Sierra Leone is a country in West Africa with a North Atlantic Oceancoastline to the west. It lies on the African Plate. The country's main geographical features include wooded hill country, an upland plateau, and mountains in the east. The highest peak is Mount Bintumani, which is 1,948 meters (6,391 ft) above sea level. The coastline has a belt of mangrove swamps. Freetown, the nation's capital city, has one of the world's largest natural harbours.[4] The Rokel River is the largest river in Sierra Leone. It is 400 kilometres (250 mi) long and has a basin with a total area of 10,622 square kilometres (4,101 sq mi).
Sierra Leone is located at approximately 8°30′N12°06′W / 8.5°N 12.1°W / 8.5; -12.1, between the 7th and 10th parallels north of the equator. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and northeast, and Liberia to the south and southeast.[5] The country has a total area of 71,740 km2 (27,699 sq mi), divided into a land area of 71,620 km2 (27,653 sq mi) and water of 120 km2 (46 sq mi).[1]
Physical geography
Sierra Leone's topography
Sierra Leone is located on the west coast of Africa, between the 7th and 10th parallels north of the equator. Sierra Leone is bordered by Guinea to the north and northeast, Liberia to the south and southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.[5] The country has a total area of 71,740 km2 (27,699 sq mi), divided into a land area of 71,620 km2 (27,653 sq mi) and water of 120 km2 (46 sq mi).[1]
Sierra Leone has four distinct geographical regions: coastal Guinean mangroves, the wooded hill country, an upland plateau, and the eastern mountains. Eastern Sierra Leone is an interior region of large plateaus interspersed with high mountains, where Mount Bintumani rises to 1,948 meters (6,391 ft).[5]
Sierra Leone can be split into three geological areas, in the east is part of the West African craton, the western area consists of the Rokelides, an orogenic belt, and a 20- to 30-km coastal strip of sediments.[6]
Extreme points
This is a list of the extreme points of Sierra Leone, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location.
Northernmost point – the northern section of the border with Guinea, Northern Province*
There are two seasons; dry season (November – May) and rainy season (June – October).
December to January are the coolest months of the year, although temperatures can still exceed 40 °C or 104 °F, lower to moderate humidity makes the heat around this time of the year more tolerable. Unlike March and April, the months that it gets hot and humid with temperatures around 33 to 36 °C or 91 to 97 °F and a solid 50% humidity, making the heat index higher than the actual temperature. The average sea temperature is 30 °C or 86 °F.[1][8][9]
Average rainfall is highest at the coast, 3,000 to 5,000 millimetres or 120 to 200 inches per year; moving inland this decreases and at the eastern border of the country, the average rainfall is 2,000 to 2,500 millimetres or 80 to 100 inches.[10]
Climate data for Freetown, Sierra Leone (1961-1990, extremes 1947-1990)
Rapid population growth in Sierra Leone has put pressure upon the natural environment. Environmental problems include the overharvesting of timber, the expansion of cattle grazing and slash and burn agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil exhaustion, and overfishing.
Sierra Leone is party to several environmental agreements:[1]
