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Sierra Leone

 

Contents

Flags

Historical Flags

Meaning/Origin of the Flag

Coat of Arms

Meaning/Origin of the Coat of Arms

Aircraft Roundel

Map

Numbers and Facts

History

Origin of the Country's Name



Flags

Flagge Fahne flag National flag Merchant flag State flag national merchant state flag Sierra Leone
National, merchant, state and war flag,
ratio = 2:3,
Source, by: Flags of the World




Flagge Fahne flag Naval flag naval flag ensign Sierra Leone
Naval flag,
ratio = 2:3,
Source, by: Flags of the World




Flagge Fahne flag Präsident President Sierra Leone
Flag of the President,
ratio = 2:3,
Source, by: Flags of the World



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Historical Flags

Flagge Fahne Flag Großbritannien Vereinigtes Königreich United Kingdom UK Great Britain Naval jack jack State flag state
1787–1961,
Union Flag → quasi National flag,
Flag of United Kingdom,
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: Wikipedia (EN)




Flagge Fahne Flag Großbritannien Vereinigtes Königreich United Kingdom UK Great Britain Merchant flag merchant civil ensign
1865–1961,
Merchant flag,
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: Flags of all Nations




Flagge Fahne flag Britisch Westafrika British West Africa Kolonie colonial West Africa Settlements Gambia
1866–1888,
British West Afrika, West Africa Settlements,
Flag of the government (state flag),
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: Flags of the World




Flagge Fahne flag Britisch British Sierra Leone
1889–1914,
Flag of the government (state flag),
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: Flags of the World




Flagge Fahne flag Britisch British Sierra Leone Gouverneur Governor
1889–1914,
Flag of the Governor,
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: Flags of the World




Flagge Fahne flag Britisch British Sierra Leone
1914–1961,
Flag of the government (state flag),
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: Flags of the World




Flagge Fahne flag Britisch British Sierra Leone Gouverneur Governor
1914–1961,
Flag of the Governor,
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: Flags of the World




Flagge Fahne flag Royal Königin Queen Sierra Leone
1961–1971,
Flag of the Queen,
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: Flags of the World




Flagge Fahne flag Royal Generalgouverneur Governor General Sierra Leone
1961–1971,
Flag of the Governor General,
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: Flags of the World



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Meaning/Origin of the Flag

The today’s flag of Sierra Leone was introduced on 27th of April in 1961 on the occasion of independence. It shows three horizontal stripes in green, white and blue. The colours derive from the coat of arms of the country. Green stands for the agriculture, the natural richness and the mountains. White stands for unity, justice, virtue and peace. Blue stands for the ocean and underlines the economic importance of the port of Freetown. Nothing is known about the exact definition of the colours, only that they are supposed to be quite light colours. Referring to a photo of Sierra Leone's ambassador to the UN taken next to the country's flag, it can be said that the colours used in printing this flag are closest to the following definition: Blue = pt 3005 c, Green = pt 361 c. In the country's flag history, the Union Jack refers and points out to the former ties with United Kingdom. United Kingdom introduced a flag system in 1864 in which:
• war ships fly the "White Ensign" (naval flag), a white flag often with an uninterrupted red St. George's-Cross and with the Union Jack in the upper staff quadrant of the flag,
• merchant ships fly a "Red Ensign" (also named "Civil Ensign" → civil flag, the real merchant flag), a red flag with the Union Jack in the upper staff quadrant of the flag, and
• governmental ships fly the "Blue Ensign" (flag for the use by the gouvernment → the actual state flag), a blue flag with the Union Jack in the upper staff quadrant of the flag.

Since 1865 ships of colonial governments were permitted to fly the Blue Ensign with a badge in the flying end of the flag. The respective governments were asked to design appropriate badges. Merchant ships and seafaring persons from colonies were only permitted to use the Red Ensign with a badge, then also named Civil Ensign, if permission has been given to the respective colony by the British admiralty. Such a badge was often a regional scenic representation placed on a disc, often showed ships, historical incidents or could just be a kind of logo.

The in 1889 introduced emblem (badge) showed an elephant with threatening gesture in front of a palm tree amid an African scenery. In the lower part of the badge were to see the letters "S.L." in red. In 1914 was introduced a new badge. It showed a shield and in its head was to see the until 1801 used Union Jack. The per pale divided shield showed on the right a palm tree on gold and to the left an on the shore sitting in the freedom freed black slave who beckons behind a British ship. Below the shield was placed in a silvery banner the then motto of the country: "AUSPICE BRITANNIA LIBER" → "Free under protection of Britannia". That Badge was in use until the year 1960.

On land, the individual citizen and also the authorities represented their status as citizens or organs of the British nation, embodied in the United Kingdom, through the use of the Union Jack, then called the "Union Flag". At sea, the British citizen was thus provided with the British merchant flag, the Red Ensign. In a few cases, the citizens of a colony were allowed by the Admiralty to use their own Red Ensign with the colony's badge at sea. However, no such permission was available for Sierra Leone.

Source: un.slmission.gov.sl, Die Welt der Flaggen, Flaggen und Coat of arms of the Welt, Wikipedia (EN), Flags of the World, Flaggen Wappen Hymnen, Volker Preuß

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Coat of Arms

Wappen coat of arms Sierra Leone
since 1960,
Coat of arms of Sierra Leone,
Source: Corel Draw 4


Badge Abzeichen Wappen coat of arms Britisch British Sierra Leone
1889–1914,
Emblem (Badge) of Sierra Leone,
Source: Flags of the World


Badge Abzeichen Wappen coat of arms Britisch British Sierra Leone
1914–1961,
Emblem (Badge) of Sierra Leone,
Source: Flags of the World

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Meaning/Origin of the Coat of Arms

The coat of arms was awarded by Queen Elisabeth II. on 1st of December in 1960. It shows in the head of the shield three torches on silver, in the middle a golden lion on green and in the point of the shield blue wave lines on silver. shield supporters are lions and palm trees. Below the scutcheon a silvery banner with the motto of the state: "Unity, Freedom, Justice". The three torches are symbols of freedom. The lion points out of the name of the country ("lion mountains") and the former British colonial reign. The wave lines represent the ocean.

Source: Die Welt der Flaggen, Flaggen und Coat of arms of the Welt, Wikipedia (EN), Flaggen Wappen Hymnen, Volker Preuß

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Aircraft Roundel

Flugzeugkokarde Kokarde aircraft roundel Sierra Leone
Aircraft Roundel,
Source, by: Wikipedia (EN)

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Map

Location:

Source: CIA World Factbook

Map of the country:

Source: CIA World Factbook

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Numbers and Facts

Area: 27.698 square miles

Inhabitants: 7.548.702 (2021), thereof 32% Mende, 31% Temne, 9% Limba, 5% Kono

Religions: 77% Muslim, 18% Protestant, 2% Roman Catholic

Density of Population: 273 inh./sq.mi.

Capital: Freetown, 609.174 inh. (2021)

official Language: English

other Languages: Krio, Mende, Temne, ...

Currency: 1 Leone (SLE, Le) = 100 Cents

Time Zone: GMT

Source: Wikipedia (DE)

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History

Middle Ages · settlement of the region of the today’s Sierra Leone by the people of Bulom

14th–15th century · immigration of the peoples of Krim, Gola, Mende and Temne

1462 · discovery of the coast of the today’s Sierra Leone by the Portugese seafarer Pedro de Cintra, he names the country "Serra da Leão", some years later the Portugese establish near the coast the slave trading base Mitombo

1562 · debarkation of English troops, expulsion of the Portugese, England takes over the whole coastal trade, in the hinterland the peaople of Temne conquers large parts of the country

1650 · establishment of smaller English factories

1787 · Philanthropists from United Kingdom buy land at the coast of Sierra Leone to settle here in West India freed black slaves and to do a contribution to the abolition of the slave trading, foundation of Freetown by the Sierra Leone Society

1808 · the coastal region of Sierra Leone becomes a British crown colony

1825 · annexion of Sherbro Island and of parts of the hinterland by the British colony

1866–1888 · Sierre Leone is part of British West Africa, the "West Africa Settlements"

1895–1896 · frontier treaties with France, Sierra Leone reaches its today’s size

1951 · new constitution

1956 · common and free elections

1958 · United Kingdom grants Sierra Leone inner self administration

27th of April 1961 · United Kingdom grants Sierra Leone the independence as constitutional monarchy in the framework of the Commonwealth of Nations

1967–1971 · diverse military coups d’état

19th of April 1971 · proclamation of the republic

1978 · introduction of the single-party-system (APC-Party)

1991 · the civil war in the neighboring country Liberia extends to Sierra Leone, re-introduction of the democratic multi-party-system

1992 · military coup d’état under V. Strasser

1996 · military coup d’état under J. M. Bio

1996 · peace-negotiations in the civil war, elections for parliament and president

1997 · coup d’état by the RUF militia

1997 · deploy of the peace-unit ECOMOG

1999 · cease fire, deploy of an UNO peace-unit

2000 · intervention of British troops

2002 · end of the civil war

Source: Atlas zur Geschichte, Wikipedia (D), World Statesmen

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Origin of the Country's Name

As the Portugese seafarer Pedro de Cintra and its companions in the year 1462 achieved the today’s Sierra Leone peninsula and passed the there coastal mountains, they thought that the howl of the storm in the maountains is the roaring of lions and they named it because of that "Serra da Leão", → "lion mountains". The Spanish(!) equivalent of that name – Sierra Leone – achieved finally as denomination for the whole hinterland.

Source: Handbuch der geographischen Namen

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