Location: Africa
Status: UN Country
Capital City: Freetown
Main Cities: Bo, Makeni, Kenema
Population: 4,616,000
Area: 71,740 km2
Currency: 1 leone = 100 cents
Languages: English, tribal languages
Religions: Animist, Muslim
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Sierra Leone: a republic in W Africa, on the Atlantic: became a British colony in 1808 and gained independence (within the Commonwealth) in 1961; declared a republic in 1971; became a one-party state in 1978; multiparty democracy restored in 1991 but military rule was imposed following a coup in 1992, which led to civil unrest; consists of coastal swamps rising to a plateau in the east. Official language: English. Religion: Muslim majority and animist. Currency: leone. Capital: Freetown. Pop.: 5 169 000 (2004 est.). Area: 71 740 sq. km (27 699 sq. miles)