1143 (Kingdom of Portugal recognized); 5 October 1910 (republic proclaimed)
26 July 1847
Religions
Roman Catholic 84.5%, other Christian 2.2%, other 0.3%, unknown 9%, none 3.9% (2001 census)
Christian 40%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 40%
Languages
Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official - but locally used)
English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages, of which a few can be written and are used in correspondence
Exports
agricultural products, food products, oil products, chemical products, plastics and rubber, skins and leather, wood and cork, wood pulp and paper, textile materials, clothing, footwear, minerals and mineral products, base metals, machinery and tools, vehicles and other transport material, and optical and precision
rubber, timber, iron, diamonds, cocoa, coffee
External Debt
$548,300,000,000 $
$228,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6734 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
Liberian dollars (LRD) per US dollar - NA (2007), 59.43 (2006), 53.098 (2005), 54.906 (2004), 59.379 (2003)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
2.300%
1.300%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
2
0
Location
Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Spain
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone
Area
92,090 km sq
111,369 km sq
Coastline
1,793 km
579 km
Climate
maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south
tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers
