Kailahun

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Coordinates: 8°16′38″N 10°34′26″W / 8.27722, -10.57389
Kailahun, Sierra Leone
Location in Sierra Leone
Country	Sierra Leone
Province	Eastern Province
District	Kailahun District
Government
- Type	City Council
- Mayor	Augustine Kortu (SLPP)
Population (1985)
- Total	9,054
Time zone	GMT (UTC-5)

Kailahun is the capital and largest city of Kailahun District in Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. The city had a population 9,054 in the 1985 census, with current estimates varying up to around 80,000. It is the second largest city in the Eastern Province, after Kenema and Koidu Town and lies just over 215 miles east of the nation's capital Freetown. The Mende make up by far the largest ethnic group in the city. Like in virtualy all parts of Sierra Leone, the Krio language is widely spoken in the city of Kailahun.

1 Government
2 Ethnicity
3 Media
4 Sport

[edit] Government

Kailahun is governed with a city council form of government, which is headed by a mayor, in whom executive authority is vested. The mayor is responsible for the general management of the city and for seeing that all local and national laws are enforced. The mayor is elected directly by the residents of the city of Kailahun. The current chairman and mayor of the Kailahun city council is Augustine Kortu, who is a member of the opposition Sierra Leone People's Party. Kortu is from the minority Kissi ethnic group.

[edit] Ethnicity

The population of Kailahun is predominantly from the Mende. Minority ethnic groups with significant population are the Kissi, Kono, Sherbro and Vai.

[edit] Media

The local radio station in Kailahun is 101.5 FM. The Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service (SLBS) televesion and radio station, are on the air in Kailahun. BBC World Service, and several other international TV stations are on the air in the city, via satellite.

[edit] Sport

Like the rest of the country, football is by far the most popular sport in the city. The city has several clubs in the lower divisions of the Sierra Leone football league.

Coordinates: 8°16′38″N, 10°34′26″W