The Sierra Leone River is a river
estuary
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...
on the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
in Western
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...
. It is formed by the
Bankasoka River and
Rokel River and is between 4 and 10 miles wide (6–16 km) and 25 miles (40 km) long. It holds the major ports of
Queen Elizabeth II Quay and
Pepel
Pepel is a coastal town in the Port Loko District in the Northern Province, Sierra Leone, Northern Province of Sierra Leone.
Port
Pepel has a port in the Sierra Leone River used for shipping bulk iron ore via the mining company African Minera ...
. The estuary is also important for shipping. It is the largest natural harbour in the African continent. Several islands, including
Tasso Island (the largest),
Tombo Island
Tombo Island is an island in the Atlantic Ocean at the tip of the Guinean Kaloum Peninsula, approximately east of the Loos Islands.
The island is the site where the capital Conakry was built on. It is the site of the old city of Conakry while ...
, and the historically important
Bunce Island, are located in the estuary.
Lungi International Airport
The river separates
Freetown
Freetown () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, e ...
, Sierra Leone's capital city, which is on the south side of the harbor, from the country's principal airport,
Lungi International Airport, which is on the north side of the harbor in an area called the "Bullom Shore." The primary means of transportation from the airport to Freetown are by speed boat or ferry. Hovercraft and helicopter services are no longer running.
Ecology
The of the Sierra Leone River estuary is classified as a wetland of international importance
Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar site, Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on We ...
in the west of
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...
. The area is mainly
mangrove
A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...
swamps but also includes tidal freshwater swamp forests.
Ramsar Sites Information Service
, Ramsar, retrieved on 10 November 2007 The site has also been designated an Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
(IBA) by BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...
because it supports significant populations of Eurasian oystercatcher
The Eurasian oystercatcher (''Haematopus ostralegus'') also known as the common pied oystercatcher, or (in Europe) just oystercatcher, is a wader in the oystercatcher bird family Haematopodidae. It has striking black and white plumage, a long st ...
s, curlew sandpiper
The curlew sandpiper (''Calidris ferruginea'') is a small wader that breeds on the tundra of Arctic Siberia.
It is strongly bird migration, migratory, wintering mainly in Africa, but also in south and southeast Asia and in Australia and New Zeal ...
s and hooded vulture
The hooded vulture (''Necrosyrtes monachus'') is an Old World vulture in the order Accipitriformes, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. It is the only member of the genus ''Necrosyrtes,'' which is sister to the larger '' Gyps ...
s.
References
See also
* Protected areas of Sierra Leone
* Ramsar list of wetlands of international importance
Ramsar sites are protected under by the Ramsar Convention, an international treaty for the conservation movement, conservation and sustainable use of wetlands, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultura ...
Rivers of Sierra Leone
Geography of Freetown
Protected areas of Sierra Leone
Important Bird Areas of Sierra Leone
Ramsar sites in Sierra Leone
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