Muslim 77.5%, Christian 8.5%, other 14% (2004 census)
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 commonly used as a second language
Exports
liquefied natural gas (LNG), petroleum products, fertilizers, steel
External Debt
$137,000,000,000 US
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
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia
Middle East, peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia
Area
71,740 km sq
11,586 km sq
Coastline
402 km
563 km
Climate
tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)
arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers
