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Sierra Leone has 16 different ethnic groups, each with a different language. The largest ethnic group is the Temne (35%), followed by the Mende (31%). The Temne are dominant in the Northern Sierra Leone and areas around the capital, while the Mende live mostly in the South-Eastern Sierra Leone and the Kono District.

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Sierra Leone has a young population with 42% of its population under 15, and a rural population with 62% of people living outside of the cities. Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries in the world that is facing many challenges. It has one of the highest youth unemployment rates in West Africa (60%), much of its drinking water is collected from polluted sources, one of the worst literacy rates in Africa and health problems that include HIV/AIDS, malaria, and yellow fever. About 81% of its population lives in poverty.

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Officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, the country has its government divided into executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The country itself is broken down into 149 chiefdoms, small local units of government.

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Sierra Leone did not become independent from Britain, until 1961. The country was declared a republic in 1971 and shortly after a constitution was written declaring the country a single-party state with the All People's Congress being the only legal party. As with many new counstires, Sierra Leone experienced a period of civil war shortly after its formation in 1991 when Foday Sankoh, a former army corporal, rebelled against the president and began capturing towns on the border with Liberia. The civil war lasted several years but led to an amended constitution allowing for multiple parties.

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About 78% of the population are Muslims, while Christians make up 21% of the population. Although there isn't a state religion, it is common to find Christian prayers said during the beginning of political occasions. Within the Muslim population, almost all of them are of the Sunni denomination. Religious violence is rare, and Sierra Leone is known as one of the world's most religiously tolerant nations, with Christians and Muslims regularly working together peacefully.

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The economy in Sierra Leone has always been heavily reliant on mineral mining, and it has kept the economy from being able to flourish under the attitude that gold and diamonds are enough of a backbone for the economy of an entire nation. Consequently, the country is heavily reliant upon foreign aid. Agriculture is also an important part of the economy, accounting for 58% of the country's GDP, and employing 80% of the people living there. Rice is Sierra Leone's most common export.