SIERRA LEONE > AFRICA >  INDEX


Sierra Leone is divided into four regional divisions: Eastern, Northern, Southern Provinces and the Western Area.

** Eastern Province Sierra Leone : Kailahun District, Kenema District and Kono District.
** Northern Province Sierra Leone : Bombali District, Kambia District, Koinadugu District, Port Loko District and Tonkolili District
** Southern Province Sierra Leone : Bo District, Bonthe District and Moyamba District.

The country borders Guinee in the north and east and Liberia in the southeast..

The name Sierra Leone actually comes from a Portuguese word meaning Lion Mountain? Early Portuguese explorers thought the profile of the mountain ranges resembled that of a sleeping lion.

Bathed in 80 degree temperatures throughout the year, quiet palm treed white beaches providing the perfect backdrop, and wonderful people always ready with the warmest welcome, this beautiful little country has become one of the world's surprising 'little travel secrets'.

Towns / Cities : Freetown


hotels, travel agencies, travel guides, transportation / traveling to sierra leone

links


Hotels in Sierra Leone

 Hotel Kimbima 
It is built on a hilly sloppy landscape overlooking the Capes, the Atlantic and the Lungi International Airport on a clear day, which gives it a serene and romantic atmosphere
 The Country Lodge Complex 

 Visitsierraleone.org - 

National Parks

 Outamba-Kilimi National Park - northern part of the country

Travel Agents / Tour Operators

 Sierra Leone Travel


 Visitsierraleone.org - Sierra Leone Travel and Tourism Information

Travel Guides Sierra Leone / Related Books

Books about Sierra Leone

Lonely Planet West Africa
by Anthony Ham (Author), James Bainbridge (Author)
This guide to West Africa has sections capturing the region's vibrant arts and people, an introduction to the sounds and rhythms of West Africa's music, and a guide to the region's main languages.
Paperback: 904 pages; Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; 6 edition (October 2006); Language: English; ISBN-10: 1740597710; ISBN-13: 978-1740597715

The Rough Guide to West Africa - Jim Hudgens, Richard Trillo
This guide to West Africa explores all the visitable countries in West Africa, from Mauritania and the Cape Verde Islands in the west, to Niger and Cameroon in the east. The colour introductory essay highlights the regions attractions, picks out the various route and travel options and touches on some of the great range of cultural and scenic impressions that any visit will make. Each chapter covers the relevant country with attention to detail, including special attention to the practicalities of travel, thoroughly researched hotel and restaurant listings, and a carefully researched background on wildlife and the environment, culture, history, politics and music.
Paperback: 1200 pages; Publisher: Rough Guides; 4 Sub edition (November 27, 2003); Language: English; ISBN-10: 1843531186; ISBN-13: 978-1843531180
Conflict and Collusion in Sierra Leone - By David Keen
The United Nations' presence in Sierra Leone has made that country a subject of international attention to an unprecedented degree. Once identified as a source of 'the New Barbarism', it has also become a proving ground for Western interventions in the war against terrorism. The conventional diplomatic approach to Sierra Leone's civil war is that it has been a contest between two clearly defined sides. Keen demonstrates this is not the case: the various armed groups were fractured throughout the 1990s, often colluded with one another, and had little interest in bringing the war to an end. This book is not only a comprehensive description and novel interpretation of events in Sierra Leone, it represents a new and innovative approach to the study of war and Third World development and politics generally.
Hardcover: 320 pages; Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (September 15, 2005); Language: English; ISBN-10: 1403967180; ISBN-13: 978-1403967183

Transport / How do I travel to Sierra Leone

 Freetown Airport - Lungi International Airport

  Airline Tickets / Bargain Flights - price comparison is possible

 Maps of Sierra Léone [ Uni Texas - Perry-Castañeda Library - Map Collection ]


Links 

 Travel Insurance

 Sierra Leone Travel and Tourism Information
The Visit Sierra Leone site is a comprehensive visitors' guide to 'Salone' offering travel and tourism information to assist you when planning your trip.
Whether you're a first time visitor, someone who has been there before, or a Sierra Leonean going back home make this is a first stop for your travel and tourism information needs.

 Sierra Leone High Commission London - official web site

 Sierra Leone Government [ doesn't work sometimes ]

 Eastern Province Sierra Leone
 Northern Province
 Southern Province
 Western Area

 Freetown - see Wikipedia: Freetown
The area was first settled in 1787 by freed slaves sent from England by British abolitionists, who started the Sierra Leone Company. In 1792, Freetown was founded by former slaves from Nova Scotia...

 Bo City
 Kenema - Moja River
 Sefadu [ Kono, Koidu ] - in the diamond mining region
 Yengema - small town eastern Province
Home to the National Diamond Mining Company
 Makeni - east of Freetown
 Kabala - north central part of the country - On the road to Guinea
 Port Loco - near the capital but with a pleasant climate

 Banaba Islands - south of Freetown - island full of birds
 Shebro Island - southeast of the capital
With the run-down but charming colonial town of Bonthe
 Turtle Islands

 AISF - American International School of Freetown
Private, coeducational day school, which offers an educational program from preschool through grade 8 to students of all nationalities. Instruction is in English
 University - Foura Bay College - University of Sierra Leone in Freetown
 University - Njala University College - University of Sierra Leone
The College is located at the hinterland at Njala along the banks of the river Taia, ca. 200 km South of Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone
 Towns & Cities in Sierrra Leone
 US Embassy Freetown

Cuisine - Sierra Leone Foods / Recipes

 Sierra Leone recipes

 South of the Sahara: Traditional Cooking from the Lands of West Africa 
By Elizabeth A. Jackson
Come and discover the rich and sultry blend of meats, tropical fruits, vegetables, grains, spices and oils that served as the foundation of West African life for centuries. The history of these lands is as rich as the spicy food. Learn about ancient empires and the origins of modern nations as you choose from a selection of 120 tempting dishes.
Paperback: 204 pages; Publisher: Fantail; 1 edition (January 1999); Language: English; ISBN-10: 096552096X; ISBN-13: 978-0965520966

The Best of African Cooking - Manjase Banda
Paperback: 144 pages; Publisher: Esanjam; 2 Revised edition (March 14, 2007); Language: English; ISBN-10: 0954682130; ISBN-13: 978-0954682132
 African Recipes

History of Sierra Leone

Independence: 27 April 1961 (from UK)

European contacts with Sierra Leone were among the first in West Africa. In 1462, Portuguese explorer Pedro da Cintra mapped the hills surrounding what is now Freetown Harbour, naming the oddly shaped formation Serra Lyoa (Lion Mountains).

In 1787 the British helped 400 freed slaves from the United States return to Sierra Leone to settle in what they called the "Province of Freedom." These slaves had been promised their freedom for joining the British Army during the American Revolution; originally resettled in Nova Scotia, many died from the harsh Nova Scotian winters before receiving passage to Sierra Leone by the British Sierra Leone Company.

 Sierra Leone's History - see Wikipedia
Early history Sierra Leone and slavery, The colonial era and independence, Early independence (1961 - 1982) [ Contested elections and military rule, APC government ], Later independence (1978 - ) [ One-party constitution, Multi-party constitution and RUF rebellion, Lomé Accord ].
 Rough Crossings: Britain, the Slaves and the American Revolution - Simon Schama
Set against the backdrop of the American Revolution and its aftermath, Rough Crossings is the gripping, astonishing epic of the struggle for freedom by tens of thousands of slaves who believed that their future as free men and women was bound up with staying British, not becoming American. The decision to offer slaves who defected to the British their liberty began in military strategy, but it unleashed the greatest mass uprising in American history by tens of thousands of slaves - Americans who clung to the sentimental notion of British freedom even when they knew that the English were far from being saints when it came to slavery. With powerfully vivid story-telling, often spoken through the voices of the blacks themselves, as well as the white abolitionists who became their emancipators and protectors, Schama follows the odyssey of the escaped blacks into the fires of the war, the terror of potential recapture at the war's end, and into inhospitable Nova Scotia where thousands who had served the Crown were betrayed in their promises to receive land. Along the way, Rough Crossings keeps company with a cast of extraordinary characters: Granville Sharp, the flute-playing father-figure of slave freedom; David George, runaway slave and Baptist preacher; Thomas Peters, sergeant in the British Black Pioneers and the first true African-American politician. Most compelling of all, there is Lieutenant John Clarkson, young, passionate, resourceful and high-strung, the Moses of this, one of the great Exoduses in British history. Clarksons journal of the ingathering in Nova Scotia, the ocean crossing and the harrowing experience of the first year in Sierra Leone is one of the most powerful documents of the history of liberty. Although the extraordinary story that unfolds in Rough Crossings would ultimately prove to be bitterly tragic, it was not without its moments of redemption, promises kept as well as betrayed. If there is heartbreak waiting in its pages there is also rejoicing. No one who reads it will ever feel the same way again about what it means to be British, American - and black.
Hardcover 448 pages (September 8, 2005); Publisher: BBC Books; Language: English; ISBN: 0563487097

Music, Art & Culture, Events & Entertainment

 Music of Sierra Leone [ Wikipedia ]
Sierra Leone's music is a mixture of native and French influences. Palm wine is representative, and is played by an acoustic guitar with percussion in countries throughout coastal West Africa...

Web Portals / Search Engine / Sierra Leone Directories

 Sierra Leone Travel and Tourism Information 
Comprehensive visitors' guide to Sierra Leone. It contains in-depth traveller's information, flights schedule, travel agents, beaches, accommodation, restaurants, eco tourism, fascinating photo gallery, attractions, diplomatic missions, handy addresses, investment information and much more. The site is Non-Profit and Non-Government
 Sierra Leone Web
 Sierra Leone Live - linking sierra leoneans around the world


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