Development Cooperation Handbook/Sierra Leone - Introduction

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Introduction
Sierra Leone is a small country in coastal West Africa, bordering Guinea to the north and east and Liberia to the southeast.

It has a special significance in the history of the transatlantic slave trade. It was the departure point for thousands of West African captives. The capital, Freetown, was founded as a home for repatriated former slaves in 1787.

It is a predominantly Muslim nation, though with a large Christian minority. Sierra Leone is ranked as one of the most religiously tolerant nations in the world.

Sierra Leone is rich in diamonds and other minerals, but the trade in illicit gems, known as "blood diamonds" had a big role in funding conflicts. In 2002, with the help of Britain, the former colonial power, and a large United Nations peacekeeping mission, Sierra Leone emerged from a decade of cruel civil war that had had caused at least 75,000 deaths, the deliberate mutilation of thousands, a generation of former child soldiers and the destruction of the healthcare infrastructure.

The infant mortality rate, which until 2005 was the highest in the world, is largely caused by malaria, diarrhoea, malnutrition and common infections.

Economic recovery has been slow partly because the reconstruction needs are great. Around half of the government revenue comes from foreign donors. The restoration of peace was expected to aid the country's promotion as a tourism destination in the long term. Sierra Leone boasts miles of beautiful beaches along its Atlantic coast.

The country has relied on Mining, especially Diamonds, for its economic base; it is among the top 10 diamond producing nations in the world, and mineral exports remain the country's main foreign currency earner. Sierra Leone is also among the largest producers of Titanium and Bauxite, and a major producer of Gold. The country has one of the world's largest deposits of Rutile. Sierra Leone is also home to the third largest natural harbor in the world; where shipping from all over the globe berth at Freetown's famous Queen Elizabeth II Quay. But despite this natural wealth, over 70% of its people live in poverty.