Sierra Leone first became inhabited by indigenous African peoples at least 2,500 years ago. The dense tropical rainforest partially isolated the region from other West African cultures, and it became a refuge for peoples escaping violence and jihads. Sierra Leone was named by Portuguese explorer Pedro de Sintra, who mapped the region in 1462. The Freetown estuary provided a good natural harbour for ships to shelter and replenish drinking water, and gained more international attention as coastal and trans-Atlantic trade supplanted trans-Saharan trade.
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 Mende people are one of the two largest ethnic groups in Sierra Leone; their neighbours, the Temne people, have roughly the same population. The Mende and Temne each account for slightly more than 30% of the total population. The Mende are predominantly found in the Southern Province and the Eastern Province, while the Temne are found primarily in the Northern Province and the Western Area, including the capital city of Freetown. Some of the major cities with significant Mende populations include Bo, Kenema, Kailahun, and Moyamba.
Bo, also commonly referred to as Bo Town, is the third largest city in Sierra Leone by population and the largest city in the Southern Province. Bo is the capital and administrative center of Bo District. The city of Bo had a population of 149,957 in the 2004 census and had population of about 175,000, based on the 2015 national census. Bo is an urban center, and lies approximately 160 miles east south-east of Freetown, and about 44 miles (71 km) to Kenema. Bo is the leading financial, educational and economic center of Southern Sierra Leone. Bo was previously the second largest city in Sierra Leone by population, However, Kenema over took Bo in population after the 2015 Sierra Leone national census.
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 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 270 miles east of Freetown, and about 54 miles north of Kenema.
Moyamba District is the largest district in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone with a population of 318,064 in the 2015 census.
The Western Area or Freetown Peninsula is one of four 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.
Port Loko is the capital and second largest town of Port Loko District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. The town had a population of 21,961 in the 2004 census and current estimate of 44,900. Port Loko lies approximately 45 miles east of Freetown. The area in and around Port Loko is a major bauxite mining and trade centre. The town lies on the main highway linking Freetown to Guinea's capital Conakry. It also lies on the over-land highway between Freetown and its major airport, Lungi International Airport, although most travellers complete this journey via the much shorter ferry or helicopter transit.
Ernest Bai Koroma is a Sierra Leonean politician who served as the 4th President of Sierra Leone from 17 September 2007 to 4 April 2018.
Kono District is a diamond-rich district in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is Koidu Town. Motema is the second most populous city in the district. The other major towns in the district include Yengema, Tombodu, Jaiama Nimikor and Sewafe. The district is the largest diamond producer in Sierra Leone. The population of Kono District is 505,767. Kono District borders Kenema District to the southwest, The Republic of Guinea to the east, Koinadugu District to the northeast and Kailahun District to the southeast. Kono District is divided into fourteen chiefdoms
Kenema District is a district in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is Kenema, which is the second most populous city in Sierra Leone, after Freetown. 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.
Articles related to Sierra Leone include:
Kaifala Marah is a Sierra Leonean politician, accountant, Governor of the Bank of Sierra Leone (2016-2017), and minister of finance (2012-2016). On March 7, 2017, Dr. Marah resigned as governor in order to seek the nomination of the All People's Congress (APC) for the Presidential election of 2018.
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.
The Sierra Leone Creole people is an ethnic group in Sierra Leone. The Creole people are descendants of freed African American, West Indian and Liberated African slaves who settled in the Western Area of Sierra Leone between 1787 and about 1885. The colony was established by the British, supported by abolitionists, under the Sierra Leone Company as a place for freedmen. The settlers called their new settlement Freetown. Today, the Creoles comprise about 2% of the population of Sierra Leone.
Malegohun Chiefdom is a chiefdom in Kenema District of Sierra Leone. Its capital is Sembehun.
Tankoro Chiefdom is a chiefdom in Kono District of Sierra Leone. Its capital is New Sembehun.
Bagruwa Chiefdom is a chiefdom in Moyamba District of Sierra Leone. Its capital is Sembehun.
