Sierra Leone's Geography

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            Sierra Leone is a young nation located in the northern and western hemisphere of Africa. Its coast consists entirely of the Atlantic Ocean. Sierra Leone’s location provides the perfect accommodations form tourist which brings an abundance of revenue for the nation. Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown is the largest city, and is located 8.4657° N, 13.2317°. Freetown is also home to one of the major ports on the Atlantic Ocean. This provides easy accessibility to and from the nation.

-           Sierra Leon’s landscape varies in many ways. Its name is Portuguese for “Lion Mountains”, which was given to explain the great mountains that inhabit Sierra Leone east. Mount Bintimani which stands at 6,391 ft. is the highest point of the nation, and the rest of Sierra’s landscape consists of farmlands, forest, bush, and even beaches. Which is also accompanied by water resources such as the Rokel, Taia, Sewa , and Moa Rivers. And, also the Atlantic Ocean which is the largest.

-          Sierra Leone’s wildlife also includes elephants, hippopotamuses, Bogo antelope, and leopards to name a few. It is also home to Outamba-Kilimi the only control savanna and national park in Sierra Leon.  Which protects and houses many of the wildlife listed above.

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-           Sierra Leone is know for having extreme climate changes through the year that can effect many factors for the people who inhabit the nation. Sierra Leone can experience extreme climate changes such as  droughts, heatwaves, and inconsistent rainfall to name a few. With the unpredictable and highly inconsistent climate patterns in Sierra Leon. Crop production and disease can reek havoc in the nation.  

Scientist believe that the extreme climate change plays a huge role in the risk of Ebola in Sierra Leon. With the weather changes, food becomes scarce and people begin looking for other options for food. One of these options include people eating bush meat ( wild animals) which are most commonly known to carry the disease, with in return infects the people who are consuming it. With bush meat being the more plentiful means for food, it increases the disease rate and morality among the people of Sierra Leon.

-          “With climate change expected to put increasing pressure on food security in Africa, food shortages will push more people to alternative food sources and consumption of bush meat, like bats, will likely increase,” (Kris Murray, senior research scientist at EcoHealth Alliance). 

      With the climate becoming more erratic as time goes on, harsh times are expected to develop upon the nation, and Africa as a whole once again. 

    References:
    Visit Sierra Leone Nature and Wildlife Reference:
    https://www.visitsierraleone.org/attractions/nature-and-wildlife/Outamba-Kilimi-National-Park.html

    How Climate Change is Exacerbating the Spread of Disease Reference:
    http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2014/09/04/how-climate-change-is-exacerbating-the-spread-of-disease/
   
    World Atlas Reference:
    http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/africa/sierraleone/slland.htm