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The coastal zone and “Exclusive Economic Zone” of
Sierra Leone covers an area of about 160,000 km
2
from
Kiragba in the north to Mano in the south. Sierra Leone’s
coastline measures 560 km, much of which is sheltered.
The sheltered coast is dominated by extensive mangrove
systems (230 km) and mudflats. Only 150 km of the
coastline is significantly developed or urbanized and this
includes Freetown (the capital).
Currently about 70 hotels and tourist resorts are found
along the western Area Peninsula coastline. Elsewhere
Executive summary
the coastline is largely undeveloped except for some
fish landing sites and cold storage infrastructure used to
process and store fish and shrimps. The contribution of the
coastal zone to the national economy is significant.
The coastal zone of Sierra Leone is one of the most densely
populated areas of the country and is already vulnerable
to a number of natural and man-made hazards including
inundations from the major rivers flowing through Sierra
Leone to the coast, flash floods which come down from a
number of rivers during the monsoon period and also saline