Greek 99% (official), other 1% (includes English and French)
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
food and beverages, manufactured goods, petroleum products, chemicals, textiles
External Debt
$583,300,000,000 $
Exchange Rate
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6734 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
4.300%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
4
0
Location
Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia
Area
131,957 km sq
71,740 km sq
Coastline
13,676 km
402 km
Climate
temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers
tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)