Sierra Leone

a British colony. It lies on the West African Coast adjacent to Liberia. Area, 4,000 square miles; population, 80,000. There are less than 1,000 whites. Over half of the population has been converted to Christianity. Over 8,000 pupils are in school. Freeport, the capital, has a population of 37,000 and carries on a thriving export trade in palm oil, ginger, peanuts, kola, and India rubber. The native artisans excel as gold and silversmiths. In 1909 over 1,250,000 postal packets were carried. In 1896, 30,000 square miles of additional territory was annexed under the title of a protectorate. This territory extends 180 miles inland and has a native population of 1,000,000. An active traffic is carried on in forest products.