Muslim 85% (Sunni 70%, Shia 30%), other (includes Christian, Hindu, Parsi) 15%
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%)
Arabic (official), English widely spoken
Exports
oil and refined products, fertilizers
External Debt
$41,730,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
Kuwaiti dinars (KD) per US dollar - 0.2679 (2008 est.), 0.2844 (2007), 0.29 (2006), 0.292 (2005), 0.2947 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
5.300%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
Location
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia
Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia
Area
71,740 km sq
17,818 km sq
Coastline
402 km
499 km
Climate
tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)
dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters
