British Crown Colony of Sierra Leone
| Colony and Protectorate of Sierra Leone | ||||||||||||
| British Crown colony | ||||||||||||
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Motto Auspice Britannia liber (Latin: "Free under the protection of Britain") |
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Anthem God Save the Queen/God Save the King |
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| Capital | Freetown | |||||||||||
| Languages | English (official), Temne, Mende, Krio widely spoken | |||||||||||
| Government | Crown colony | |||||||||||
| Monarch | ||||||||||||
| • | 1808–1820 | George III | ||||||||||
| • | 1820–1830 | George IV | ||||||||||
| • | 1830–1837 | William IV | ||||||||||
| • | 1837–1901 | Victoria | ||||||||||
| • | 1901–1910 | Edward VII | ||||||||||
| • | 1910–1936 | George V | ||||||||||
| • | 1936 | Edward VIII | ||||||||||
| • | 1936–1952 | George VI | ||||||||||
| • | 1952–1961 | Elizabeth II | ||||||||||
| Governor | ||||||||||||
| • | 1808 | Thomas Ludlam (first) | ||||||||||
| • | 1956–1961 | Maurice Henry Dorman (last) | ||||||||||
| Prime Ministera | ||||||||||||
| • | 1954–1961 | Milton Margai | ||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||
| • | Colony established | 1 January 1808 | ||||||||||
| • | Protectorate established | 31 August 1896 | ||||||||||
| • | Independence as Sierra Leone | 27 April 1961 | ||||||||||
| Area | ||||||||||||
| • | 1924 | 81,999 km2 (31,660 sq mi) | ||||||||||
| Population | ||||||||||||
| • | 1808 est. | 2,000 | ||||||||||
| • | 1924 est. | 1,541,311 | ||||||||||
| Density | 19/km2 (49/sq mi) | |||||||||||
| • | 1955 est. | 2,051,845 | ||||||||||
| • | 1960 est. | 2,181,701 | ||||||||||
| Currency |
Pound sterling (until 1912) British West African pound (from 1912) |
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| a. | The official name for head of government of Sierra Leone was "Chief Minister of Sierra Leone" from 1954 until 1958 and "Prime Minister of Sierra Leone" from 1958 until 1961. | |||||||||||
| Source for 1924 area and population: | ||||||||||||
The Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate was the British colonial administration in Sierra Leone from 1808 to 1961, part of the British Empire in the New Imperialism era. The Crown colony, which included the area surrounding Freetown, was established in 1808. The protectorate was established in 1896 and included the interior of what is today known as Sierra Leone.Freetown served as the capital of British West Africa from 1821 until 1874.
The Latin motto of the colony and protectorate was Auspice Britannia liber ("Free under the protection of Britain"). This motto was included on Sierra Leone's later flag and coat of arms.
The colony and protectorate lasted until 1961 when Sierra Leone gained independence from the United Kingdom, with Elizabeth II as Queen of Sierra Leone. It retained her as head of state for a decade until 1971, when the country became a republic.
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