Sierra Leone

By sierraleone
  • Jan 1, 1000

    The Bulom, Loko and Temne People

    The Bulom, Loko and Temne People
    The Bulom, Loko and Temme people were the first people to inhabit the land that is now Sierra Leone. The Bulom people lived in the coastal rainforest between the Sherbro River and what is now Freetown; they were also known as the Sherbro people. The Loko people inhabited what is now Freetown; the port nearby is named Port Loko. The Temne people lived between the Roko River and Port Loko Creek. These groups of people are Christians or Buddhist.
  • Jan 1, 1447

    Arrival of the Portuguese

    Arrival of the Portuguese
    Pedro da Cintra led the Portuguese to Sierra Leone. Pedro da Cintra decided he wanted to claim everything inside the mountains, and called it Serra Lyoa. The Portuguese stayed in Sierra Leone until the Brittish slave traders came in the early 1800's

  • Slave Trade

    Slave Trade
    In 1808 Freetown became a base for Brittish ships to transport slaves. The Brittish Colonizers took people from Sierra Leone to New England and other places to be forced into slavery. Because Sierra Leone is one of the shortest commutes from New England to Africa, Sierra Leone became one of the main slave trade ports.

  • Independance

    Independance
    Although Sierra Leone is still part of the British Commonwealth of Nations, in 1961 Seirra Leone declared independance from Great Brittan. Sierra Leone was left with a stable governmant to lead to a better future.

  • One Party

    One Party
    In 1978 Sierra Leonean people decided to have a one party government. This new government signed the first constitution. On the 1st of May in 1982 Sierra Leone hosted its first election.

  • Civil War

    Civil War
    In 1991 Sierra Leone's Civil War began because of their infamous diamond industry. Almost 50 thousand people were killed in this war because of blood diamonds. Executive order 13194 issued by President Clinton prohibited the trade of Sierra Leone "blood diamonds." In 1996 a peace tready was signed, but in 1997 the Civil war resumed.

  • Poorest Country

    Poorest Country
    In 1998 Sierra Leone was declared the poorest country in the world. Before the civil war Sierra Leone was thought to be one of the safest places in West Africa, but because of the brutal civil war Sierra Leone is filled with crime and hatered.

  • War Declared Over

    War Declared Over
    Although their Constitution was signed in 1996, it was not until the year 2002 that the Civil War finally ended. Later that year, Sierra Leone experienced it's first post-war election. The British troops left because Sierra Leone was making progress and becoming a stable country.