Capital of Sierra Leone:
FreetownArea of Sierra Leone: 71,740 km² (27,699 mi²) (
119th)
Population of Sierra Leone: 8,642,022 (
102rd) - (2024 est.)
Location: Western Africa
Languages of Sierra Leone: 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; a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%)
Religions of Sierra Leone: Muslim 78.5%,
Christian 20.4%,
Other religions 1.1% (2020 est.)
Ethnic groups of Sierra Leone: Temne 35.4%,
Mende 30.8%,
Limba 8.8%,
Kono 4.3%,
Koranko 4%,
Fula 3.8%,
Mandingo 2.8%,
Loko 2%,
Sherbro 1.9%,
Creole 1.2% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century; also known as
Krio), other 5% (2019 est.)
Currency:
Leone (
SLE)
Time zone:
UTC (
GMT)
Calling code: (
+232)
Organizations: United Nations, Commonwealth of Nations
Border countries (2):
Guinea 794 km,
Liberia 299 km.
Coastline: North Atlantic Ocean 402 km
Administrative divisions of Sierra Leone
4 provinces and 1 area*: Eastern, Northern, North Western, Southern, Western*.
Natural resources: diamonds,
titanium ore,
bauxite,
iron ore,
gold,
chromite.