Factbook
Histoire de Sierra Leone — Chronologie
Dates clés de l'histoire de Sierra Leone, d'après le Factbook Magna et l'Encyclopédie universelle.
1787In 1787, after the American Revolution, Sierra Leone became a destination for Black British loyalists from the new United States.
1807When Britain abolished the slave trade in 1807, British ships delivered thousands of liberated Africans to Sierra Leone.
1961In 1961, Sierra Leone became independent of the UK.
1961Independence: 27 April 1961 (from the UK).
1962Sierra Leone held free and fair elections in 1962 and 1967, but Siaka STEVENS -- Sierra Leone’s second prime minister -- quickly reverted to authoritarian tendencies, outlawing most political parties and ruling from 1967 to 1985.
1991In 1991, Sierra Leonean soldiers launched a civil war against STEVENS’ ruling party.
1998In 1998, a Nigerian-led West African coalition military force intervened, installing Tejan KABBAH -- who was originally elected in 1996 -- as prime minister.
1998Since 1998, Sierra Leone has conducted democratic elections dominated by the two main political parties, the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the All People’s Congress (APC) party.
2002In 2002, KABBAH officially announced the end of the war.
2018In 2018, Julius Maada BIO of the Sierra Leone People’s Party won the presidential election that saw a high voter turnout despite some allegations of voter intimidation.
2019Languages: English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves; a first language for 10% of the population but under Religions: Muslim 77.1%, Christian 22.9% (2019 est.) Urban population: 44.3% of total population (2023).
2023BIO won again in June 2023, although irregularities were noted that called into question the integrity of the results.
2023Generation mix — fossil fuels: 3.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 9.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 84.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) Energy use: 2.301 million Btu/person (2023 est.).
2023In October 2023, the Government of Sierra Leone and the main opposition party, the All People’s Congress, signed the Agreement for National Unity to boost cooperation between political parties and begin the process of reforming the country’s electoral system.
2023Industries: diamond mining; iron ore, rutile and bauxite mining; small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, footwear) Agriculture: cassava, rice, oil palm fruit, vegetables, sweet potatoes, milk, citrus fruits, fruits, groundnuts, sugarcane (2023) Electricity access: 29.4% (2022 est.).
2023Major urban areas: 1.309 million FREETOWN (capital) (2023) low-income West African economy; primarily subsistent agriculture; key iron and diamond mining activities suspended; slow recovery from 1990s civil war; systemic corruption; high-risk debt; high youth unemployment; natural resource rich Inflation: 28.6% (2024 est.).
2024Military spending: 0.5% of GDP (2024 est.).
