Geography of Sierra Leone#Extreme points

File:Sierra Leone Topography.png

Sierra Leone is located on the west coast of Africa, between the 7th and 10th parallels north of the equator. Sierra Leone is bordered by Guinea to the north and northeast, Liberia to the south and southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.{{sfn|LeVert|2007|p=7}} The country has a total area of {{convert|73253|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}, divided into a land area of {{convert|73132|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}} and water of {{convert|120|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}.

Sierra Leone has four distinct geographical regions: coastal Guinean mangroves, the wooded hill country, an upland plateau, and the eastern mountains. Eastern Sierra Leone is an interior region of large plateaus interspersed with high mountains, where Mount Bintumani rises to {{convert|1948|m|ft|0|sp=us}}.{{sfn|LeVert|2007|p=7}}

{{Further|Kambui Hills Forest Reserve}}

Sierra Leone can be split into three geological areas, in the east is part of the West African craton, the western area consists of the Rokelides, an orogenic belt, and a 20- to 30-km coastal strip of sediments.{{sfn|Schlüter|Trauth|2008|p=220}}

This is a list of the extreme points of Sierra Leone, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location.

• Northernmost point – the northern section of the border with Guinea, Northern Province*
• Easternmost point – the tripoint with Guinea and Liberia, Eastern Province
• Southernmost point – unnamed peninsula south of the town of Mano Salija at the mouth of the Mano River, Southern Province
• Westernmost point – the point at which the border with Guinea enters the Atlantic Ocean, North West Province
• *Note: Sierra Leone does not have a northernmost point, the border being formed here by 10th parallel north

File:Koppen-Geiger_Map_v2_SLE_1991–2020.svg

The climate is tropical; although it could be classified as a tropical monsoon climate, it could also be described as a climate that is transitional between a continually wet tropical rainforest climate and a tropical savanna climate.{{sfn|Gabler|Petersen|Trapasso|Sack|2008|p=238}}

There are two seasons; dry season (November{{snd}}May) and rainy season (June{{snd}}October).

December to January are the coolest months of the year, although temperatures can still exceed {{convert|40|°C|disp=or}}, lower to moderate humidity makes the heat around this time of the year more tolerable. Unlike March and April, the months that it gets hot and humid with temperatures around {{convert|33|to|36|°C|°F|disp=or}} and a solid 50% humidity, making the heat index higher than the actual temperature. The average sea temperature is {{convert|30|°C|°F|disp=or}}.{{sfn|Blinker|2006|p=12}}{{sfn|LeVert|2007|p=8}}

Average rainfall is highest at the coast, {{convert|3000|to|5000|mm|in|-1|disp=or}} per year; moving inland this decreases and at the eastern border of the country, the average rainfall is {{convert|2000|to|2500|mm|in|-1|disp=or}}.{{sfn|Hughes|Hughes|1992|p=435}}

{{Weather box|width = auto

|location = Freetown, Sierra Leone (1961-1990, extremes 1947-1990)

|metric first = yes

|collapsed = yes

|single line = yes

|Jan record high C = 36.0

|Feb record high C = 38.0

|Mar record high C = 38.0

|Apr record high C = 38.5

|May record high C = 35.0

|Jun record high C = 35.0

|Jul record high C = 33.0

|Aug record high C = 32.0

|Sep record high C = 31.0

|Oct record high C = 35.0

|Nov record high C = 36.5

|Dec record high C = 33.5

|year record high C = 38.5

|Jan high C = 29.9

|Feb high C = 30.3

|Mar high C = 30.9

|Apr high C = 31.2

|May high C = 30.9

|Jun high C = 30.1

|Jul high C = 28.7

|Aug high C = 28.4

|Sep high C = 29.0

|Oct high C = 29.9

|Nov high C = 30.1

|Dec high C = 29.7

|year high C =

|Jan mean C = 27.3

|Feb mean C = 27.6

|Mar mean C = 28.1

|Apr mean C = 28.5

|May mean C = 28.3

|Jun mean C = 27.4

|Jul mean C = 26.3

|Aug mean C = 25.9

|Sep mean C = 26.4

|Oct mean C = 27.1

|Nov mean C = 27.7

|Dec mean C = 27.5

|year mean C =

|Jan low C = 23.8

|Feb low C = 24.0

|Mar low C = 24.4

|Apr low C = 24.8

|May low C = 24.4

|Jun low C = 23.6

|Jul low C = 23.1

|Aug low C = 23.0

|Sep low C = 23.1

|Oct low C = 23.4

|Nov low C = 24.0

|Dec low C = 24.1

|year low C =

|Jan record low C = 15.0

|Feb record low C = 17.8

|Mar record low C = 19.4

|Apr record low C = 20.0

|May record low C = 20.6

|Jun record low C = 20.0

|Jul record low C = 19.4

|Aug record low C = 19.4

|Sep record low C = 20.0

|Oct record low C = 19.4

|Nov record low C = 20.0

|Dec record low C = 15.6

|year record low C =

|rain colour = green

|Jan rain mm = 8.0

|Feb rain mm = 6.0

|Mar rain mm = 28.0

|Apr rain mm = 68.0

|May rain mm = 214.0

|Jun rain mm = 522.0

|Jul rain mm = 1190.0

|Aug rain mm = 1078.0

|Sep rain mm = 800.0

|Oct rain mm = 333.0

|Nov rain mm = 148.0

|Dec rain mm = 38.0

|Jan rain days = 0

|Feb rain days = 0

|Mar rain days = 1

|Apr rain days = 4

|May rain days = 15

|Jun rain days = 22

|Jul rain days = 27

|Aug rain days = 27

|Sep rain days = 24

|Oct rain days = 21

|Nov rain days = 9

|Dec rain days = 2

|year rain days =

|Jan humidity = 66

|Feb humidity = 67

|Mar humidity = 67

|Apr humidity = 68

|May humidity = 73

|Jun humidity = 76

|Jul humidity = 81

|Aug humidity = 82

|Sep humidity = 80

|Oct humidity = 78

|Nov humidity = 76

|Dec humidity = 69

|year humidity =

|Jan sun = 226.3

|Feb sun = 215.6

|Mar sun = 232.5

|Apr sun = 207.0

|May sun = 189.1

|Jun sun = 153.0

|Jul sun = 102.3

|Aug sun = 86.8

|Sep sun = 126.0

|Oct sun = 186.0

|Nov sun = 198.0

|Dec sun = 161.2

|year sun =

|source = NOAA,{{cite web

| url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/SL/61856.TXT

| title = Freetown Climate Normals 1961–1990

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240523003741/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/SL/61856.TXT

| archive-date = 2024-05-23

| url-status = dead

| access-date = February 7, 2016}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.weather.gov.hk/wxinfo/climat/world/eng/africa/w_afr/freetown_e.htm |title=Climatological Information for Freetown, Sierra Leone |publisher=Hong Kong Observatory |access-date=August 25, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021124020507/http://www.weather.gov.hk/wxinfo/climat/world/eng/africa/w_afr/freetown_e.htm |archive-date=November 24, 2002 |url-status=dead }} Deutscher Wetterdienst (extremes),

{{cite web

| url = http://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_618560_kt.pdf

| title = Klimatafel von Freetown-Lunghi (Flugh.) / Sierra Leone

| work = Baseline climate means (1961–1990) from stations all over the world

| publisher = Deutscher Wetterdienst

| language = de

| access-date = February 7, 2016}}

|source 2 = Worldwide Bioclimatic Classification System{{cite web

|url = https://www.globalbioclimatics.org/station/si-freet.htm

|title = Sierra Leone — Freetown

|publisher= Worldwide Bioclimatic Classification System

|accessdate = July 24, 2021}}

}}

{{main|Environmental issues in Sierra Leone}}

File:Outamba Kilimi 3 Hippos Sierra Leone.jpg in Sierra Leone's northwest.]]

Rapid population growth in Sierra Leone has put pressure upon the natural environment. Environmental problems include the overharvesting of timber, the expansion of cattle grazing and slash and burn agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil exhaustion, and overfishing.

Sierra Leone is party to several environmental agreements:

• Biodiversity (Convention on Biological Diversity)
• Climate Change (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change)
• Desertification (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification)
• Endangered Species (CITES)
• Law of the Sea (UNCLOS or LOS)
• Marine Life Conservation (Convention on Fishing and Conservation of Living Resources of the High Seas)
• Nuclear Test Ban (CTBT)
• Ramsar Convention(Wetlands)

Signed, but not ratified:

• Environmental Modification (ENMOD)

File:LocationSierraLeone.svg

File:SierraLeone2025OSM.png

Geographic coordinates: {{coord|8|30|N|11|30|W|type:country}}

; Area:

:* Total: 73,252 km²

:**country rank in the world: 117th

:* Land: 73,132 km²

:* Water: 120 km²

; Area comparative

:* Australia comparative: slightly larger than Tasmania

:* Canada comparative: approximately the size of New Brunswick

:* United Kingdom comparative: slightly smaller than Scotland

:* United States comparative: approximately {{sfrac|1|7}} larger than West Virginia

:* EU comparative: slightly smaller than Ireland

;Land boundaries:

:*total: 1,093 km

:*border countries: Guinea 794 km, Liberia 299 km

;Coastline: 402 km

;Maritime claims:

:*territorial sea: {{convert|200|nmi|km mi|1|abbr=on|lk=in}}.

:*contiguous zone: {{convert|24|nmi|km mi|1|abbr=on|lk=}}.

:*exclusive economic zone: {{convert|200|nmi|km mi|1|abbr=on|lk=}}.

:*continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation.

;Climate: tropical monsoon; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)

;Terrain: coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east

;Elevation extremes:

:*lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

:*highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m

;Natural resources: diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite

;Land use:

:*arable land: 24.4%

:*permanent crops: 2.3%

:*permanent pasture: 30.5%

:*forest: 37.5%

:*other: 6.3% (2011)

;Irrigated land: 300 km²; (2012)

;Total renewable water resources: 160 km³; (2011)

;Natural hazards: dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February); sandstorms, dust storms

• Protected areas of Sierra Leone
• Administrative divisions of Sierra Leone

{{reflist}}

• {{cite journal |last1=Blinker |first1=Linda | url-status =dead | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20081001231356/http://www.delsle.ec.europa.eu/en/whatsnew/Docs/Final%20Report%20Country%20Environmental%20Profile%20%28CEP%29%20SL%2019-OCT-06.pdf | archive-date =1 October 2008 |title=Country Environment Profile (CEP) Sierra Leone |date=2006 |url=http://www.delsle.ec.europa.eu/en/whatsnew/Docs/Final%20Report%20Country%20Environmental%20Profile%20(CEP)%20SL%2019-OCT-06.pdf |access-date=25 September 2008 |publisher=Consortium Parsons Brinckerhoff |location=Freetown}}
• {{cite book |last1=Gabler |first1=Robert E. |last2=Petersen |first2=James F. |last3=Trapasso |first3=L. Michael |last4=Sack |first4=Dorothy |title=Physical Geography |date=2008 |publisher=Cengage Learning |isbn=978-0-495-55506-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VkVqmi0MO1IC&q=sierra+leone+%22tropical+monsoon%22&pg=PA238}}
• {{cite book |last1=Hughes |first1=R. H |last2=Hughes |first2=J. S. |title=A Directory of African Wetlands |date=1992 |publisher=IUCN |isbn=978-2-88032-949-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VLjafeXa3gMC&q=lake+sonfon&pg=PA439}}
• {{cite book | last =LeVert | first =Suzanne | date =2007 | title =Cultures of the World: Sierra Leone | publisher =Marshall Cavendish | isbn =978-0-7614-2334-8 | url =https://archive.org/details/sierraleone0000leve/page/7 }}
• {{cite book| last1 =Schlüter | first1 =Thomas |last2 =Trauth | first2=Martin H. |title = Geological Atlas of Africa: with notes on stratigraphy, tectonics, economic geology, geohazards, geosites and geoscientific education of each country| publisher = Springer | year = 2008 | page = |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IfvKWpsISTQC&q=sierra+leone+Geology&pg=PA220| isbn = 978-3-540-76324-6}}

{{Sierra Leone topics}}

{{Geography of Africa}}

{{Africa topic|Climate of}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Geography Of Sierra Leone}}