Sierra Leone

the State which has been had in the Western Africa at coast of Atlantic ocean. The square - 72,3  thousand sq. km. Before declaration of independence in 1961 - possession the Great Britain. Now - the presidential republic which is a part of British Commonwealth. An official language - English. Sierra Leone in transfer from the Portuguese means lion's mounts and is named so because of a screen of cataracts reminding a lion's roar on the rivers draining off from mounts.

The Bulk of terrain of the country - an undulating plain gradually downgraded to the southwest. The plain is cut by the numerous high-water rivers Kaba, rokelle, Sowing and others. The ocean coast low, sandy, is in the north hardly cut up ustjami the rivers which minister convenient natural harbours (especially a river Rokelle mouth where the harbour of Freetown - the best in the Western Africa is had). All northeast is occupied Leono-Liberijskoj by an elevation (a climate - mount Bintimani, 1948  and uplands Fouta Djallon spurs of a mountain. The combination of mounts, plains, the rivers and sandy coasts gives a unique originality to the nature of Sierra Leone.

The Climate of the country the subequatorial. Monthly average temperatures at coast fluctuate from 24  °C (August) to 27  °C (April), in intrinsic regions is more cool (20-21  °C). Deposits fall out mainly in the summer (from May till September): to 4500  mm at coast and 2000-2500  mm in intrinsic regions. The country is considered one of the most rainy in the Western Africa.

About half of terrain Sierra Leone it is occupied by tall-grass savannahs where leopards dwell, hyenas, antelopes, zebras, there are elephants and water buffaloes. On east slopes of mounts and in the south of the country sections of wet equatorial woods were saved; on some rivers there are rare nanous river horses, and in them ustjah - a disappearing marine mammal lamantin. On ocean coast in tidal region there is wood mangrove family. On peninsula Freetown where the low mounts covered with palm trees, approach to ocean, lagoons with rich okolovodnoj vegetation are especially picturesque.

Country Indigenous population (an aggregate number - nearby 4,5  million persons) compound 17  nationalities and nations, most numerous of which - mende and temne, engaging in farming agriculture. More than half of believers adheres to traditional convictions, nearby 30 % practises Islam, the others - christians. Traditional handcrafts, samples oral (legends, fairy tales) and material crop (especially wood ritual masks) people of Sierra Leone are widely known all over the world.

Country Capital - Freetown (nearby 669  thousand inhabitants), is one of the oldest cities of the Western Africa, based in 1792. The downtown is erected buildings on two-and three-storyed dwellings in style of the English cities of XIX century. Here the Waggon-knap and the National museum are had the university college based in 1827.