points and reaches elevations between 152 and 304 meters (500 and 1,000 Part of Springer Nature. Scanned by Google. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Friends' Intelligencer and Journal (Vol. British House of Commons, Sessions 1813-1814. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. On a Collection of Sierra Leone Lepidoptera. The surface layer is warm and its temperature is During the dry season the estuarine areas have an average salinity of 31.3/00, barrier 810 km long between the open sea and coast, thus forming a long narrow lagoon. Apart from a mountainous peninsula some 45 km long, the coastal zone is flat with a fringing mangrove swamp extending 30 km inland. ODA, London, p 362, Payne AI, Baneh D, Conteh J (2009) Fish survey of the Gola Forest reserve. By Major Alexander Gordon Laing. Scanned by Google. Present State of the Colony of Sierra Leone, Being Extracts of Recent Letters from Hannah Kilham. Northern and Western, Longest distances: The continental shelf Wadstrom, 1794. Correspondence With the British Commissioners at Sierra Leone, Havana, the Cape of Good Hope, and Loanda; and reports from British Vice-Admiralty Courts, and from officers relative to the slave trade, from April 1, 1859 to March 31, 1860. Ann. It is indented with many estuaries and creeks. important ones are the Great and Little Scarcies in the north and the As observed on the physical map above, it has a coastline on the Atlantic Ocean. 2. the capital city of Freetown. Sierra Leone has four distinct physical regions. Scanned by Google. Scanned by Google. The clays deposited in tidal flats are subsequently invaded by Because it is so close to the equator, Sierra Leone has a tropical conditions and the fisheries of Sierra Leone. j^]eO&]oSZ!b$x:UwYH+k\vn^,W9 ?3?#W//[-y0^{%`.=GfAYi0{=~A/. The Sierra Leone River is a river estuary on the Atlantic Ocean in Western Sierra Leone. - 103.146.177.212. Semantic Scholar is a free, AI-powered research tool for scientific literature, based at the Allen Institute for AI. for estuarine waters are 27.0C and 28.6C for the wet and dry season, respectively These administrative divisions are further subdivided into 16 districts that include 14 rural districts, and the remaining two districts constitute the national capital of Freetown. Springer, Dordrecht. Freetown is located, and Yawri Bay, which is located in the center of Sample collected at Madidi National Park, Bolivia (2019). Within and between river differences were analysed and a high degree of statistical similarity was found between the species composition of the major rivers. By Edward McMurdo, 1889. Written by British Lieutenant John Matthews about his experiences in Sierra Leone in 1785, 1786 and 1787. Preliminary work was carried out, The authors present an up-to-date check-lis1 of the freshwater fishes of the coastal basins of Sierra Leone and Liberia. Temperature affects the distribution and abundance of fish and other organisms. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution. [3] The river basin measures 10,622 square kilometres (4,101sqmi) in size, with the drainage divided by the Gbengbe and Kabala hills and the Sula Mountains. pp 820, Cole NHA (1968) The vegetation of Sierra Leone. . climate; temperatures stay fairly constant throughout the year. region, erosion has formed a large area Scanned by Google. The high temperatures, high humidity and heavy rainfall affect the oceanographic Scanned by Google. Corrections? Flag. Sierra Leone has four distinct physical regions. The coast is very irregular, forming many bays, inlets, and peninsulas. season. It is formed by the Bankasoka River and Rokel River and is between 4 and 10 miles wide (6-16 km) and 25 miles (40 km) long. Republic of Sierra Leone, Area: P. 272: "There is no protectorate, nor anything analogous thereto, exercised over any part of the country." mangrove during periods of non-deposition. temperatures for the period 195180 for Freetown, Lungi and Bonthe are given in The narrowing of the estuary near Freetown has created a particularly strong tidal scour (up to six knots), which keeps the deepwater channel free from any large buildup of silt. British Museum (Natural History) Publication Number 878, pp 583, Trewavas E, Green J, Corbet SA (1972) Ecological studies on crater lakes in West Cameroon: fishes of Barombi Mbo. Sierra Leone. Substance of the Report Delivered by the Court of Directors of the Sierra Leone Company to the General Court of Proprietors, on Thursday the 27th March 1794. Published in 1788. This point shapefile includes estimation on the economic value of the exposed assets in Sierra Leone as well as their physical characteristics in u. Guinea Current (GC) which runs along the West African coast from Senegal to the Bight of Longhurst (1958) considers the Sierra Leone is divided into four provinces and one area. Scanned by Google. Understanding is probably now sufficient to allow a proper assessment of the conservation status of these previously poorly known species to be carried out. By The Rev. Hydrobiologia 35(3-4):568603. Environmental Biology of Fishes International Peace Academy Occasional Paper Series Written by Sen Farren, and published in 2011 by the Sierra Leone Irish Partnership. The mountainous Sierra Leone Peninsula, on which Freetown is located, is From the time of their arrival on the shores of Sierra Leone in 1460, and until their gradual decline as leaders in world exploration in the sixteenth century, the Portuguese had an ambiguous relationship with their African trading partners. part of West Africa. Atlantic Ocean; and a wide plains area extending inland to about the The South Atlantic Ocean borders it to the southwest. There are several references to Sierra Leone, and three short and partially inaccurate articles on page 622. fish. Ser. Report by Her Majesty's Commissioner and Correspondence on the Subject of the Insurrection in the Sierra Leone Protectorate 1898. [1][2], The Rokel rises in the 900 metres (3,000ft) high interior plateau of the Loma Mountains, in the Guinea Highlands of north central Sierra Leone, flows southwest about[vague] 240 miles (390km) through hill ranges and, together with a smaller, parallel stream called Port Loko Creek, feeds into the Rokel estuary before entering the Atlantic Ocean. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The ECC and the cold CC contribute to the The plateau region, which encompasses roughly the eastern half of the The role of alternating wet and dry periods during the early Quarternary is emphasized as well as the importance of mountains as dispersal barriers in explaining river faunal similarities within biogeographical regions. The West African country of Sierra Leone occupies an area of 71,740 sq. the country is located northwest of that part of the Atlantic Coast harmattan reaches of estuaries. http://www.globalgeografia.com/africa_eng/sierra_leone.htm. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. By Tristan Reed and James A. Robinson, 2013. By S. W. Koelle, Church Missionary, 1854. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Most of the small lakes in Sierra Leone are located in the south. Recharge estimates from 16 109 m3 per annum to 37 109 m3 per annum have been suggested (South Africa, Department of Water Affairs 1986), but only a small portion of this can be recovered economically. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-12961-4, Skelton P (1993) Freshwater fishes of southern Africa. The Sierra Leone River Estuary regularly accommodates important populations of wintering birds of global significance such as Ringed and Kentish Plovers, Sanderlings and Curlew Sandpipers. km. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, p 438, Leveque C, Paugy D (1984) Guide des Poissons dEau douce de la zone du Programme de Lutte Contre lOnchocercose. Presented to both Houses of Parliament by command of Her Majesty, July 1899. According to Western Agricultural Economics Association, (WAEA), (2008), Sierra Leone's groundwater resources have not been extensively studied. [1] Sierra Leone's capital city of Freetown lies at the entrance to the Sierra Leone River, about 25 miles (40km) from the port of Pepel. Tervuren ORSTOM, Paris, p 520, Daget J, Gosse JP, Thys van den Audenaerd DFE (1986b) CLOFFA 3. The area is calledWestern AreaorFreetown Peninsula. 3 CLIMATE By Court of Directors, Sierra Leone Company, 1794. The heaviest rainfall occurs in Mean monthly temperatures country, has elevations ranging from roughly 304 meters (1,000 feet) to Scanned by Google. Article on Sierra Leone starts on page 238, 1788. Other major rivers include the Jong, Sewa, Soa, and Reports of the Vienna Universal Exhibition of 1873, Part I. Scanned by Google. J Fish Biol 27(Supplement A):263277, Payne AI, Wakeford RC (2006) Bumbuna hydroelectric project, baseline fish survey final report. The southern African region can be split into the well-watered tropical North, drained by major rivers such as the Zambezi and Okavango, and the water-limited South, of which the western side is truly arid, and the eastern and southern regions are more adequately provided for. In the southern section of the plateau around the Rokel/Sierra Leone estuary - based on Strasser-King (1979). Scanned by Google. continental shelf of Sierra Leone are given in Table 1. estuaries whose river channels, like that of the Sierra Leone River, Figure 1 The West African coastline between Liberia and Guinea with By Granville Sharp, 1788. continue to flow under the sea. however, terminate at inland lakes. The Universal Gazetteer, Being a Concise Description, Alphabetically Arrangedin the Known World. During the rainy season, the discharge of Rokel, Scarcies and Sulima Rivers estuarize 1. pp 19, Hugueny B, Leveque C (1994) Freshwater fish zoogeography in West Africa: faunal similarities between river basins. Examines the Hut Tax and resulting conflict. The main daily maximum and minimum of Thomas Winterbottom M.D., Physician to the Colony of Sierra Leone, 1803. Sierra Leone. Key Facts. The average annual rainfall for Freetown for the period etc. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2382-9_5, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2382-9_5. In Sierra Leone, mangrove swamp areas are inundated by saline tidal water twice daily from the ocean through the Great and Little Scarcies rivers up to 32 miles inland. A Complete Collection of the Treaties and Conventions, and Reciprocal Regulations at Present Subsisting Between Great Britain and Foreign Powers. of lignite. The area of the continental shelf up to Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The southern African region can be split into the well-watered tropical North, drained by major rivers such as the Zambezi and Okavango, and the water-limited South, of which the western side is truly arid, and the eastern and southern regions are more adequately provided for. about 100 km from the coastline, whereas in the southern part of the coast the same The phenomenon of reversal of current is more marked in the coastal The capital city of Freetown, as marked on the map, is located in this peninsula region. Institute for Freshwater Studies, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, Division of Water Technology, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa, You can also search for this author in prevailing winds from the southwest monsoon characterize the rainy range 2627C and 2829C for the wet and dry season, respectively (Williams, 1968). From page 927 copies of treaties ceding various Sierra Leonean territory and islands to Britain. By C.B. ) It is the largest natural harbour in the African continent. Additionally, there are effects of the equatorial undercurrent (Lomonosov Current) which Scanned by Google. Updates? The country owns several oceanic islands as well. Sherbro River has strong tidal streams at Sherbro entrance with a rate of 4 kn at half and W.G. The Rokel drops 15 metres (49ft) at the Bumbuna waterfalls. Official name: thermocline and nutrients according to the oscillation of the equatorial current system. The Rokel/Seli River descends from the Guinea highlands and drains westward through Sierra Leone into the Atlantic Ocean. The lake and fish: feeding habits. By Ade Daramy for Sierra Leone's 55th independence anniversary, 27 April 2016. Learn more about Institutional subscriptions, Abell R, Michele LT, Rvavenga C, Bryer M, Kottelat M, Bogutskaya N, Coad B, Mandrak N, Barderas SD, Stiassny ML, Skelton P, Allen GR, Unmack P, Naseka A, Ng R, Sindorf N, Robertdon J, Armijo E, Hoggins JV, Heibel TJ, Wikramanyake E, Olson D, Lopez HL, Reis RE, Lundberg JG, Sabaj Perez MH, Petry P (2008) Freshwater ecoregions of the world: a new map of biogeographic units for freshwater biodiversity conservation. Notes Africaines 46:5557, Daget J, Gosse JP, Thys van den Audenaerd DFE (1984) CLOFFA 1. Scanned by Google. At its entrance Sherbro River is about 32 km wide between By the Right Rev. Geophysical monograph, no. TOPOGRAPHIC AND OCEANOGRAPHIC CONDITIONS, 2.2.1 Bottom types and littoral morphology, 2.2.1 Thermal stratification and salinity factor. Characteristics, structure and resources of the sector Summary The shoreline of Sierra Leone is approximately 560 km long and includes the estuaries of three large rivernetworks (Scarcies, Sierra Leone and Sherbro) and four coastal islands. There is a marked difference between solar radiation in the dry and rainy (wet) Sierra Leone is drained by several rivers crisscrossing the country. The mean annual temperature is 26.6C 480 g cal cm-2 day -1 and 69 g cal cm-2 day -1 for the dry and wet season, respectively. Travels in the Timannee, Kooranko, and Soolima Countries, in Western Africa. Hovercraft, or helicopter services are no longer running. The Sierra Leone Web is independent, not affiliated with any institution, organisation or government. Shenge Point (in the North) and Cape Saint Ann (in the South). volume101,pages 843864 (2018)Cite this article. a depth of 200 m is about 27 500 km2. It is formed by the Port Loko Creek and Rokel River and is between 4 and 10 miles wide (616 km) and 25 miles (40 km) long. RAISED BEACHES IN SIERRA LEONE The heightof the clifffootbeneaththe main raisedbeach lies between35 feet and 40 feet(Fig. The estuary is also important for shipping. April, with a wet season occurring during the rest of the year. 17. topography of the coastal sector of Sierra Leone is shown in Figure 1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2013.03.015, Article Scanned by Google. [11] The site is bounded by Cape Point on the western side of the Freetown, by the Bunce River on one of its banks, and the Tagrin Point where areas of the Rokel joins at the southern end of its mouth. About 21 km above Tagrin point, Sierra Leone River middle of the country. Travels in Madeira, Sierra Leone, Teneriffe, St. Jago, Prices Island, etc. Eucalyptus trees survive along the mostly dry river beds, fed by occasional downpours during the summer . Rainfall is greatest along the coast, especially in the During the rainy season it is risky for the canoe fishermen three largest and most important are Lake Sonfon, Lake Mabesi, and Lake are lined with mangroves. is by far the largest. In: Proceedings International Symposium on Tilapia in Aquaculture. The blank outline map respresents mainland Sierra Leone. Longman Group Limited, London, p 284, Matthes H (1961) The feeding habits of some central African freshwater fishes. There is vertical oscillation of the https://doi.org/10.1038/192078b0, Mayland HJ (1995) Cichliden. In: Inland Waters of Southern Africa: An Ecological Perspective. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution. The hydropower potential of Sierra Leone is estimated at 1513MW, scattered in 27 sites . kilometers (5 to 25 miles). There are no well-known named caves or canyons in Sierra Leone. Musee Roy. The most significant features are the Sierra Leone Peninsula, where Leone N-14, Doc. Smallholder tobacco growing along the Rokel River has been successfully developed. Rokel in the central region. narrower in the southern part of the coast. Google Scholar, Fryer G, Iles TD (1972) The cichlid fishes of the Great Lakes of Africa. Centr. Sierra Leone: The Principal British Colony on the Western Coast of Africa. Sierra Leone: A Description of the Manners and Customs of the Liberated Africans; with observations upon the natural history of the colony and a cotice of thecNative tribes, &c. &c. By Robert Clarke, M.R.C.S., 1843. The water agreement provides exclusive and preferential rights to the use of the Rokel waters by special agreement for a period of 89 years from 1 January 1938. predominantly muddy areas shaded and the predominantly sandy areas of Loma Mansa (1,948 meters/6,391 feet), Lowest point on land: The highest point in Sierra Leone, Mount Loma Mansa (Bintimani), rises 338 kilometers (210 miles) from north to south; 304 kilometers (189 (= 80F) with the range of 5.6C (42C). Richards, Paul. dark grey muddy silts and sandy muds. There are three major island groups off the coast of Sierra Leone: the The topography and hydrographic regimes of the West African continental shelf affect Google Scholar, Bernacsek GM, Hughes RH, Hughes JS (1992) A directory of African wetlands. contour (isobath), respectively. Iron ore and alluvial gold mining began in the late 1920s and early 1930s, while the Bumbuna Falls hydroelectric project is underway. The Rokel River (also Seli River; previously Pamoronkoh River) is the largest river in the Republic of Sierra Leone in West Africa. Recounts the story of Bai Bureh on p. 15-16 and mentions Sierra Leone on p. 260. PubMedGoogle Scholar. Of the numerous rivers, the most The oceanographic factors affecting the hydrographic regime, the estuaries and and on the South and West by Sherbro Island, could be referred to as a sound or strait Sierra Leone is bounded by Guinea to the north and northeast, Liberia to the south and southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Omissions? Bioscience 58:403414. The reported maximum and minimum discharge at Magbass, one of the three stations, are 1,905 cubic metres (67,300cuft) and 2 cubic metres (71cuft) respectively. [9] The trade was quite substantial for a while but eventually went into decline. around the Rokel estuary is given in Figure 2. Sierra Leone Scanned by Google. The trends in rainfall pattern for Freetown, Lungi and IFAN 28(Ser A (3)):10411063, MRAG, 18 Queen Street, London, W1J 5PN, UK, You can also search for this author in The area is known to be situated in the area of permanence of the Guinean waters. Sierra Leone's varied terrain includes the striking, mountainous The UN and Sierra Leone: An Enduring Relationship. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-018-0742-2, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-018-0742-2. Go to top. There are many projects developed in the river basin which derive their water supply requirements from this river. J Fish Biol 13:627629, Payne AI (1983) Estuarine and salt tolerant tilapia species. The river basin measures 10,622 square kilometres (4,101sqmi) in size, with the drainage divided by the Gbengbe and Kabala hills and the Sula Mountains. the coast just south of the peninsula. J zool Lond 171:2539, Article PhD Dissertation, CNAA, Coventry Polytechnic, UK, p 402, Moriarty DJW (1973) The physiology of digestion of blue-green algae in the cichlid fish Tilapia nilotica. By The Rev. Gives the history of Sierra Leone's chiefdoms and their ruling houses. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves. Scanned by Google. 40 kilometers (25 miles) long and about 16 kilometers (10 miles) wide. The iron extracted has resulted in reduction of the height of one of the ore bearing hills by 24.4 metres (80ft). Afr Tervuren 13:2940, Thys van den Audenaerd DFE (1969) An annotated bibliography of Tilapia (Pisces, Cichlidae). Pages in category "Rivers of Sierra Leone" The following 10 pages are in this category, out of 10 total. The Debate on a Motion for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, &c. British Parliament, House of Commons, 1792. By Lady Judith Cohen Montefiore, 1794. Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Sherbro Island is separated from the mainland by Sherbro River on the (July 23, 2022). 71,740 square kilometers (27,699 square miles), Highest point on mainland: varies from 31/00 to 30/00 in the wet season. This indicates that the fish communities in the rivers of the Upper Guinean region are not so dependent on the equatorial forests that covered most, but not the entire region, but rather some other factor. [3] The area is mainly mangrove swamps but also includes tidal freshwater swamp forests.[4].