14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)
Religions
Jewish 76.4%, Muslim 16%, Arab Christians 1.7%, other Christian 0.4%, Druze 1.6%, unspecified 3.9% (2004)
Muslim 60%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs 30%
Languages
Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority, English most commonly used foreign language
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
machinery and equipment, software, cut diamonds, agricultural products, chemicals, textiles and apparel
External Debt
$102,300,000,000 $
Exchange Rate
new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar - 3.56 (2008 est.), 4.14 (2007), 4.4565 (2006), 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
7.300%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
1
0
Location
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia
Area
20,770 km sq
71,740 km sq
Coastline
273 km
402 km
Climate
temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas
tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)
