By Tim Lambert
Early Sierra Leone
The indigenous people of Sierra Leone lived by farming, and they made pottery and iron tools. However, the written history of Sierra Leone dates back to the arrival of the Portuguese in the 15th century. A Portuguese explorer, Pedro de Sintra, named the country Serra Leoa, meaning lion’s teeth, in 1462, because the hills he saw reminded him of them.
In 1495, the Portuguese built a fortified trading station on the coast of Sierra Leone. Later, the Dutch, English, and French followed suit. From the 16th century to the 19th century, they traded goods for slaves.
However, in 1787, British abolitionists founded the capital of Sierra Leone, Freetown, as a home for freed slaves. Britain banned the slave trade in 1807, and in 1808, Freetown became a crown colony. Unfortunately, it took decades for the British navy to suppress the slave trade, but many freed slaves were taken to Freetown. Then, in 1896, Britain extended its control over the hinterland of Freetown. However, the British imposed a hut tax, which provoked a rebellion in 1898. The British crushed the rebellion.
Modern Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone became independent in 1961. The first prime minister was Sir Milton Margai. In 1967, Siaka Stevens became prime minister in 1967 and the President of Sierra Leone in 1971. He led the country until 1985. Unfortunately, in 1991, a long civil war started in Sierra Leone. The civil war ended in 2002. However, in 2014, Sierra Leone suffered an outbreak of the Ebola virus. It lasted until 2016 and caused many deaths. But Sierra Leone gradually recovered.
Today, Sierra Leone is still a poor country, and most of the population lives by subsistence agriculture. However, the country is rich in iron ore and diamonds, and the economy is growing.
In 2025, the population of Sierra Leone was 8.6 million.
