Muslim 77.5%, Christian 8.5%, other 14% (2004 census)
Muslim 60%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs 30%
Languages
Arabic (official), English commonly used as a second 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
liquefied natural gas (LNG), petroleum products, fertilizers, steel
External Debt
$137,000,000,000 $
Exchange Rate
Qatari rials (QAR) per US dollar - 3.64 (2008 est.), 3.64 (2007), 3.64 (2006), 3.64 (2005), 3.64 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
10.000%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
Location
Middle East, peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia
Area
11,586 km sq
71,740 km sq
Coastline
563 km
402 km
Climate
arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers
tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)
