Country (long form) |
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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