Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean between Guinea and Liberia

Map references: Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area:
total area: 71,740 sq km
land area: 71,620 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than South Carolina

Land boundaries: total 958 km, Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km

Coastline: 402 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 200 nm

International disputes: none

Climate: tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)

Terrain: coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east

Natural resources: diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite

Land use:
arable land: 25%
permanent crops: 2%
meadows and pastures: 31%
forest and woodland: 29%
other: 13%

Irrigated land: 340 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment:
current issues: rapid population growth pressuring the environment; overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil exhaustion; civil war depleting natural resources
natural hazards: dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (November to May)
international agreements: party to - Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban; signed, but not ratified - Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea

NOTE: The information regarding Sierra Leone on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Sierra Leone Geography 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Sierra Leone Geography 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.