TOP 30 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT SIERRA LEONE

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Last updated: 2023/07/27 at 7:42 AM

By Sallu Kamuskay Published November 24, 2022 530 Views 8 Min Read

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TOP 30 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT SIERRA LEONE

Sierra Leone is a country in West Africa, on the Atlantic Ocean. It’s known for the white-sand beaches lining the Freetown Peninsula. The capital city, Freetown, commemorates the nation’s slave-trade history with the Cotton Tree landmark and King’s Yard Gate. Both were known as places of refuge for returned slaves in the 18th and 19th centuries. Nearby Bunce Island was a key departure point during the slave trade

Sierra Leone is one of the most peaceful countries in Africa and the world. Business Insider ranked Sierra Leone as the fourth most peaceful country in Africa.

Sierra Leone is endowed with beautiful landscape, rich and diverse culture, and tradition, vast natural resources, amazing and breathtaking beaches suitable for tourists and expatriates. The beautiful West African nation is one of the most religiously tolerant countries in the world. Religious violence is very rare in Sierra Leone; unlike other countries. This makes Sierra Leone one of the best places to do business.

Here are the Top 30 Interesting Facts About Sierra Leone.

1. Sierra Leone was the center for British Colonial Administration and Business in West Africa.

2. In 1808, Sierra Leone became the first crown colony of Britain in Sub–Saharan Africa.

3. Sierra Leone is the first country in West Africa to have a railway in 1898.

4. Sierra Leone is the first to have electricity and broadcast services in the sub-region in 1927.

5. Sierra Leone is the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to have an airline in 1927.

6. Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone became the first city in West Africa to have an airport at Hastings where a plane, for the first time, landed directly from England and returned to England via The Gambia in 1927.

7. Sierra Leone is the first to have a tropical hospital in West Africa in 1925.

8. Sierra Leone is the first country In West Africa to have a primary school back in 1794 and a university (Fourah Bay College) in 1827.

9. The first hospital for the mentally retarded in West Africa was established in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, in 1920.

10. Sierra Leone is the first country in West Africa where Motor Vehicles were introduced in 1912.

11. Sierra Leone is the first to have an English Legal system with black judges and jurors.

12. Sierra Leone’s Supreme Court was the final court of Appeal for Ghana, Nigeria, and The Gambia.

13. In 1843 the whole of Ghana, Nigeria, and The Gambia was placed under the administration of Freetown.

14. In 1792 Sierra Leone became the first country in the world where women first cast votes in an election before women began to vote in Britain in 1918.

15. In the 1800s, seventeen Sierra Leonean Priests and a Bishop went to Ghana and Nigeria as missionaries to spread Christianity and established churches there.

16. In 1893 Freetown Municipality became the first city in West Africa to have a Mayor.

17. Freetown is the first city in West Africa to have a Banking system called ‘Bank of British West Africa’.

18. Sierra Leone is also the first country in West Africa to have a post office.

19. Archaeological evidence suggests Sierra Leone has been inhabited for thousands of years with successive waves of invaders as well as immigration from inland peoples making up today’s diverse population.

20. The North American slave trade was essentially launched from the site of modern-day Freetown in 1560. By the 18th century, Portuguese and British trading settlements lined the coast.

21. Established in 1670, Bunce Island, a historical island located around 20-30 miles from the capital Freetown, was one of more than sixty slave-trading forts on the West African coast. Bunce Island remains an important African monument to the North American slave trade.

22. Sierra Leone’s capital city, Freetown, was founded as a home for repatriated and rescued former slaves in 1787.

23. Sierra Leone remained a British colony until 1961 when it gained independence from England.

24. The colors of the national flag of Sierra Leone are Green, White, and Blue. On April 27, 1961, the day Sierra Leone became independent from the British, the Green, White, and Blue were officially hoisted. The green stands for agriculture, mountains, and natural resources. The blue stands for the symbol of hope that the natural harbor in Freetown will make a contribution to peace in the world. The white stands for unity and justice.

25. The 1987 Bounty chocolate bar “Taste of Paradise” commercial was shot in Sierra Leone.

26. Freetown was home to the first institution of higher learning in modern sub-Saharan Africa after the collapse of the university at Timbuktu. Fourah Bay College opened in 1827 and at the time was the only alternative to Europe and America for British colony West Africans who wanted a university degree (source: UNESCO).

27. The national anthem of Sierra Leone was written by Clifford Nelson Fyle and composed by John Akar. The anthem was later adopted as the country’s national anthem in 1961 when the country became independent replacing “God Save The Queen”.

28. The fourth-largest gem-quality diamond and the largest alluvial diamond ever discovered, Star of Sierra Leone, was found in Sierra Leone. Star of Sierra Leone, a 968.9-carat (193.78 g) was discovered on February 14, 1972, in the Diminco alluvial mines in Koidu, a diamond mining city in Kono district.

29. Sierra Leone once served as a convoy station during World War 2, with up to 200 cargo and military vessels moving in and out of the country’s well-protected harbor at the height of wartime activities.

30. Sierra Leone is one of the best places to visit.

NOTE: Every effort has been made to verify these facts about Sierra Leone. However, if you find an error or have any questions, please contact us via WhatsApp +23230448961 or email us at info@theafricandreamsl.com

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By Sallu Kamuskay

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Sallu Kamuskay is a Sierra Leonean communication strategist, fixer, blogger, youth organiser, event manager, spokesperson, and public relations expert. His work has been regularly referenced and published by national and international media and public policy institutions. Sallu Kamuskay was a child during the brutal war in Sierra Leone. Growing up in the midst of conflict, Sallu witnessed unimaginable abuse of children and gross violations of human rights. The horrors he witnessed during the Civil War had a terrible impact on him at a very tender age. But despite the shock of the war, Sallu never lost hope. He started on a journey of recovery, studying, and working for a better future. At age 15, Sallu entered into the world of activism and advocacy. Sallu Kamuskay was the Vice President of the Young Leaders Organisation, a member of the National Youth Council. The Young Leaders is one of the oldest youth-led organisations in West Africa. The organisation was formed by a group of young leaders, and launched by the then Head of State/President of Sierra Leone. Sallu was part of the group of young leaders who participated in and contributed to the establishment of the National Youth Council. The Commonwealth supported the training for trainers programme with line ministries and youth stakeholders in which key, representatives of youth council, student union and civil society/private sector youth platforms were engaged and empowered in the effective engagement and inclusion of youth. Sallu is co-founder and Executive Director of the Salone Messenger, a global multimedia and public relations firm based In Sierra Leone. Sallu has worked on various developmental and policy issues such as Poverty, Climate Change, Human rights, Child Rights, Education, Health, Gender Equality, Civic Engagement, Government policies, Information Communication Technology for Development and the Sustainable Development Goals, and has also been contributing to various global events and advocacy campaigns. Sallu Kamuskay is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Salone Messenger, a global Multimedia and Public Relations Firm based in Sierra Leone with the latest news and information, on top stories, business, politics, entertainment, and more. Sallu is working with a leading technology company in Africa, Techfrica, that has recently developed and launched a social media, messaging Supfrica with over 150,000 downloads on the Google play store in less than 4 days. He is the Adviser and Media coordinator for the App to give people the platform to connect and communicate to help shape their future with a very fast internet that allows users that live in deprived and hard-to-reach areas with poor internet facility to be able to communicate as it allows and stronger on 2 and 3 G network reception. Sallu has over 9 years of experience in youth engagement, inclusion, and coordination both at local and global levels, giving voice to young people and engaging young people to build a better world. He has served as coordinator for the Wave Alliance which brought together youth-led organisations who attended an international training in South Africa organized by the International Organization – Waves for Change. Sallu is working with the MLT, Waves For Change, and the Government to develop safe spaces for young people, with a view to contributing to the overall development goals of young people including health, as well as to community rebuilding. Sallu is currently the Programme Director for the Wave Alliance, which is a coalition of youth-led and community-based organisations that have successfully introduced evidence-based Surf Therapy programs to young people in communities, with a focus on mental health, peace building and sustainable development. Sallu is currently the focal point and face of Africa’s Faces Social media platform which is a global Social media platform that brings together people from across the world to share their moments, connect, share videos, and interact with friends giving more preference to excluded continents like Africa. Sallu Kamuskay has devoted his time to working for or contributing to a number of national and international organizations and companies, including the Techfrica Technology Company, United Nations, ECOWAS, European Union, Commonwealth Africa Initiatives. This work has led him to travel to a number of countries to contribute to global youth platforms. Sallu is the lead Coordinator for Peace Tour programme, an initiative supported by the European Union, Africa Union, ECOWAS focusing on uniting and empowering young people and local communities. Over the years, Sallu Kamuskay has been using his Techno phone to be able to tell stories, the phone he used to tell the story of Gbessay during Ebola who was admitted at one of the Ebola treatment centers after rumors that she had Ebola when the actual sickness was ulcer, she was almost abandoned at the treatment canter with no medication provided to her. She could have died. Sallu told the story via social media and was able to secure funding from the United Sierra Leone to buy her medication and advocated for her. She was later discharged and taken home, He did the same to a patient that died and was abandoned in the street, Sallu Kamuskay used his phone and shared the message across, the corps was later taken and buried. It could have been more disaster without his voice. The story of late America Stress 3-year-old daughter. The hero’s daughter was abandon after his father's death. He shared her sad story and was able to get a sister who has taken the child as her own and is currently providing her with educational support. The article of America Stress can be read on the link below http://ayvnewspaper.com/index.php/k2-categories/item/7350-america-stress-a-hero-to-recognize. Sallu Kamuskay feels the stories of Gbessay, America stress and that of many others need to be told. The media house we have cannot better tell these stories, they are better reporters than telling human interest stories. He created the Salone Messenger platform and brought together passionate storytellers to be able to tell these compelling stories.