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Geography of Sierra Leone

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Sierra Leone is located at approximately 8°30′N 12°06′W / 8.5°N 12.1°W, between the 7th and 10th parallels north of the equator. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and northeast, and Liberia to the south and southeast. The country has a total area of 73,252 km2 (28,283 sq mi), divided into a land area of 73,132 km2 (28,236 sq mi) and water of 120 km2 (46 sq mi).

Physical geography

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. The country has a total area of 73,253 km2 (28,283 sq mi), divided into a land area of 73,132 km2 (28,236 sq mi) and water of 120 km2 (46 sq mi).

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 1,948 meters (6,391 ft).

Geology

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.

Extreme points

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

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