Subdivisions of Sierra Leone

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The subdivisions of Sierra Leone are as follows:

First level
Second level
Third level

Provinces

The provinces and area of Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, administrative divisions - de - colored 2018.svg
The provinces and area of Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone is divided into 4 provinces and a Western Area for the capital Freetown.

Contents

Districts

The districts of Sierra Leone Districts in Sierra Leone 2018.svg
The districts of Sierra Leone

The provinces of Sierra Leone are divided into 16 districts. 14 are rural, with the capital Freetown divided into 2 districts. One traditional leader from each district occupies a seat in Sierra Leone's parliament.


Chiefdoms

The chiefdoms of Sierra Leone. Chiefdoms 2017.png
The chiefdoms of Sierra Leone.

Sierra Leone is further divided into 149 chiefdoms. [1] The chiefdoms are hereditary, tribal units of local governance. [1] The World Bank sponsored the creation of elected local councils in 2004. [1]

Chiefs have the power to "raise taxes, control the judicial system, and allocate land, the most important resource in rural areas." [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sierra Leone</span> Country on the southwest coast of West Africa

Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It shares its southeastern border with Liberia, and the northern half is surrounded by Guinea. Covering a total area of 71,740 km2 (27,699 sq mi), it has a tropical climate, with environments ranging from savanna to rainforests. It has a population of 7,092,113 as of the 2015 census. Freetown is the capital and largest city. The country is divided into five administrative regions, which are subdivided into 16 districts.

Sierra Leone first became inhabited by indigenous African peoples at least 2,500 years ago. The Limba were the first tribe known to inhabit Sierra Leone. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Sierra Leone</span>

Sierra Leone is a country located in West Africa, known officially as the Republic of Sierra Leone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freetown</span> Capital, chief port, and the largest city of Sierra Leone

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of Sierra Leone</span>

The government of Sierra Leone is the governing authority of the Republic of Sierra Leone, as established by the Sierra Leone Constitution. The Sierra Leone government is divided into three branches: the executive, legislative and the judiciary. The seat of government of Sierra Leone is in the capital Freetown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Provinces of Sierra Leone</span>

Sierra Leone is divided into four provinces and one Western Area; these are further divided into 16 districts, and the districts are further divided into 190 chiefdoms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Districts of Sierra Leone</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Province, Sierra Leone</span> Province of Sierra Leone

The Southern Province is one of the four provinces of Sierra Leone. It covers an area of 19,694 km² and has a population of 1,438,572. It consists of four districts. Its capital and administrative center is Bo, which is also the second largest and second most populated city in Sierra Leone after the nation's capital Freetown. The population of the southern province is largely from the Mende ethnic group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Area</span> Subdivision of Sierra Leone

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonthe District</span> Place in Southern Province, Sierra Leone

Bonthe District is a district that comprises several islands and mainland of the Atlantic Ocean in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. Bonthe is one of the sixteen districts of Sierra Leone. Its capital is the town of Bonthe Island and its largest city is Bonthe, on Sherbro Island. As of the 2015 census, the district had a population of 200,730. Bonthe District is one of the sixteen districts of Sierra Leone. Bonthe District is subdivided into eleven chiefdoms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Limba people (Sierra Leone)</span> Ethnic group, third largest in Sierra Leone

The Limba people are the third largest ethnic group in Sierra Leone. They represent 12.4% of Sierra Leone's total population. They are based in the north of the country across seven provinces, comprising about 12% of the national populations. They’re predominantly found in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temne people</span> West African ethnic group

The Temne, also called Atemne, Témené, Temné, Téminè, Temeni, Thaimne, Themne, Thimni, Timené, Timné, Timmani, or Timni, are a West African ethnic group, They are predominantly found in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. Some Temne are also found in Guinea. The Temne constitute the largest ethnic group in Sierra Leone, at 35.5% of the total population, which is slightly bigger than the Mende people at 31.2%. They speak Temne, a Mel branch of the Niger–Congo languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kono District</span> Place in Eastern Province, Sierra Leone

Kono District is a 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Koinadugu District</span> Place in Northern Province, Sierra Leone

Koinadugu District is a district in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. It is the largest District in Sierra Leone in geographical area, and one of the least densely populated. Its capital and largest city is Kabala, which is also one of the main cities in Northern Sierra Leone. The District of Koinadugu has a population of 404,097, based on the 2015 Sierra Leone national census; and has a total area of 12,121 km2 (4,680 sq mi). Koinadugu District is subdivided into eleven chiefdoms.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chiefdoms of Sierra Leone</span>

The chiefdoms of Sierra Leone are the third-level units of administration in Sierra Leone. There are 190 chiefdoms in Sierra Leone, as of 2017. Previously, there were 149.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethnic groups in Sierra Leone</span> Ethnic groups living within the country of Sierra Leone

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.

Kholifa Rowalla Chiefdom is a chiefdom in Tonkolili District of Sierra Leone. Its capital is Magburaka. Sierra Leone is divided into 3 provinces and the Western Area with a total of 149 chiefdoms and 12 districts.

Badjia Chiefdom is a chiefdom in Bo District of Sierra Leone. Its capital is Ngelehun.

Niawa Lenga Chiefdom is a chiefdom in the northeastern part of the Bo District, Southern Province of Sierra Leone. Its capital is Nengbema, located 27.6 km northeast of the city of Bo. The area of Niawa Lenga Chiefdom includes 241 km2, derived from geospatial data. The neighbour chiefdoms of Niawa Lenga are: Valunia (north), Komboya (northeast), Bagbwe (east), Kakua (south) and Selenga (west).

References

  1. 1 2 3 Tristan Reed and James A. Robinson, The Chiefdoms of Sierra Leone, Scholar, Harvard University, 15 July 2013, Document available online, accessed 30 April 2014
  2. Daron Acemoglu, Tristan Reed. and James A. Robinson. "Chiefs: Economic Development and Elite Control of Civil Society in Sierra Leone" Archived 2016-03-05 at the Wayback Machine , Stanford University, 29 August 2013, accessed 30 April 2014