 |
| Country |
: |
Republic of Sierra Leone |
| Capital |
: |
Freetown |
| Total Area |
: |
27,698.97 sq mi
71,740.00 sq km
(slightly smaller than
South Carolina) |
| Population |
: |
5,426,618 (July 2001 est.) |
| Estimated Population in 2050 |
: |
15,667,452 |
| 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%) |
| Literacy |
: |
31.4% total, 45.4% male, 18.2% female (1995
est.) |
| Religions |
: |
Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian
10% |
| Life Expectancy |
: |
42.69 male, 48.61 female (2001 est.) |
| Government Type |
: |
Constitutional Democracy |
| Currency |
: |
1 leone (Le) = 100 cents |
| GDP (per capita) |
: |
$510 (2000 est.) |
| Industry |
: |
Mining (diamonds); small-scale manufacturing (beverages,
textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining |
| Agriculture |
: |
Rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry,
cattle, sheep, pigs; fish |
| Arable Land |
: |
7% |
| Natural Resources |
: |
Diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold,
chromite |
|
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