Kono District

Kono District
Location of Kono District in Sierra Leone
Coordinates: 8°45′N 11°00′W / 8.750°N 11.000°W / 8.750; -11.000
Country	Sierra Leone
Province	Eastern Province
Capital	Koidu Town
Largest city	Koidu Town
Government
• Type	District Council
• Council Chairman	Sahr Solomon Gbondo (C4C)[1]
Area
• Total	5,641 km2 (2,178 sq mi)
Population  (2015 census)[1]
• Total	505,767
• Density	90/km2 (230/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Greenwich Mean Time)
HDI (2017)	0.391[2] low · 7th

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.^[1] 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.^[3]

Kono District is one of the most ethnically diverse Districts in Sierra Leone and is home to a large population of many of Sierra Leone's ethnic groups, with no single ethnic group forming a majority.

Kono District population is religiously diverse among Muslims and Christians, though Muslims make up the majority of the population in Kono District.

Before the civil war, Kono District had a population well over 600,000 ^{[citation needed]}; however, it experienced devastation during the Sierra Leone Civil War, which forced many of the residents out of the district. The district was heavily looted and constantly fought over due to the rich diamond reserves in the area.