GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION

The Republic of Sierra Leone is located on the West Coast of Africa, between latitudes 7 and 10 north and longitudes 10.5 and 13 west. The Republic of Guinea is to the north and northeast; Liberia is to the east and southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean on the west and south. It has 300 miles of coastline.

From an approximate 70-mile coastal belt of low-lying land, the country rises to a mountain plateau near the eastern frontier rising 4000 to 6000 feet with a rich timber forest region. The Western Area encompasses the Sierra Leone Peninsula, on which the capital and main commercial centre of Freetown stands; is 24 miles long and 10 miles wide.

A mountainous promontory, it rises in places to 300 feet above sea level - one of the few parts of the West African Coast where there is high land so near the sea. Where the lush green forest spills down hillsides to meet the most beautiful white sandy beaches along the Atlantic Ocean.

This 27,925 square mile (73,326 sq km) country has a population of approximately 4.5 million people. Sierra Leone is divided into four main Provinces, West, North, East and South. There are twelve Districts in the entire country.