The Western Area Urban District is one of the 16

districts of Sierra Leone The provinces of Sierra Leone are divided into 16 districts, as of July 2017. Previously, the country was divided into 14 districts. The Western Area is divided into two districts. Sierra Leone's capital Freetown is located in the Western Area of ...

. It is by far the most populous district in the country with a population of 1,050,301 and is located in the

Western Area The Western Area or Freetown Peninsula (formerly the Colony of Sierra Leone) is one of five principal divisions of Sierra Leone. It comprises the oldest city and national capital Freetown and its surrounding towns and countryside. It covers an a ...

of the country. The Western Area Urban District exclusively comprises the entire city of

Freetown Freetown is the Capital city, 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, educ ...

, the national capital, and its divided into the East End of Freetown, Central Freetown and the West End of Freetown; which are in turns divided into

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

s and

constituencies An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...

within the City of Freetown.

Demographics

The district is the most ethnically diverse in Sierra Leone, as it is home to a significant population of all of Sierra Leone's ethnic groups. Like in virtually all parts of Sierra Leone, the

Krio language Sierra Leonean Creole or Krio is an English-based creole language that is lingua franca and de facto national language spoken throughout the West African nation of Sierra Leone. Krio is spoken by 96 percent of the country's population, and it uni ...

is by far the most widely spoken language in Freetown and is spoken by the entire residents of Western Area Urban District.

Government

The district is locally governed by a directly elected

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural coun ...

, known as the Freetown City Council, headed by a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

. Members of the Freetown city council and the mayor of Freetown, are directly elected every four years in a

municipal election In many parts of the world, local elections take place to select office-holders in local government, such as mayors and councillors. Elections to positions within a city or town are often known as "municipal elections". Their form and conduct vary ...

. The Freetown City Council is the largest of the six

municipal government A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

in Sierra Leone. In 2007, the Western Area Urban District gained nine seats in the

Parliament of Sierra Leone Parliament of Sierra Leone is the legislative branch of the government of Sierra Leone. It is principally responsible for making laws. The Sierra Leone parliament consists of 146 members, of which 132 members are directly elected from across Si ...

when district representation started to be measured by population.

Economy

The Western Area Urban District is the wealthiest in Sierra Leone, having the largest economy, financial and cultural center, as well as the seat of the country's central government. During the course of the

Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa The 2013–2016 epidemic of Ebola virus disease, centered in Western Africa, was the most widespread outbreak of the disease in history. It caused major loss of life and socioeconomic disruption in the region, mainly in Guinea, Liberia and S ...

, the Western Area Urban District was selected to trial a vaccine for the disease as it had been heavily affected by the outbreak.

Demographics

Government

Economy

Cities

Religion

References