Population 6,144,562 (July 2007 est.): 20 African ethnic groups 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole (Krio) 10% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century), refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians
Capital City Freetown (1.5 million)

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%)
Official Currency Leone  

Religions Muslim 60%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs 30%



Land


Land Area 71,620 sq km (27,652 sq miles) - slightly smaller than South Carolina

Natural Resources: diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite
Terrain: coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east
Geography: rainfall along the coast can reach 495 cm (195 inches) a year, making it one of the wettest places along coastal, western Africa.