FAX: (22) 225471

FAX: (202) 483-1793

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Joseph H. MELROSE, Jr.

embassy: Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets, Freetown

mailing address: use embassy street address

telephone: (22) 226481 through 226485

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue

Sierra Leone Economy

Economy - overview: Sierra Leone is an extremely poor African nation with tremendous inequality in income distribution. It does have substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources. However, the economic and social infrastructure is not well developed, and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development. About two-thirds of the working-age population engages in subsistence agriculture. Manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. Bauxite and rutile mines have been shut down by civil strife. The major source of hard currency is found in the mining of diamonds, the large majority of which are smuggled out of the country. The resurgence of internal warfare in 1999 brought another substantial drop in GDP, with GNP recovering part of the way in 2000. The fate of the economy depends upon the maintenance of domestic peace and the continued receipt of substantial aid from abroad.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $2.7 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 4.2% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $510 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 43%

industry: 26%

services: 31% (1999)

Population below poverty line: 68% (1989 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 0.5%

highest 10%: 43.6% (1989)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 1.369 million (1981 est.)

note: only about 65,000 wage earners (1985)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services
NA%

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget: revenues: $96 million

expenditures: $351 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

Industries: mining (diamonds); small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity - production: 240 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%

hydro: 0%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 223.2 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish

Exports: $65 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities: diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish

Exports - partners: Belgium 38%, US 6%, Italy 4%, UK 4% (1999)

Imports: $145 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals

Imports - partners: UK 34%, US 8%, Italy 7%, Nigeria 5% (1999)

Debt - external: $1.28 billion (1999)

Economic aid - recipient: $203.7 million (1995)

Currency: leone (SLL)

Currency code: SLL

Exchange rates: leones per US dollar - 1,653.39 (January 2001), 2,092.13 (2000), 1,804.20 (1999), 1,563.62 (1998), 981.48 (1997), 920.73 (1996)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Sierra Leone Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 17,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 650 (1999)

Telephone system: general assessment: marginal telephone and telegraph service

domestic: national microwave radio relay trunk system, made unserviceable by military activities, is now operating from Freetown to Bo and Kenema (April 2001)

international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 9, shortwave 1 (1999)

Radios: 1.12 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 2 (1999)

Televisions: 53,000 (1997)

Internet country code: .sl

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)

Internet users: 2,000 (2000)

Sierra Leone Transportation

Railways: total: 84 km used on a limited basis because the mine at
Marampa is closed

narrow gauge: 84 km 1.067-m gauge

Highways: total: 11,300 km

paved: 904 km

unpaved: 10,396 km (1997)

Waterways: 800 km (of which 600 km navigable year round)

Ports and harbors: Bonthe, Freetown, Pepel

Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,057
GRT/3,498 DWT

ships by type: cargo 1 (2000 est.)

Airports: 11 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 1

over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 10

914 to 1,523 m: 7

under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)

Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)

Sierra Leone Military

Military branches: Army

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,161,790 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 563,631 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $46 million (FY96/97)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2% (FY96/97)

Sierra Leone Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: civil war has engendered massive refugee movements into neighboring Guinea and Liberia

@Singapore

Singapore Introduction

Background: Founded as a British trading colony in 1819, Singapore joined Malaysia in 1963, but withdrew two years later and became independent. It subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries, with strong international trading links (its port is one of the world's busiest) and with per capita GDP above that of the leading nations of Western Europe.

Singapore Geography

Location: Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia

Geographic coordinates: 1 22 N, 103 48 E

Map references: Southeast Asia

Area: total: 647.5 sq km

land: 637.5 sq km

water: 10 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly more than 3.5 times the size of
Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 193 km

Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: within and beyond territorial sea, as defined in treaties and practice

territorial sea: 3 NM

Climate: tropical; hot, humid, rainy; two distinct monsoon seasons - Northeastern monsoon from December to March and Southwestern monsoon from June to September; inter-monsoon - frequent afternoon and early evening thunderstorms

Terrain: lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water catchment area and nature preserve

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Singapore Strait 0 m

highest point: Bukit Timah 166 m

Natural resources: fish, deepwater ports

Land use: arable land: 2%

permanent crops: 6%

permanent pastures: 0%

forests and woodland: 5%

other: 87% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: NA

Environment - current issues: industrial pollution; limited natural fresh water resources; limited land availability presents waste disposal problems; seasonal smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in Indonesia

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note: focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes

Singapore People

Population: 4,300,419 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 17.89% (male 397,124; female 372,058)

15-64 years: 75.16% (male 1,575,381; female 1,656,838)

65 years and over: 6.95% (male 130,815; female 168,203) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.5% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 12.8 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 4.24 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 26.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female

total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 3.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 80.17 years

male: 77.22 years

female: 83.35 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.22 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.19% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 4,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 210 (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Singaporean(s)

adjective: Singapore

Ethnic groups: Chinese 76.7%, Malay 14%, Indian 7.9%, other 1.4%

Religions: Buddhist (Chinese), Muslim (Malays), Christian, Hindu,
Sikh, Taoist, Confucianist

Languages: Chinese (official), Malay (official and national), Tamil (official), English (official)

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 93.5%

male: 97%

female: 89.8% (1999)

Singapore Government

Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Singapore

conventional short form: Singapore

Government type: parliamentary republic

Capital: Singapore

Administrative divisions: none

Independence: 9 August 1965 (from Malaysia)

National holiday: Independence Day, 9 August (1965)

Constitution: 3 June 1959, amended 1965 (based on preindependence
State of Singapore Constitution)

Legal system: based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch: chief of state: President Sellapan Rama (S. R.)
NATHAN (since 1 September 1999)

head of government: Prime Minister GOH Chok Tong (since 28 November 1990) and Deputy Prime Ministers LEE Hsien Loong (since 28 November 1990) and Tony TAN Keng Yam (since 1 August 1995)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president, responsible to Parliament

elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 28 August 1999 (next to be held NA August 2005); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president; deputy prime ministers appointed by the president

election results: Sellapan Rama (S. R.) NATHAN elected president unopposed

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (83 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 2 January 1997 (next to be held by 26 August 2002)

election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 65% (in contested constituencies), other 35%; seats by party - PAP 81, WP 1, SPP 1; note - subsequent to the election, there was a change in the distribution of seats, the new distribution is as follows: PAP 80, WP 1, SPP 1, vacant 1

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the president with the advice of the prime minister, other judges are appointed by the president with the advice of the chief justice); Court of Appeals

Political parties and leaders: People's Action Party or PAP [GOH
Chok Tong, secretary general] - the governing party; Singapore
Democratic Party or SDP [CHEE Soon Juan]; Singapore People's Party
or SPP [CHIAM See Tong]; Workers' Party or WP [J. B. JEYARETNAM]

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN,
Australia Group (observer), BIS, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, G-77, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UN
Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNTAET, UPU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
CHAN Heng Chee

chancery: 3501 International Place NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: (202) 537-3100