Freetown

This article is about the capital and largest city in Sierra Leone. For other uses, see Freetown (disambiguation).

FREETOWN CITY
Fritɔn
Capital city and municipality
From top left: Aerial view, Freetown Court and Cotton Tree, Downtown Freetown, Sierra Leone National Stadium, Sierra Leone State House
Screenshot_20241121_235403_Instagram.jpg
Flag of FREETOWN CITY
Flag
Official seal of FREETOWN CITY
Seal
FREETOWN CITY is located in Sierra Leone
FREETOWN CITY
FREETOWN CITY
FREETOWN CITY is located in Africa
FREETOWN CITY
FREETOWN CITY
Coordinates: 8°29′4″N 13°14′4″W / 8.48444°N 13.23444°W / 8.48444; -13.23444
Country Sierra Leone
RegionWestern Area
DistrictWestern Area Urban District
FoundedMarch 11, 1792
Government
 • TypeCity council
 • MayorYvonne Aki-Sawyerr[1] (APC)
Area
[2]
81.48 km2 (31.46 sq mi)
Elevation
26 m (85 ft)
Population
 (2024 Census[3])
1,347,559
 • Density17,000/km2 (43,000/sq mi)
 • Metro
1,500,234
Time zoneUTC+00:00 (Greenwich Mean Time)
 • Summer (DST)(Not Observed)
Websitefcc.gov.sl

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 1,347,559 as of the 2024 census.[4]

The city's economy revolves largely around its harbour, which occupies a part of the estuary of the Sierra Leone River in one of the world's largest natural deep water harbours.

Although the city has traditionally been the homeland of the Sierra Leone Creole people, the population of Freetown is ethnically, culturally, and religiously diverse. The city is home to a significant population of all of Sierra Leone's ethnic groups, with no single ethnic group forming more than 27% of the city's population. As in virtually all parts of Sierra Leone, the Krio language of the Sierra Leone Creole people is Freetown's primary language of communication and is by far the most widely spoken language in the city.

The city of Freetown was founded on March 11, 1792, by 1,196 African Americans under the guidance of abolitionist Lieutenant John Clarkson on March 11, 1792, and the city became a settlement for free and freed African American, Afro-Caribbean and Liberated African slaves. Their descendants are known as the Creole people. Before the arrival of Europeans, the local Temne and Loko people were living in villages on the land near the area that later became known as Freetown.

Freetown is locally governed by a directly elected Freetown City Council, headed by a mayor, who also is directly elected; elections are held every four years. The mayor of Freetown is Yvonne Aki Sawyerr, who was sworn in on May 11, 2018, after her victory in the 2018 mayoral election; she was re-elected in 2022.[5]

The Freetown city council has its own municipal police force.[6]

  1. ^ "Sierra Leone capital Freetown elects female mayor, the first since 1980". africanews.com. March 21, 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  2. ^ "Western Area Urban (District in Sierra Leone)". citypopulation.de. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  3. ^ "2024 Population and Housing Census Key Figures Fact Sheet" (PDF). statistics.sl. Statistics Sierra Leone. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 2, 2017. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  4. ^ "2015 Population and Housing Census Key Figures Fact Sheet" (PDF). statistics.sl. Statistics Sierra Leone. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 2, 2017. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  5. ^ "Sierra Leone capital Freetown elects female mayor, the first since 1980". www.africanews.com. March 21, 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  6. ^ "In Sierra Leone, 140 Metropolitan Police Officers pass out". Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2013.