Colony and Protectorate of Sierra Leone | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1808–1961 | |||||||||||||||
.svg) Flag
(1916–1961) .svg) Coat of arms
(1914–1960) | |||||||||||||||
| Motto: Auspice Britannia liber (Latin: "Free under the protection of Britain") | |||||||||||||||
| Anthem: God Save the King (1808–1837; 1901–1952) God Save the Queen (1837–1901; 1952–1961) | |||||||||||||||
_Map_Sierra_Leone_and_Liberia.jpg) The Colony and Protectorate of Sierra Leone in 1899 | |||||||||||||||
| Status | British colony | ||||||||||||||
| Capital | Freetown | ||||||||||||||
| Official languages | English | ||||||||||||||
| Recognised national languages | Krio | ||||||||||||||
| Religion | Christianity, Islam | ||||||||||||||
| Monarch | |||||||||||||||
• 1808–1820 (first) | George III | ||||||||||||||
• 1952–1961 (last) | Elizabeth II | ||||||||||||||
| Governor | |||||||||||||||
• 1808 (first) | Thomas Ludlam | ||||||||||||||
• 1956–1961 (last) | Maurice Dorman | ||||||||||||||
| Prime Ministera | |||||||||||||||
• 1954–1961 | Milton Margai | ||||||||||||||
| Legislature | Legislative Council (1863–1954) House of Representatives (after 1954) | ||||||||||||||
| Historical era | Abolitionism New Imperialism Decolonisation of Africa | ||||||||||||||
• Colony established | 1 January[1] 1808 | ||||||||||||||
• Protectorate established | 31 August 1896[2] | ||||||||||||||
• Independence as Sierra Leone | 27 April 1961 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||||
| 1924[3] | 81,999 km2 (31,660 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||||
• 1808[4] | 2,000 | ||||||||||||||
• 1924[3] | 1,541,311 | ||||||||||||||
• 1955[5] | 2,051,845 | ||||||||||||||
• 1960[5] | 2,181,701 | ||||||||||||||
| Currency | Pound sterling (1808–1912) British West African pound (1912–1961) | ||||||||||||||
| ISO 3166 code | SL | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Today part of | Sierra Leone | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
The Colony and Protectorate of Sierra Leone (informally British Sierra Leone) was the British colonial administration in Sierra Leone from 1808[1][6] to 1961,[1][6][7] part of the British Empire from the abolitionism era until the decolonisation era. The Crown colony, which included the area surrounding Freetown, was established in 1808. The protectorate was established in 1896[2][6] and included the interior of what is today known as Sierra Leone.[6]
The motto of the colony and protectorate was Auspice Britannia liber (Latin for "Free under the protection of Britain"). This motto was included on Sierra Leone's later flag and coat of arms.[8]
- ^ a b c "Sierra Leone". WorldStatesmen.org. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
- ^ a b Fyle 2006, p. XX.
- ^ a b "The British Empire in 1924". The British Empire. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
- ^ Fyle 2006, p. XVIII.
- ^ a b "Sierra Leone Population". Worldometers. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
- ^ a b c d "History of Sierra Leone". HistoryWorld. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
- ^ Fyle 2006, p. XXII.
- ^ "Flag of Sierra Leone". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 22 September 2017.