Sierra Leone
Where lush green forests spill down hillsides to meet white sandy beaches along the Atlantic Ocean.
Culture
The majority of people in Sierra Leone still live by preserving their religions, customs and traditions. The Limba tribe holds an important role in Sierra Leone culture as they are the only people who can ‘tap palm wine’ (also known as poyo) from the palm tree. Villagers will even create an advert on the local notice boards offering incentives for good Palm Wine tappers so that they can afford the village with as much of the naturally fermenting alcoholic drink as possible.
The population of Sierra Leone consists of sixteen ethnic groups, each with its own unique language and customs. The country is slowly emerging from a protracted civil war and is showing signs of a successful transition as both investor’s and consumer’s assurance have continued to increase together with the country’s economic recovery.
Country Information
- Capital city
- Nationality
- Language
- Climate
- Currency
- Time Zone
- Calling Code
- Freetown
- Sierra Leonean(s)
- English and Bengali
- Tropical
- Sierra Leonean leone
- UTC+0
- +232
Food/Cuisine
Stews are a fundamental part of Sierra Leone's cuisine, the groundnut stew is famously known as the country's national dish while ginger beer made out of pure ginger, is typically a homemade beverage.
Freetown
Sierra Leone's capital situated between the mountains and the sea, is referred as a quicksilver capital that’s bubbling with energy, colour and charm. Freetown might just be the only capital in the world where you’ll emerge from the airport only to find yourself standing on the wooden deck of a port by a backdrop of mountains, beaches and palm trees, leaving you in a tranquil state which you’ll wonder if it's real.
Music
Sierra Leone's music is a mixture of native, French, British and Creole influences. The palm wine music is played by an acoustic guitar with percussion in countries throughout coastal West Africa. Sierra Leone, like much of West Africa is open to Rap, Reggae, Dancehall, R&B, and Grime (music).
Arts
Art in Sierra Leone has a long and significant tradition of carving and ceremonial works like masks and cloth for initiation and protection. Carving using wood, horns, and stone has been prominent for many centuries and retains importance today.
Outamba-kilimi National Park
The park houses a very diverse wildlife such as chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, hippos, bongo antelopes, elephants and even lions can be seen, along with 260 bird species. The northern Outamba section consists of hills, grasslands, and rainforests that is dissected by several rivers.
Turtle Islands
The Turtle Islands which is in habited by the fishing communities and takes at least 3 hours from Freetown by speedboat. A boat trip to various islands is recommended as is swimming and fishing with local fishermen.
Gola Forest Reserve
The Gola Forest is Sierra Leone's newest National Park in the South-East of the country. The Forest is home to more than 650 species of butterfly, over 330 species of bird which 14 are under threatened, and only 49 species of mammals containing a population of 300+ Chimpanzees, Pygmy Hippopotamus and a much dwindled Forest Elephant population.
Mt. Bintumani
Loma Mansa, as Sierra Leone's highest peak is also known, rises 1945m (6380ft). The forest’s grassland is the home for porcupines, wart hogs, baboons, duikers, and even buffaloes. The most wildlife-rich approach to the peak is either from Kabala through Koinadugu and Firawa or more commonly from Yifin village (from where it's at least a four-day walk).