The Physiography of Sierra Leone

THE territory of Sierra Leone is on the West Coast of Africa, between 6? 55 ' and io? N. lat.and io? 16' and 130 19 W. long.It comprises a Colony and a Protectorate, with a total area of about 27,300 square miles.The Colony lies along the coast, and consists mainly of a mountainous peninsula 25 miles in length and about 14 miles in mean width.No general topographical survey of the territory has ever been made, and the only portions which have been at all accurately surveyed are the peninsula of Sierra Leone as far east as Songo Town and the greater part of the international boundaries.Practically all other detail given in the published maps has been obtained from sketches made by various officials from time to time.These maps, while invaluable in the absence of a general survey, often give an imperfect and even inaccurate idea of the topography of the country ; moreover, they sometimes show consider?able distortion of distances.An attempt has been made in the map that accompanies this paper to give an outline of the physiography of the country, and to show its relation to that of neighbouring areas.The information thus given has been obtained from numerous aneroid obser?vations made by the writer, supplemented by a few heights set forth on the published maps.