Sierra Leone Fast Facts

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Kenema is about 8 degrees north of the equator. That close to the equator there is little variability in the sunrise and sunset. The sun will rise at about 6:30 and set twelve hours later. The temperature is also remarkably consistent and ranges from a low of 23 to 25 degrees to a high of 27 to 31 degrees. The big difference is the six month rainy season from May to November. So, hot and humid.  

 The drive from Freetown, the capital, to Kenema is 307 km and the travel time is estimated to be 4.5 hours. Kenema is nestled into some low hills about 132 km north of the Atlantic Ocean. Five main rivers drain from the highlands of Guinea in the north to the ocean. Kenema is proximal to the Moa River. 

 Sierra Leone is only six time zones ahead of Calgary because this part of Africa is further west than Europe! 

Like Canada, Sierra Leone is a member of the Commonwealth and achieved independence six years before Canada in 1961. 

 The population of Sierra Leone is about 7.5 million. Kenema district has about 750,000 people. About 40% of the population are children. 

Sierra Leona has the lowest life expectancy and the highest maternal mortality in the world. Ouch! Severe acute malnutrition is present in 5.3% of children (2015 data) and general malnutrition in 20.9%. Anemia is present in 79.7% of children under the age of five years. Female genital mutilation is reported in 74.3% of 15 to 19 year old girls. The prevalence of HIV in adolescents is 1.5% (2013 data). 

Comments

  1. WU27 June 2019 at 07:35

    Lane, I've really enjoyed the eclectic nature of your posts.
    You'll have started your long days now. Whenever you find the energy and time! to let us know what you're seeing and dealing with, there is no doubt it will be interesting and informative.
    I hope your challenges are surmountable, colleagues collegial, and bed comfortable.
    Cheers, Wendy U

    ReplyDelete

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