Bonthe District

Infobox City
official_name = Bonthe District
nickname = |
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1 = Capital
subdivision_type2 = Province
subdivision_name = Sierra Leone
subdivision_name1 = Bonthe
subdivision_name2 = Southern Province
leader_title = Paramount Chief
leader_name = Margaret Thompson
population_as_of = 2004 census
population_metro =
population_total = 139,687
timezone = Greenwich Mean Time
utc_offset = -5
website =

Bonthe District is a district in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. It's capital and largest city is Bonthe. Other major towns in the district are Sherbro Island and Mattru. Bonthe District is the least most populous District in Sierra Leone with a population of 139,687 (2004 census. The District occupies a total area of 3,468 km² and comprises eleven chiefdoms.

The District of Bonthe borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Moyamba District to the northwest, Bo District to the southeast and Pujehun District to the south.

Demographics

Bonthe District is the least populated district in Sierra Leone, with an estimated population of 139,687 people (2004 census). The population of Bonthe District is predominantly by the Mende and Sherbro ethnic groups, each of these two ethnic group represent 40% of the population and 20% from other ethnic group.

Economy

The main economic activities include fishing, rice growing and palm oil plantations.Mattru is the main city, located 52 miles southwest of Bo, and conveniently along the Jong River, which provides access to Sherbro Island and the Atlantic Ocean.

Government

The District currently has nine Representatives in the Parliament of Sierra Leone, of which eight were elected for a 5-year term in the 2007 Sierra Leone General Elections. The district is a stronghold of the main opposition party the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). Below are the list of Representatives in the Sierra Leonean Parliament:

Effects of the Civil War

Bonthe district was first among the districts in the Southern Province to undertake voluntary resettlement of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in 1997 among all economic hardship and combatant activities. The District suffered mass exodus of IDP’s when Sierra Rutile Company (the largest foreign exchange earner, taxpayer and employer of mine workers) in Sierra Leone suffered damage and destruction when attacked by fighting forces in 1995, and during all phases of the war, resulting in the termination of operations. Many indigenes, however, believe that the resettlement and rehabilitation activities of IDP’s and restart of mining operations will help fast track the recovery process and complement government in consolidation of peace the and recovery drive

ee also

*Sierra Leone
*Sierra Leone Civil War

External links

*http://www.daco-sl.org/encyclopedia/7_lib/7_2c_be.htm
*http://www.mattrujong.org

Reference Sources

Parts of this article reproduced with permission from http://www.daco-sl.org