Sierra Leone

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Sierra Leone | Facts & Information

Infoplease has everything you need to know about Sierra Leone. Check out our country profile, full of essential information about Sierra Leone’s geography, history, government, economy, population, culture, religion and languages. If that’s not enough, click over to our collection of world maps and flags.

Facts & Figures

  • President: Ernest Koroma (2007)

    Land area: 27,653 sq mi (71,621 sq km); total area: 27,699 sq mi (71,740 sq km)

    Population (2014 est.): 5,743,725 (growth rate: 2.33%); birth rate: 37.4/1000; infant mortality rate: 73.29/1000; life expectancy: 57.39; density per sq mi: 205.6

    Capital and largest city (2011 est.): Freetown, 941,000

    Monetary unit: Leone

    Current government officials

    Languages: English (official), Mende (southern vernacular), Temne (northern vernacular), Krio (lingua franca)

    Ethnicity/race: Temne 35%, Mende 31%, Limba 8%, Kono 5%, Kriole 2% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century; also known as Krio), Mandingo 2%, Loko 2%, other 15% (includes refugees from Liberia’s recent civil war, and small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians) (2008 census)

    Religions: Islam 60%, indigenous 30%, Christian 10%

    Literacy rate: 43.3% (2011 est.)

    Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2013 est.): $9.156 billion; per capita $1,400. Real growth rate: 13.3%. Inflation: 11.1%. Unemployment: n.a. Arable land: 15.33%. Agriculture: rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish. Labor force: 2.207 million (2007 est.). Industries: diamond mining; iron ore, rutile and bauxite mining; small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining, small commercial ship repair. Natural resources: diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite. Exports: $1.563 billion (2013): diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish. Imports: $1.637 billion (2013): foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals. Major trading partners: Belgium, U.S., UK, China, Japan, Turkey, South Africa, India (2012).