Sierra Leone and the head of government. The country's capital and largest city is Freetown. Sierra Leone is made up of five administrative regions: the Northern Province, North West Province, Eastern Province, Southern Province and the Western Area. These regions are subdivided into sixteen districts. Sierra Leone was a British Colony from 1806 to 1961. Sierra Leone became independent from the United Kingdom on 27 April 1961, led by Sir Milton Margai. In May 1962, Sierra Leone held its first general elections as an independent nation. On April 19, 1971, Siaka Stevens' government abolished Sierra Leone's parliamentary government system and declared Sierra
Literature of Sierra Leone Joe A. D. Alie, born in Moyamba, Sierra Leone, is a Professor at Fourah Bay College, the University of Sierra Leone. He has published a number of textbooks, including "A New History of Sierra Leone" and "A Concise Guide to Writing College and Research Papers". Osman A. Sankoh was born in Warima, Sierra Leone. He has been awarded the 1987 University of Sierra Leone Prize for Academic Excellence as well as the 1996 German Academic Exchange Service Prize for Academic Excellence and Exceptional Social Engagements by a Foreign Student. In 2007, he became the Executive Director of the INDEPTH Network.