Capital: Freetown
Administrative divisions: 3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western*

Independence: 27 April 1961 (from UK)
National holiday: Republic Day, 27 April (1961)

Constitution: 1 October 1991; suspended following 19 April 1992 coup

Legal system: based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government: Chairman of the Supreme Council of State Capt. Valentine E. M. STRASSER (since 29 April 1992)
cabinet: Council of Secretaries; responsible to the NPRC

Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives (suspended after coup of 29 April 1992); Chairman STRASSER promises multi-party elections sometime in 1995

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (suspended after coup of 29 April 1992)

Political parties and leaders: status of existing political parties is unknown following 29 April 1992 coup
Member of: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas Kahota KARGBO
chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: (202) 939-9261
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Lauralee M. PETERS
embassy: Walpole and Siaka Stevens Street, Freetown
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [232] (22) 226-481
FAX: [232] (22) 225-471

Flag: three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue

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 Government 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Sierra Leone Government 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.