Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of 71,740 km2 (27,699 sq mi), Sierra Leone has a tropical climate, with diverse environments ranging from savanna to rainforests. The country has a population of 7,092,113 as of the 2015 census. The capital and largest city is Freetown. The country is divided into five administrative regions, which are subdivided into 16 districts.
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and political centre, as it is the seat of the Government of Sierra Leone. The population of Freetown was 1,055,964 at the 2015 census.
The provinces of Sierra Leone are divided into 16 districts, as of July 2017. Previously, the country was divided into 14 districts. The Western Area is divided into two districts. Sierra Leone's capital Freetown is located in the Western Area of the country and its makes up the Western Area Urban District.
Bo, also commonly referred to as Bo Town, is the second largest city in Sierra Leone by landscape/geographical location and the largest city in the Southern Province. Bo is the capital and administrative centre of Bo District. The city of Bo had a population of 149,957 in the 2004 census and had a population of about 233,684 based on 2017 estimate. Bo is an urban centre, and lies approximately 160 miles (250 km) eastsoutheast of Freetown, and about 40 miles (71 km) to Kenema. Bo is the leading financial, educational and economic centre of southern Sierra Leone.
Koidu Town is the capital and largest city of the diamond-rich Kono District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. The population of Koidu Town is 124,662 based on the 2015 Sierra Leone national census. Koidu Town is the fifth largest city in Sierra Leone by population, after Freetown, Kenema, Bo and Makeni. Koidu Town is a major urban, business, commercial and diamond trade center. Koidu Town lies approximately 280 miles east of Freetown, and about 60 miles north of Kenema.
The Western Area or Freetown Peninsula is one of five principal divisions of Sierra Leone. It comprises the oldest city and national capital Freetown and its surrounding towns and countryside. It covers an area of 557 km2 and has a population of 1,447,271. The Western Area is located mostly around the peninsula and is divided into two districts: the Western Area Rural and the Western Area Urban.
Kenema District is a district in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is Kenema, which is the third most populous city in Sierra Leone, after Freetown and Bo. Tongo is the second most populous city in the district. Other major towns in Kenema District include Blama and Yomboma. The district is the most populous district in the Eastern province with a population 609,873. Kenema District has an area of 6,053 km2 (2,337 sq mi) and comprises sixteen chiefdoms.
The Western Area Rural District is one of the sixteen districts of Sierra Leone. It is located mostly around the peninsula in the Western Area of Sierra Leone. The Western Area Rural District has a 2015 census population of 442,951. The district capital and largest city is Waterloo. Other major towns in the district include Newton, Benguema, Leicester, Tombo and Regent. Most of the towns and villages in the Western area rural District are close to the capital Freetown; and are part of the Freetown Metropolitan Area.
The Western Area Urban District is one of the 16 districts of Sierra Leone. It is by far the most populous district in the country with a population of 1,050,301 and is located in the Western Area of the country. The Western Area Urban District exclusively comprises the entire city of Freetown, the national capital, and its divided into the East End of Freetown, Central Freetown and the West End of Freetown; which are in turns divided into wards and constituencies within the City of Freetown.
Waterloo is a city in the Western Area of Sierra Leone and the capital of the Western Area Rural District, which is one of the sixteen districts of Sierra Leone. Waterloo is located about twenty miles east of Freetown. Waterloo is the second largest city in the Western Area region of Sierra Leone, after Freetown. The city had a population of 34,079 in the 2004 census, and 55,000 as per a 2015 estimate. Waterloo is part of the Freetown metropolitan area.
Water supply in Sierra Leone is characterized by limited access to safe drinking water. Despite efforts by the government and numerous non-governmental organizations, access has not much improved since the end of the Sierra Leone Civil War in 2002, stagnating at about 50% and even declining in rural areas. In the capital Freetown, taps often run dry. It is hoped that a new dam in Orugu, for which China committed financing in 2009, will alleviate water scarcity.
Benguema is a military town in the Rural District in the Western Area of Sierra Leone, about 30 miles east of Freetown.
Sierra Leone is officially a secular state, although Islam and Christianity are the two main and dominant religions in the country. The constitution of Sierra Leone provides for freedom of religion and the Sierra Leone Government generally protects it. The Sierra Leone Government is constitutionally forbidden from establishing a state religion, though Muslim and Christian prayers are usually held in the country at the beginning of major political occasions, including presidential inauguration.
York is a small coastal fishing town in the Peninsula, located in the Western Area Rural District of Sierra Leone. It lies about 25 miles outside Freetown.
Adonkia is a coastal town around the peninsular in the Western Area Rural District of Sierra Leone. Adonkia lies about 8.5 miles south-west of Freetown. The major industry in Adonkia is fishing, stone and coal mining.
Lakka is a coastal resort town around the peninsular in the Western Area Rural District of Sierra Leone. The town lies about ten miles west of Freetown. The major industry in Lakka town is tourism and fishing. Lakka is known for its large beaches, which attract tourists to the town. Lakka has an estimated population of about 4,500, which is a small town by population, though large in land area.
Kwama is a rural town that is made up of several combine villages along the peninsular in the Western Area Rural District of Sierra Leone. Kwama lies approximately seven miles from Waterloo and about twenty one miles east of Freetown. Kwama seats on the Freetown-Waterloo highway. The major economic activity in Kwama is farming. As of 2012 the population of Kwama is estimated at 6,000 people
Sierra Leone is home to about sixteen ethnic groups, each with its own language. In Sierra Leone, membership of an ethnic group often overlaps with a shared religious identity.
Charlotte is a mountainous village in the Rural District in the Western Area of Sierra Leone. Charlotte is located about twenty miles outside Freetown, Sierra Leone's capital. Charlotte, is commonly known as Charlotte Village, and is in close proximity to the towns of Regent, and Leicester. The main economic activity in Charlotte is farming.
Bureh Town is a small resort town in the Rural District in the Western Area of Sierra Leone. Bureh Town is located around the Sierra Leone peninsular; and is home to the Bureh Beach, one of the main tourists attracting centers in Sierra Leone [h http://www.surfingsalone.com/]. Bureh Town is home to the Bureh Beach surf club, the only surf club center in Sierra Leone.. The town is named after Bai Bureh, a Sierra Leonean pro independent leader, who lead the Hut Tax War of 1898 in Northern Sierra Leone against the British administration of Sierra Leone.
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