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Introduction
Sources:
CIA World Fact Book,

Official Name: Republic of Siera-Leon
Government Type:
constitutional democracy
Capital: Freetown
Other Major Cities/Regions: Lungi, Kambia, Pepel, Kenema, Kabala
Size: 71,740 sq km
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)
Terrain:
coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east
Population:
6,144,000
Ethnic Groups:
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
Religion:
Muslim 60%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs 30%
Language:
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%)