Economy, Mining

Gem and industrial diamonds, once the leading mineral products of Sierra Leone, are now produced at levels far below those of the past. This reduction in output is due to the near exhaustion of some fields, persistent smuggling, and civil insurrection in some regions. In 2000, 450,000 carats of gem-quality diamonds were produced, down substantially from peak production in the 1970s. Rutile, a titanium ore of which Sierra Leone has one of the world’s largest deposits, in the early 1990s assumed the role of leading export, producing half of all earnings. Bauxite also is mined in large quantities.