Western Area, Sierra Leone

Infobox City
official_name = Western Area
nickname = |
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1 =
subdivision_type2 = Capital
subdivision_name = Sierra Leone
subdivision_name1 =
subdivision_name2 = Freetown
leader_title =
leader_name =
population_as_of = 2004
population_metro =
population_total = 947,122
timezone = Greenwich Mean Time
utc_offset = -5
website =
The Western Area is one of four principal divisions of Sierra Leone. It comprises the national capital Freetown and its surrounding countryside. It covers an area of 557 km² and has a population of 947,122 (2004 census). Unlike the other three regions of Sierra Leone, the Western Area population is mainly in urban areas. The Western Area is the wealthiest region in Sierra Leone, having the largest economy, financial and cultural center, as well as the seat of the country's national government. It is divided into two districts
*Freetown Area Rural
*Freetown Area Urban

Freetown also serves as the administrative headquarters of both districts and the Western Area as a whole.

Borders

To the northeast, the Western Area borders the Northern Province, and to the southeast it borders the Southern Province. However, most of the boundaries of the Western Area is the shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean. The Western Area is the only region of Sierra Leone without a foreign border.

Cities and towns in the Western Area

*Freetown, the nation's capital and largest city
*Waterloo, second largest city in the Western Area and lies about 18 miles outside the east end of Freetown
*Goderich, an urbanist town just about 12 miles outside the West end of Freetown
*Leicester, an urban town in the extreme west of Sierra Leone and lies just about 23 miles outside the west end of Freetown
*Bunce Island, an island about 20 miles outside Freetown
*Hastings, an urban town just about 10 miles outside the west end of Freetown
*Koya, a small town in the extreme west of Sierra Leone