Kono District
Encyclopedia
Kono District is a district
Districts of Sierra Leone
||The provinces of Sierra Leone are divided into 14 districts. One traditional leader from each district occupies a seat in Sierra Leone's parliament...

 in the Eastern Province
Eastern Province, Sierra Leone
Eastern Province is one of the four provinces of Sierra Leone. It covers an area of 15,553 km² and has a population of 1,187,532...

 of Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...

. Its capital and largest city is Koidu Town. The other major towns in the district include Yengema
Yengema
Yengema is the second largest town in Kono District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone, lying about 18 miles west of Koidu Town , and about 264 miles east of Freetown. The major industry in Yengema is diamond mining. The town had a population of 3,621 in the 2004 census, with a 2007 estimate...

, Tombodu
Tombodu
Tombodu is a relatively small provencial town - the third largest town in Kono District in the Eastern Province, Sierra Leone. The town had a population of less than 3000 in the 2004 census . Tombodu was RUF stronghold during the Sierra Leone civil war. The majority of the residents in the town are...

, Motema
Motema
For the music label, see Motéma Music.Motema is an urban diamond-mining town in Kono District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. The town is located immediately outside Koidu Town, the largest city in Kono District. Motema has a population of 30,452 and lies about 245 miles east of Freetown...

, Jaiama-Nimokoro
Jaiama-Nimokoro
Jaiama-Nimokoro is a diamond-rich town in Kono District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. The town lies about 8 miles outside Koidu Town and 232 miles from Freetown. The towns of Jaiama and Nimokoro are twin to form Jaiama-Nimokoro. The population of Jaiama-Nimokoro is 5,150...

 and Sewafe
Sewafe
Sewafe is a diamond-mining town in Kono District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. The town is 30 miles west of Koidu Town and about 220 miles east of Freetown. The town of Sewafe currently has a population of 5,249 . The town has a government hospital and two police station run by the...

. Kono District is the largest diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...

 producer in Sierra Leone.

The population of Kono District is 349,976 http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=1301508282&men=gadm&lng=en&des=wg&geo=-3313&srt=npan&col=adhoq&msz=1500. Kono District borders Kenema District
Kenema District
Kenema District is a district in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is Kenema, which is also the third largest city in Sierra Leone. The other major towns in the district include Tongo and Blama. The district is the most populous district in the Eastern province with...

 to the southwest, The Republic of Guinea to the east, Koinadugu District
Koinadugu District
Koinadugu District Is a District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. It is by far the largest District in Sierra Leone in geographical area. Its capital and largest city is Kabala, which is also one of the main cities in Northern Sierra Leone...

 east and Kailahun District
Kailahun District
Kailahun District is a district in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is Kailahun. The other major towns in the district include Segbwema, Koindu, Pendembu and Daru. As of 2010, the district has a population of 395,957 ....

 to the southeast.
Kono District is one of the most ethnically diverse District in Sierra Leone.
Before the civil war, Kono District had a population well over 600,000 ; however, it experienced devastation during the Sierra Leone Civil War
Sierra Leone Civil War
The Sierra Leone Civil War began on 23 March 1991 when the Revolutionary United Front , with support from the special forces of Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia , intervened in Sierra Leone in an attempt to overthrow the Joseph Momoh government...

, which forced many of the residents out of the district. The district was heavily looted and constantly fought over due to the rich diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...

 reserves in the area.

Major towns=
  • Koidu Town,
  • Yengema
    Yengema
    Yengema is the second largest town in Kono District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone, lying about 18 miles west of Koidu Town , and about 264 miles east of Freetown. The major industry in Yengema is diamond mining. The town had a population of 3,621 in the 2004 census, with a 2007 estimate...

  • Tombodu
    Tombodu
    Tombodu is a relatively small provencial town - the third largest town in Kono District in the Eastern Province, Sierra Leone. The town had a population of less than 3000 in the 2004 census . Tombodu was RUF stronghold during the Sierra Leone civil war. The majority of the residents in the town are...

  • Yamandu
    Yamandu
    Yamandu is a town in the Kono District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. The population is predominantly from the Kono ethnic group. Population figures from past censuses are: 1963: 2,9101985: 4,1012004: under 3000-External links:...

  • Jaiama-Nimokoro
    Jaiama-Nimokoro
    Jaiama-Nimokoro is a diamond-rich town in Kono District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. The town lies about 8 miles outside Koidu Town and 232 miles from Freetown. The towns of Jaiama and Nimokoro are twin to form Jaiama-Nimokoro. The population of Jaiama-Nimokoro is 5,150...

  • Sewafe
    Sewafe
    Sewafe is a diamond-mining town in Kono District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. The town is 30 miles west of Koidu Town and about 220 miles east of Freetown. The town of Sewafe currently has a population of 5,249 . The town has a government hospital and two police station run by the...


Government
Kono District is governed with a District council form of government, which is headed by a District Council Chairman, who is responsible for the general management of the district and for seeing that all local laws are enforced. The District Council Chairman is elected directly by the residents of Kono District. The Kono District Council Hall located in the district capital Koidu Town, is the official Hall
Hall
In architecture, a hall is fundamentally a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age, a mead hall was such a simple building and was the residence of a lord and his retainers...

 where members of the Kono District Council meet. The current chairman of Kono district council is Finda Diana Konomani of the (All People's Congress
All People's Congress
The All People's Congress is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, the other is the Sierra Leone People's Party . The party was founded in 1960 by Pa Mucktarru Kallay, Allieu Badarr Koroma,Alhaji Sheik Gibril Sesay C A Kamara-Taylor, S A T Koroma and Abu Bakarr S Bangura...

) (APC) who was sworn-in on April 21, 2011 after winning the Kono District Council Bye-election http://www.cocorioko.net/?p=8926. Finda Diana Konomani innauguration at the Koidu Sport Stadium in Koidu Town was attended by president Ernest Bai Koroma
Ernest Bai Koroma
Ernest Bai Koroma is the fourth and current President of Sierra Leone. He was sworn in as President on 17 September 2007 at the State House in the capital Freetown, shortly after being declared the winner of a tense run-off in the 2007 Sierra Leone presidential election with 54.6% of the vote over...

 and vice president Alhaji Samuel Sam-Sumana
Samuel Sam-Sumana
Alhaji Sahr Samuel Sam-Sumana is a Sierra Leonean politician, and the current Vice President of Sierra Leone...

 http://www.freetowndailynews.com/sierra%20-%20Copy%20-%206%20-%20Copy.html. She succeeded Sahr John Yambasu of the All People's Congress
All People's Congress
The All People's Congress is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, the other is the Sierra Leone People's Party . The party was founded in 1960 by Pa Mucktarru Kallay, Allieu Badarr Koroma,Alhaji Sheik Gibril Sesay C A Kamara-Taylor, S A T Koroma and Abu Bakarr S Bangura...

 (APC) who resigned as Council Charman of Kono District to take over as Sierra Leone mbasaador to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

. http://www.health.sl/drwebsite/publish/page_79.shtml.

Seat in Parliament
Kono District has nine Representatives in the Sierra Leonean Parliament, of which eight members were elected for a 5-year term. Below is the list of Kono District Representatives Sierra Leonean Parliament:
NameParty
Komba Claudius Gbamanja
Komba Claudius Gbamanja
Komba Claudius Gbamanja is a Sierra Leonean politician from the opposition Sierra Leone People's Party, who is currently a member of parliament of Sierra Leone representing the Kono District. He is a member of the Kono ethnic group.-External links:...

SLPP
Sierra Leone People's Party
Sierra Leone People's Party is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, along with the All People's Congress .-Formation:...

Tamba Kaingbanja
Tamba Kaingbanja
Tamba E. Kaingbanja is a Sierra Leonean politician from the opposition Sierra Leone People's Party , currently a member of parliament of Sierra Leone representing the Kono District. Kaingbaja is from the Kono ethnic group.-External links:...

 
SLPP
Sierra Leone People's Party
Sierra Leone People's Party is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, along with the All People's Congress .-Formation:...

Komba Eric Koedoyoma
Komba Eric Koedoyoma
Komba Eric Koedoyoma is a Sierra Leonean politician with the Sierra Leone People's Party. Koedoyoma is currently a member of parliament representing his hometown of Kono District.-External links:* http://www.slpp.ws/browse.asp?page=426...

 
SLPP
Sierra Leone People's Party
Sierra Leone People's Party is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, along with the All People's Congress .-Formation:...

Sahr Matturi  SLPP
Sierra Leone People's Party
Sierra Leone People's Party is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, along with the All People's Congress .-Formation:...

Abdul Kai Foday  APC
All People's Congress
The All People's Congress is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, the other is the Sierra Leone People's Party . The party was founded in 1960 by Pa Mucktarru Kallay, Allieu Badarr Koroma,Alhaji Sheik Gibril Sesay C A Kamara-Taylor, S A T Koroma and Abu Bakarr S Bangura...

Augustine Bockarie
Augustine Bockarie
Augustine Bockarie is a Sierra Leonean politician from the opposition Sierra Leone People's Party , who is currently a member of parliament representing Kono District.-External links:*http://www.slpp.ws/browse.asp?page=426...

SLPP
Sierra Leone People's Party
Sierra Leone People's Party is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, along with the All People's Congress .-Formation:...

William Emmanuel Tommy APC
All People's Congress
The All People's Congress is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, the other is the Sierra Leone People's Party . The party was founded in 1960 by Pa Mucktarru Kallay, Allieu Badarr Koroma,Alhaji Sheik Gibril Sesay C A Kamara-Taylor, S A T Koroma and Abu Bakarr S Bangura...

Kai Thomas  APC
All People's Congress
The All People's Congress is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, the other is the Sierra Leone People's Party . The party was founded in 1960 by Pa Mucktarru Kallay, Allieu Badarr Koroma,Alhaji Sheik Gibril Sesay C A Kamara-Taylor, S A T Koroma and Abu Bakarr S Bangura...

P.C.
Paramount chief
A paramount chief is the highest-level traditional chief or political leader in a regional or local polity or country typically administered politically with a chief-based system. This definition is used occasionally in anthropological and archaeological theory to refer to the rulers of multiple...

 Abu Mbawa Kongobah
Abu Mbawa Kongobah
Paramount Chief Abu Mbawa Kongobah is a Sierra Leonean politician. He is a member of the Pan-African Parliament and the Paramount Chief from Kono District. In the Pan-African Parliament, he is in the Committee on Rural Economy, Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Environment.-References:...

Non


Economy


Kono District is the largest diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...

 producer in Sierra Leone. Other important economic activities include gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...

 mining and agricultural production of rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...

, coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...

 and cacao.

Education
Prominent Secondary Schools are:
Koidu secondary school, Koidu Girls secondary school, Ansarul Islamic Boys secondary school, Ansarul Islamic Girls secondary school, Islamic secondary school Koidu, Sierra Leone Muslim Brotherhood secondary school, Jaiama secondary school, Yengema secondary school, Kono Model Academy, Aziz secondary school Motema.
Sport
Kono is home to Sierra Leonean Premier League club the Diamond Stars
Diamond Stars
The Diamond Stars of Kono is a Sierra Leonean professional football Club based in Koidu Town, Kono District, Sierra Leone. The club represent the diamond-rich Kono District and is a member of the Sierra Leone National Premier League, the top football league in Sierra Leone. The club got the name...

 of Kono. The club is one of the oldest, biggest, and most popular soccer clubs in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...

. The club have won the Sierra Leonean FA Cup
Sierra Leonean FA Cup
Sierra Leone FA Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is the national knockout cup competition in Sierra Leone. It was established in 1967. The competition is run by the Sierra Leone Football Association...

 once, in 1992. Famous local soccer teams are Flamingo FC, Rangers FC, Cosmos FC & Farmers FC.
Towns and villages in Kono District

  • Motema
    Motema
    For the music label, see Motéma Music.Motema is an urban diamond-mining town in Kono District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. The town is located immediately outside Koidu Town, the largest city in Kono District. Motema has a population of 30,452 and lies about 245 miles east of Freetown...

  • Njaiama
  • Simbakoro
  • Foindu
    Foindu
    Foindu is a village in Kono District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. Virtually every home in the village was looted and burned during the Sierra Leone civil war....

  • Tefeya
  • Jaiama-Nimokoro
    Jaiama-Nimokoro
    Jaiama-Nimokoro is a diamond-rich town in Kono District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. The town lies about 8 miles outside Koidu Town and 232 miles from Freetown. The towns of Jaiama and Nimokoro are twin to form Jaiama-Nimokoro. The population of Jaiama-Nimokoro is 5,150...

  • Jaima-Sewafe
  • Kaima
    Kaima
    Kaima is a small rural town in Kono District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. The town lies about 15 miles to Yengema and 40 miles to Koidu Town. The population of Kaima is estimated at 2,217 ....

  • Sewafe
    Sewafe
    Sewafe is a diamond-mining town in Kono District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. The town is 30 miles west of Koidu Town and about 220 miles east of Freetown. The town of Sewafe currently has a population of 5,249 . The town has a government hospital and two police station run by the...

  • Ndoyogbo
  • Nemeseidu
  • Kangama
  • Ngiehun
  • Peyima
  • Seidu
  • Njagbwema
  • Kamiendor

Popular culture


Kono District was the setting for much of Blood Diamond
Blood Diamond (film)
Blood Diamond is a 2006 political thriller film co-produced and directed by Edward Zwick and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou...

, an Academy Award-nominated film starring Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is an American actor and film producer. He has received many awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Aviator , and has been nominated by the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television...

 and Djimon Honsou.

Notable people from Kono District
  • Samuel Sam-Sumana
    Samuel Sam-Sumana
    Alhaji Sahr Samuel Sam-Sumana is a Sierra Leonean politician, and the current Vice President of Sierra Leone...

    , current vice president of Sierra Leone
  • Johnny Paul Koroma
    Johnny Paul Koroma
    Johnny Paul Koroma was the Head of State of Sierra Leone from May 1997 to February 1998.-Youth and Education :Koroma grew up in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. However, he was born in Tombodu, Kono District, in eastern Sierra Leone to Limba parents. He is from the same ethnic group as...

    , former head of state
    Head of State
    A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...

     of Sierra Leone
  • Sia Koroma
    Sia Koroma
    Sia Nyama Koroma is a Sierra Leonean biochemist and psychiatric nurse. She is the wife of Sierra Leone's president Ernest Bai Koroma and the daughter of former Sierra Leone's attorney general Abu Aiah Koroma...

    , first lady of Sierra Leone
  • K-Man
    K-Man
    Mohamed Saccoh better known by his stage name K-Man is a Sierra Leonean rapper and one of the most famous musician from Sierra Leone. K-Man is known for his soft rap tone...

    , Sierra Leonean musician
  • Patrick Bantamoi
    Patrick Bantamoi
    Patrick Bantamoi is a Sierra Leonean footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Telstar in the Dutch second division and the Sierra Leonean national team....

    , football star
  • Sam Bockarie
    Sam Bockarie
    Samuel "Sam" "Mosquito" Bockarie was a leading member of the Revolutionary United Front in Sierra Leone. Bockarie was infamous during the Sierra Leone Civil War for his brutal tactics, which included amputation, mutilation, and rape. He earned the nickname "Mosquito" for his ability to attack...

    , former RUF
    Revolutionary United Front
    The Revolutionary United Front was a rebel army that fought a failed eleven-year war in Sierra Leone, starting in 1991 and ending in 2002. It later developed into a political party, which existed until 2007...

     leader
  • Solomon Musa
    Solomon Musa
    Solomon Anthony Joseph Musa, also known as SAJ Musa, was an important military and political figure in the Sierra Leone Civil War.-Overview:...

    , former vice chairman of the NPRC
  • Sidique Mansaray
    Sidique Mansaray
    Sidique Mansaray is a Sierra Leonean footballer, who currently plays as a striker for East End Lions in Sierra Leone National Premier League. He is also a regular member of the Leone Stars, Sierra Leone national football team...

    , football star
  • Komba Yomba
    Komba Yomba
    Komba Tawa Yomba widely known as Keeper Towa is a Sierra Leonean international football goalkeeper. He is the captain of the Diamond Stars in the Sierra Leone National Premier League. He is rated as one of the best Sierra Leonean goalkeepers of all time...

    , football star
  • Komba Mondeh
    Komba Mondeh
    Brigadier General Komba Mondeh Brigadier General Komba Mondeh Brigadier General Komba Mondeh (born on October 31, 1966 in Freetown, Sierra Leone] is a top ranking officer in the Sierra Leonean army. Mondeh was one of six young soldiers in the Sierra Leonean Army that ousted president Joseph Saidu...

    , a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Sierra Leonean army
  • Mohamed Dabundeh, football star
  • Francis Koroma
    Francis Koroma
    Francis Zapa Koroma is a former Sierra Leonean footballer. He played as a defender for the Leone Stars as well as the Diamond Stars in Sierra Leone and Allsvenskan in Sweden...

    , football star

Source
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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