Sierra Leone is located in Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia.
Population (2014 est) – 5,743,725
Area – 44,580mi
Capital – Freetown
Ethnic Background
- 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)
Exports – diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish
Imports – foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals
Life Expectancy (2014 est) – M 55, F 60
Infant Mortality (2014 est) – 73.29 deaths/1,000 live births
Adult Illiteracy Rate – 56.7%
