Official Name: Republic of Sierra Leone

Geography 

Capital: Freetown
Major Towns: Freetown, Lungi, Makeni, Kenema,Shenge
Location (geographical coordinates/latitude and longitude): Freetown: 8°31'N, 13°15'W
Time Zone: GMT (UTC+0)
Size (Land and Sea): 71,740 km²; Water: 1%
Borders with Guinea, Liberia and the Atlantic Ocean
Elevation extremes: Highest points) Mount Bintumani: 1,948 meters
 
Politics 

Head of State: President: Ahmad Tejan Kabbah
Form of Government: Republic
Independancy (from the UK): April 27, 1961
Currency: Leone (SLL)
 
Industry  

Main industries: Mining sector in general, and diamonds in particular; agriculture; of the world's largest deposits of rutile, a titanium ore used as paint pigment and welding rod coatings
Other industries: Small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining, small commercial ship repair.
Natural resources: diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite
Agriculture: rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish
 
Population and People  

Population: 6,144,562 (July 2007 est); 5,426,618 (2000)
Population density per sq mi: 222
Growth rate:  3.2% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 44.58 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.01 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 158.3/1000
Religion: 60% Muslims, 30% Christians, 10% ethno-cultural religions and faiths
Languages: English, Krio, Mende, Kisii, Pidgin English
Ethnic groups / Tribes: about sixteen ethnic groups; each with its own language, e.g.  Mende and Temne, Krios, A small number of Sierra Leoneans are of Nigerian, or Lebanese descent
Age structure: 0-14 years: 44.8% (male 1,349,878/female 1,400,297); 15-64 years: 52% (male 1,531,763/female 1,664,996); 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 92,360/female 105,268) (2007 est.)
Life expectancy: 40.6
Literacy: Total population: 31.4%: male 45%, female: 18%

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