Roman Catholic (nominal) 73.6%, Protestant 15.4%, Spiritualist 1.3%, Bantu/voodoo 0.3%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.2%, none 7.4% (2000 census)
Muslim 60%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs 30%
Languages
Portuguese (official and most widely spoken language); note - less common languages include Spanish (border areas and schools), German, Italian, Japanese, English, and a large number of minor Amerindian languages
English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%)
Exports
transport equipment, iron ore, soybeans, footwear, coffee, autos
External Debt
$397,500,000,000 $
Exchange Rate
reals (BRL) per US dollar - 1.8644 (2008 est.), 1.85 (2007 est.), 2.1761 (2006), 2.4344 (2005), 2.9251 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.700%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
15
0
Location
Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia
Area
8,514,877 km sq
71,740 km sq
Coastline
7,491 km
402 km
Climate
mostly tropical, but temperate in south
tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)
