Sierra Leone lies in Western Africa, part of Africa. Its full official name is Republic of Sierra Leone. Its seat of government is Freetown.
The population is about 8.6 million, placing it 102nd of 250 by population — between Switzerland above it and Laos below. Within Western Africa alone it is the 12th largest of 17 and the 11th most populous.
The land area is 71,740 km², which ranks it 121st of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Panama and just ahead of Ireland. That makes it almost exactly the same size as Ireland.
Geography and neighbours of Sierra Leone
Its reference point sits at 8.5° north and 11.5° west, which puts it in the northern hemisphere, roughly 946 km from the equator, in what geographers would call the equatorial belt.
Countries on the same parallel, far away in longitude, include Ethiopia, Venezuela and Somalia.
Its land neighbours number 2: Guinea and Liberia. The largest of them by area is Guinea, which is also the most populous. Together those neighbours hold about 20.4 million people.
Unlike its landlocked neighbours it reaches the sea directly, while also sharing land frontiers.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
How crowded Sierra Leone is, and what is spoken there
Population divided by land area gives roughly 120 people per square kilometre, which makes it more crowded than the typical entry on this list. The median across all 250 entries here is about 90 per square kilometre.
Officially it is monolingual: English. Another 90 entries list English too — among them American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda and Australia.
The demonym is Sierra Leonean, so residents are Sierra Leoneans.
Against Africa as a whole it is the 34th most populous of 59 entries, and it accounts for 1.9% of everyone living in Western Africa.
The practical details for Sierra Leone
It uses the Sierra Leonean leone (Le, SLL). No other entry in this dataset uses it, so the currency is specific to Sierra Leone.
Freetown is the city to remember for this country.
The top-level domain is .sl. Calls from overseas start with +232. In ISO terms it is sl in two letters and SLE in three.
Sierra Leone is one of the 193 UN member states in this dataset. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Neighbouring countries
Sierra Leone shares borders with 2 countries:
Fun facts about Sierra Leone
- The Sierra Leonean leone is used here and nowhere else on this list.
- Ranked by land area, Sierra Leone is 121st out of the 250 countries and territories on this site.
- Within Western Africa it is the 12th largest of 17.
- In land area it is almost exactly the same size as Ireland.
- It lies about 946 km from the equator, in equatorial latitudes.
- Population density works out at roughly 120 people per square kilometre.
- Its capital city is Freetown.
- English is official here and in 90 other entries worldwide.
Sierra Leone — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Sierra Leone?
- The capital of Sierra Leone is Freetown.
- How big is Sierra Leone?
- Sierra Leone covers 71,740 km², ranking 121st of 250 by land area. That makes it almost exactly the same size as Ireland.
- What is the population of Sierra Leone?
- Sierra Leone has a population of about 8.6 million, which makes it the 102nd most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Switzerland sits just above it and Laos just below.
- What language is spoken in Sierra Leone?
- The official language of Sierra Leone is English. It is also official in 90 other entries on this list.
- What currency does Sierra Leone use?
- Sierra Leone uses the Sierra Leonean leone, written Le (currency code SLL). No other entry in this dataset uses it.
- Where is Sierra Leone located?
- Sierra Leone is in Western Africa, part of Africa. Its reference coordinates are 8.5° north and 11.5° west, roughly 946 km from the equator in equatorial latitudes.
- Which countries border Sierra Leone?
- Sierra Leone borders 2 countries: Guinea and Liberia. Guinea is the largest of them by area.
- Is Sierra Leone a country?
- Yes. Sierra Leone is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
