Visit Sierra Leone

In 1787 the British helped four hundred freed slaves from the United States, Nova Scotia, and Great Britain returned to Sierra Leone to settle in what they called the " Province of Freedom." The area was first settled by freed slaves sent from England around the Cotton Tree which was said to have previously been a slave market. Disease and hostility from the indigenous population nearly eliminated the first group of returnees.

This settlement was joined by other groups of freed slaves and soon became known as Freetown. In 1792, Freetown became one of Britain's first colonies in West Africa. It is the largest city and also capital of Sierra Leone lying on the peninsula near the Atlantic coast and hosts the third largest natural harbour in the world - Elizabeth II Quay.