a mid-term census. Media in Sierra Leone began with the introduction of the first printing press in Africa at the start of the 19th century. Sierra Leone is a constitutional republic with a directly elected president and a unicameral legislature. In the 1972 by-elections, the opposition SLPP complained of intimidation and procedural obstruction by the APC and militia. The Sherbro are primarily fisherman and farmers, and they are predominantly found in Bonthe District. Each has a directly elected local district council to exercise authority and carry out functions at a local level. In 1978, the APC-dominant parliament approved a new constitution making the country a one-party state. The neighbouring countries include Guinea which borders it to the North east and Liberia to its South East. Sierra Leone has good relations with the West, including the United States, and has maintained historical ties with the United Kingdom and other former British colonies through its membership of the Commonwealth of Nations. Inland from the coastal plain is the interior plains region. In October 1990, owing to mounting pressure from both within and outside the country for political and economic reforms, president Momoh set up a constitutional review commission to assess the 1978 one-party constitution. According to Professor Fyle, there has been evidence of travellers calling the region Serra Lyoa long before 1462 (before the first arrival of Sintra to the region). 2020-02-06 Bumbuna is a town in the central of Tonkolili District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. In 2009, the Sierra Leone Under-19 team finished second in the African Under-19 Championship in Zambia, thus qualifying for the Under-19 World Cup qualifying tournament with nine other teams. 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