KONO DISTRICT

Country   Sierra Leone   Capital   Koidu Town   Largest City   Koidu Town       Population   (2004 census)   335,401       Time Zone   GMT (UTC-5)

Kono District

Kono District is a district in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is Koidu Town, which is also the fourth largest city in Sierra Leone. The other major town in the district is Yengema and Tombodu. The population of Kono District was 335,401 in the 2004 census. Kono District borders Kenema District to the southwest, The Republic of Guinea to the east, Koinadugu District east and Kailahun District to the southeast.

Kono District is one of the most ethnically diverse District Sierra Leone. The district is primarily inhabited by the local Kono people, who make up the majority of the population.

Kono District has been called the "breadbasket" of Sierra Leone because of its economic importance. Every year the District produced hundreds of millions of U.S Dollars worth of diamonds and is home to the largest concentration of artisanal miners in the world. The diamonds from Kono District, since they were discovered in the 1930s, have accounted for more than 50% of the Gross National Product of Sierra Leone. Despite of this huge contribution to the Sierra Leone economy.

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.

Major Towns

1. Koidu Town: Capital and largest town
2. Yengema: 2nd largest town
3. Tombodu: 3rd largest town
4. Yamandu: 4th largest town

Economy

Kono District is the largest diamond producer in Sierra Leone. Other important economic activities include gold mining and agricultural production of rice, coffee 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 of Kono. The club is one of the oldest, biggest, and most popular soccer clubs in Sierra Leone. The club have won the Sierra Leonean FA Cup once, in 1992. Famous local soccer teams are Flamingo FC, Rangers FC, Cosmos FC & Farmers FC.

Towns and villages in Kono District

1. Motema
2. Njaiama
3. Simbakoro
4. Foindu
5. Tefeya
6. Jaiama-Nimokoro
7. Jaima-Sewafe
8. Kaima
9. Sewafe
10. Ndoyogbo
11. Nemeseidu
12. Kangama
13. Ngiehun
14. Peyima
15. Seidu
16. Njagbwema
17. Kamiendor

Popular culture

Kono District was the setting for much of Blood Diamond, an Academy Award-nominated film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Honsou.

Source

Kono District at the Sierra Leone Encyclopedia 2006 http://www.statehouse-sl.org/member-parliament.html http://www.mineralcommodities.com.au/mrc160606.php

Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/Kono_District