Moyamba District

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Moyamba District
Moyamba District in Sierra Leone 2018.svg
Location of Moyamba District in Sierra Leone
Coordinates: 8°00′N12°30′W / 8.000°N 12.500°W / 8.000; -12.500
Country Sierra Leone
Province Province
Capital Moyamba
Largest city Moyamba
Government
 • TypeDistrict Council
 • District Council Chairman Joseph Benedict Mbogba (SLPP)
 • Deputy District Council ChairmanAlfred Brima Banya(SLPP)
Area
 • Total6,902 km2 (2,665 sq mi)
Population
 (2015 census)
 • Total318,064
 • Density46/km2 (120/sq mi)
Time zone UTC-5 (Greenwich Mean Time)
HDI (2017)0.364 [1]
low · 12th

Moyamba District is a district in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone, with a population of 318,064 in the 2015 census. [2] [3] Its capital and largest city is Moyamba. [2] [3] The other major towns include Njala, Rotifunk and Shenge. [2] [3] The district is the largest in the Southern Province by geographical area, occupying a total area of 6,902 km2 (2,665 sq mi) and comprises fourteen chiefdoms. [2] [3]

Contents

Moyamba District borders the Atlantic Ocean in the west, Port Loko District and Tonkolili District to the north, Bo District to the east and Bonthe District to the south. [2] [3] The main economic activities include mining (rutile and bauxite), fishing, rice growing and oil palm plantations. [2] [3]

Moyamba District is one of the most ethnically diverse Districts in Sierra Leone. The Mende people are the largest ethnic group in Moyamba District; However, there is a large population of ethnic minority groups in the district that make up closer to 50% of the District population, including the Temne people, Fulani, Sherbro, Kissi, Mandingo, and Kuranko. Moyamba is home to a significantly large population of ethnic Temne minority, and is home to the largest ethnic Temne population in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. [2] [3]

Moyamba District is the birthplace of many of the country's highest profile politicians who helped guide the country to independence in 1961 from the United Kingdom, including Milton Margai, Albert Margai, John Karefa-Smart and Siaka Stevens. Politically, Moyamba District is a stronghold of the Sierra Leone People's Party(SLPP), as the vast majority of residents in the District support the SLPP. The SLPP has won every presidential election in Moyamba District including the 1996, 2002, 2007, 2012 and 2018 Sierra Leone presidential elections.

Administrative divisions

Chiefdoms

Since the 2017 local administrative reorganization, Moyamba District has been made up of fourteen chiefdoms as the third level of administrative subdivision; they are listed with their capitals:

  1. Bagruwa – Sembehun
  2. Bumpe – Rotifunk
  3. Dasse – Mano
  4. Fakunya – Gandohun
  5. Kagboro – Shenge
  6. Kaiyamba – Moyamba
  7. Kamajei – Senehun
  8. Kongbora – Bauya
  9. Kori – Taiama
  10. Kowa – Njama
  11. Lower Banta – Gbangbantoke
  12. Ribbi – Bradford
  13. Timdale – Bomotoke
  14. Upper Banta – Mokelle

Religion

Religion in Eastern Province (2015) [4]
ReligionPercent(%)
Islam
 
74.2%
Christianity
 
24.9%
Bahai
 
0.0%
Traditional African religions
 
0.0%
Other
 
0.4%
No Religion
 
0.4%

Notable people from Moyamba District

Related Research Articles

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">Milton Margai</span> 1st Prime Minister of Sierra Leone from 1961 to 1964 (1895–1964)

Sir Milton Augustus Strieby Margai was a Sierra Leonean physician and politician who served as the country's head of government from 1954 until his death in 1964. He was titled chief minister from 1954 to 1960, and then prime minister from 1961 onwards. Margai studied medicine in England, and upon returning to his homeland became a prominent public health campaigner. He entered politics as the founder and inaugural leader of the Sierra Leone People's Party. Margai oversaw Sierra Leone's transition to independence, which occurred in 1961. He died in office aged 68, and was succeeded as prime minister by his brother Albert. Margai enjoyed the support of Sierra Leoneans across classes, who respected his moderate style, friendly demeanor, and political savvy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sierra Leone People's Party</span> Political party in Sierra Leone

The Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, along with its main political rival the All People's Congress (APC). It has been the ruling party in Sierra Leone since 4 April 2018. The SLPP dominated Sierra Leone's politics from its foundation in 1951 to 1967, when it lost the 1967 parliamentary election to the APC, led by Siaka Stevens. Originally a centre-right, conservative party, it identifies since 2012 as a centre-left social democratic party, with a centrist tendency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mende people</span> Ethnic group in Sierra Leone

The Mende are one of the two largest ethnic groups in Sierra Leone; their neighbours, the Temne people, constitute the largest ethnic group at 35.5% of the total population, which is slightly larger than the Mende at 31.2%. The Mende are predominantly found in the Southern Province and the Eastern Province. The Mende are mostly farmers and hunters. Some of the major cities with significant Mende populations include Bo, Kenema, Kailahun, and Moyamba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Lansana</span>

Brigadier David Lansana was the first prominent Sierra Leonean in the Sierra Leone Military during the colonial era. After Sierra Leone gained independence, he served as Military Attaché to the United States.

Sir Albert Michael Margai was the second prime minister of Sierra Leone and the half-brother of Sir Milton Margai, the country's first Prime Minister. He was also the father of Sierra Leonean politician Charles Margai.

<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.

John Albert Musselman Karefa-Smart was a Sierra Leonean politician, medical doctor and university professor. He served as the first Foreign Minister under Sierra Leone's first Prime Minister, Sir Milton Margai. He was an ordained Elder of the United Methodist Church.

<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">Port Loko District</span> Place in North West, Sierra Leone

Port Loko District is a district in the North West Province of Sierra Leone. It is the most populous district in the North and the second most populous district in Sierra Leone, after Western Area Urban District. As of the 2015 census, Port Loko District has a population of 614,063. The district capital is the town of Port Loko and its largest city is Lunsar. The other major towns in the district include Masiaka, Rokupr, Pepel, Lungi and Gbinti.

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

Kailahun District is a district in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is the town of Kailahun. The second most populous city in the district is Segbwema. Other major towns in Kailahun District include Koindu, Pendembu and Daru. As of the 2015 census, the district had a population of 525,372. Kailahun District is subdivided into fourteen chiefdoms.

Moyamba is the capital and largest city of Moyamba District, in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. There has been a recorded population of 11,485 in the 2004 census. The city is ethnically diverse, although the Mende people make up the majority. The city is home to the Hatford Secondary School for Girls, which is one of the elite secondary schools in Sierra Leone. The school attract some of the most gifted students from all parts of Sierra Leone, along with students abroad. The school is an all-girls secondary school, and the students are in a boarding home in the school campus. The city has a history of producing some of Sierra Leone's most prominent politicians, including the country's first president, Siaka Stevens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soccoh Kabia</span>

Soccoh Kabia is a Sierra Leonean politician and physician who served as the Minister of Health, Minister of Social Welfare, Gender and Children's Affairs, and Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources of Sierra Leone from 2007 to 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ella Koblo Gulama</span> Sierra Leone politician

Paramount Chief Ella Koblo Gulama OBE, GCOR was a Sierra Leonean paramount chief and politician. In 1957, she became the first elected female Member of Parliament in Sierra Leone. She was re-elected in 1962. During the government of Milton Margai, Gulama became Sierra Leone and sub-Saharan Africa's first female Cabinet Minister.

Julius Momoh Gulama was a Sierra Leonean King, statesman and educator in the pre-independence era. As King of Kaiyamba Chiefdom, he ruled the largest and most powerful Mende chiefdom in the Sierra Leone.

Momoh Gulama was a Sierra Leonean paramount chief who ruled Kaiyamba Chiefdom in Moyamba District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bai Koblo Pathbana II</span> 43rd Paramount Chief of Marampa

Bai Koblo Pathbana II, was a paramount chief and politician in Lunsar, Port Loko District, Sierra Leone. He was crowned the 43rd Paramount Chief of Marampa-Masimera Chiefdom in 1943.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Komeh Gulama Lansana</span>

Komeh Gulama Lansana was the wife of Brigadier David Lansana, Force Commander of the Sierra Leone Army until his execution in 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Sierra Leone (1961–1978)</span>

In April 1961, Sierra Leone became politically independent of Great Britain. It retained a parliamentary system of government and was a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations. The Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), led by Sir Milton Margai were victorious in the first general election under universal adult franchise in May 1962. Upon Sir Milton's death in 1964, his half-brother, Sir Albert Margai, succeeded him as Prime Minister. Sir Albert attempted to establish a one-party state had the ready cooperation of the opposition All People' Congress but met fierce resistance from some cadre within his party Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) and ultimately abandoned the idea.

Francis Obai Kabia is a Sierra Leonean politician who was operations officer for the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations from 1983 to 2006.

References

  1. ↑ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Taylor, Bankole Kamara (February 2014). Sierra Leone: The Land, Its People and History. New Africa Pres. ISBN   9789987160389 . Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Manson, Katrina; Knight, James (2009-05-15). Sierra Leone. Bradt Travel Guides. ISBN   9781841622224 . Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  4. ↑ https://sierraleone.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/Population%20structure%20Report_1.pdf.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
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