View source for Freetown

{{Short description|Capital and largest city of Sierra Leone}}
{{About|the capital and largest city in Sierra Leone}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
| other_name         = 
| name               = Freetown
| native_name        = Fritɔun
| native_name_lang   = kri
| nickname           = 
| settlement_type    = [[Capital city]] and [[municipality]]
| motto              = 
|image_skyline       = {{multiple image
 |border             = infobox
 |perrow             = 1/2/2
 |total_width        = 290
 |caption_align      = center
 |image1             = Freetown-aerialview.jpg
 |caption1           = Aerial view
 |image2             = Freetown_Court_1984.jpg
 |caption2           = Freetown Court and Cotton Tree
 |image3             = Freetown street (13992704238).jpg
 |caption3           = Downtown Freetown
 |image4             = Sierra Leone National Stadium.jpg
 |caption4           = [[National Stadium (Sierra Leone)|Sierra Leone National Stadium]]
 |image5             = Freetown 06 10 (13).jpg 
 |caption5           = [[State House, Sierra Leone|Sierra Leone State House]]
 }}
| image_flag         = Flag of Freetown, Sierra Leone.png
| flag_size          = 
| image_seal         = Coatofarms_freetown.png
| seal_size          = 100
| image_shield       = 
| shield_size        = 
| image_map          = 
| map_caption        = 
| pushpin_map        = Sierra Leone # Africa
| pushpin_map_caption = 
| pushpin_mapsize    = 300
| pushpin_relief     = 1
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{flag|Sierra Leone}}
| subdivision_type1  = Region
| subdivision_name1  = [[Western Area]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[Districts of Sierra Leone|District]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Western Area Urban District]]
| government_type    = [[City council]]
| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = [[Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.africanews.com/2018/03/21/sierra-leone-capital-freetown-elects-female-mayor-the-first-since-1980// |title=Sierra Leone capital Freetown elects female mayor, the first since 1980 |website=africanews.com |date=21 March 2018 |access-date=30 April 2018 |archive-date=1 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180501093103/http://www.africanews.com/2018/03/21/sierra-leone-capital-freetown-elects-female-mayor-the-first-since-1980// |url-status=live }}</ref> ([[All People's Congress|APC]])
| leader_title1      = Deputy Mayor
| leader_name1       = 
| established_title  = Founded
| established_date   = March 11, 1792
| established_title2 = 
| established_date2  = 
| unit_pref          = metric
| area_footnotes     = <ref>{{cite web |title=Western Area Urban (District in Sierra Leone) |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/php/sierraleone-admin.php?adm1id=42 |website=citypopulation.de |access-date=16 August 2017 |archive-date=16 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816191325/https://www.citypopulation.de/php/sierraleone-admin.php?adm1id=42 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| area_total_km2     = 82.48
| area_land_km2      = 
| area_water_km2     = 
| area_water_percent = 
| population_as_of   = 2024 Census<ref name="2024Census">{{cite web |title=2024 Population and Housing Census Key Figures Fact Sheet |url=https://www.statistics.sl/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/2015_census_fact-sheet.pdf |website=statistics.sl |publisher=Statistics Sierra Leone |access-date=16 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202001303/https://www.statistics.sl/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/2015_census_fact-sheet.pdf |archive-date=2 February 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| population_footnotes = 
| population_note    = 
| population_total   =  1,347,559
| population_density_km2 = 
| population_density_sq_mi = auto
| population_metro   = 1,500,234
| population_density_metro_km2 = 
| population_density_metro_sq_mi = 
| timezone           = [[Greenwich Mean Time|GMT]]
| utc_offset         = ±00:00
| coordinates        = {{coord|8|29|14|N|13|14|8|W|city_region:SL-W||display=inline,title}}
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 26
| blank_name         = [[Köppen climate classification|Climate]]
| blank_info         = [[Tropical monsoon climate|Am]]
| postal_code_type   = 
| postal_code        = 
| area_code          = 
| website            = {{URL|https://fcc.gov.sl/}}
}}

'''Freetown''' ({{langx|kri|Fritɔun}}) 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, educational and political centre, as it is the seat of the [[Government of Sierra Leone]]. The population of Freetown was 1,347,559 as of the 2024 census.<ref name="2015Census">{{cite web |title=2015 Population and Housing Census Key Figures Fact Sheet |url=https://www.statistics.sl/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/2015_census_fact-sheet.pdf |website=statistics.sl |publisher=Statistics Sierra Leone |access-date=16 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202001303/https://www.statistics.sl/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/2015_census_fact-sheet.pdf |archive-date=2 February 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The city's economy revolves largely around its [[harbour]], which occupies a part of the estuary of the [[Sierra Leone River]] in one of the world's largest natural deep water harbours.

Although the city has traditionally been the homeland of the [[Sierra Leone Creole people]], the population of Freetown is [[ethnically]], [[culturally]], and religiously diverse. The city is home to a significant population of all of Sierra Leone's [[Ethnic groups in Sierra Leone|ethnic group]]s, with no single ethnic group forming more than 27% of the city's population. As in virtually all parts of Sierra Leone, the [[Krio language]] of the [[Sierra Leone Creole people]] is Freetown's primary language of communication and is by far the most widely spoken language in the city.

The city of Freetown was founded on March 11, 1792, by 1,196 [[Nova Scotian Settlers|African Americans]] under the guidance of [[abolitionist]] [[John Clarkson (abolitionist)|Lieutenant John Clarkson]] at the foot of the [[Cotton Tree (Sierra Leone)|Cotton Tree]], and the city became a settlement for free and freed [[African American]], [[Afro-Caribbean]] and [[Liberated African]] slaves. Their descendants are known as the [[Sierra Leone Creole people|Creole people]]. Before the arrival of Europeans, the local [[Temne people|Temne]] and [[Loko people]] were living in villages on the land near the area that later became known as Freetown.

Freetown is locally governed by a [[directly elected]] [[Freetown City Council]], headed by a mayor, who also is directly elected; elections are held every four years. The mayor of Freetown is Yvonne Aki Sawyerr, who was sworn in on 11 May 2018, after her victory in the 2018 mayoral election; she was re-elected in 2022.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.africanews.com/2018/03/21/sierra-leone-capital-freetown-elects-female-mayor-the-first-since-1980// |title=Sierra Leone capital Freetown elects female mayor, the first since 1980 |website=www.africanews.com |date=21 March 2018 |access-date=30 April 2018 |archive-date=26 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426021214/http://www.africanews.com/2018/03/21/sierra-leone-capital-freetown-elects-female-mayor-the-first-since-1980/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Freetown [[city council]] has its own [[municipal police]] force.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.sl/drwebsite/exec/view.cgi?archive=6&num=15499&printer=1 |title=In Sierra Leone, 140 Metropolitan Police Officers pass out |publisher= |access-date=14 November 2013 |archive-date=10 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610222924/http://news.sl/drwebsite/exec/view.cgi?archive=6&num=15499&printer=1 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== History ==
{{For timeline}}

The area around the [[Sierra Leone estuary]] has been inhabited for millennia. The earliest known group in the area was the [[Bullom people]].{{sfn|Rodney|1970|p=42}} In the 1540s and 50s, the [[Mane people]] invaded the area and established their own chiefdoms, integrating into the local Bullom.{{sfn|Rodney|1970|p=47}} In January 1568, the English slave raider [[John Hawkins (naval commander)|John Hawkins]] helped the Mane king Flansire destroy Bonga, headquarters of the rebellious chief Falma. Bonga was a town of around 10 000 people located in the area that would become Freetown.{{sfn|Rodney|1970|p=53-4}}

=== Province of Freedom (1787–1789) ===
The area was settled in 1787 by 400 formerly [[Slavery|enslaved]] black people sent from London, England, under the auspices of the [[Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor]], an organisation set up by the English merchant and philanthropist, [[Jonas Hanway]], and the British abolitionist, [[Granville Sharp]].<ref>Roman Adrian Cybriwsky, ''Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture'', ABC-CLIO, USA, 2013, p. 109</ref> These black people were African Americans, Afro-Caribbeans, Africans, Southeast Asians, and black people born in Great Britain. They established the 'Province of Freedom' and the settlement of Granville Town on land purchased from local [[Koya Temne]] subchief King Tom and regent Naimbana.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last1=Trillo |first1=Richard |title=West Africa: The Rough Guide |last2=Hudgens |first2=Jim |date=November 1995 |publisher=The Rough Guides |isbn=978-1-85828-101-8 |edition=2nd |series=Rough Guides |location=London |pages=545–549 }}</ref> The British understood the purchase meant that their new settlers had the land "for ever." Although the established arrangement between Europeans and the Koya Temne included provisions for permanent settlement, some historians question how well the Koya leaders understood the agreement, as they had a different conception of the uses of property.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

Disputes soon broke out. King Tom's successor, King Jimmy, burnt the settlement to the ground in 1789. [[Alexander Falconbridge]] was sent to Sierra Leone in 1791 to collect the remaining Black Poor settlers, and they re-established Granville Town around the area now known as [[Cline Town|Cline Town, Sierra Leone]] near [[Fourah Bay]]. These 1787 settlers did not formally establish Freetown, even though the bicentennial of Freetown was celebrated in 1987; formally, Freetown was founded in 1792.<ref>Shaw, Rosalind, ''Memories of the Slave Trade: Ritual and the Historical Imagination in Sierra Leone.'' Reconstructed <!--?Explain--> by Mohamed Sheriff, Memphis, Tennessee, [[University of Chicago Press]] (2002), p.&nbsp;37.</ref>

=== Freetown settlement and the Colony of Sierra Leone (1792–1808) ===

In 1791, [[Thomas Peters (revolutionary)|Thomas Peters]], an African American who had served in the [[Black Pioneers]], went to England to report the grievances of the black population in [[Nova Scotia]]. Some of these African Americans were ex-slaves who had escaped to the British forces who had been given their freedom and resettled there by the Crown after the [[American Revolution]]. Land grants and assistance in starting the settlements had been intermittent and slow.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

During his visit, Peters met with the directors of the [[Sierra Leone Company]] and learned of proposals for a new settlement at Sierra Leone. Despite the collapse of the 1787 colony, the directors were eager to recruit settlers to Sierra Leone. [[Lieutenant John Clarkson, RN]], who was an abolitionist, was sent to Nova Scotia in [[British North America]] to register immigrants to take to Sierra Leone for a new settlement.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

Tired of the harsh weather and racial discrimination in Nova Scotia, more than 1,100 former American slaves chose to go to Sierra Leone.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}} They sailed in 15 ships and arrived in St. George Bay between 26 February – 9 March 1792.<ref>Britannica, [https://www.britannica.com/place/Freetown Freetown] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020063815/https://www.britannica.com/place/Freetown |date=20 October 2018 }}, britannica.com, USA, accessed on 24 June 2019</ref> Sixty-four settlers died en route to Sierra Leone, and Lieutenant Clarkson was among those taken ill during the voyage. Upon reaching Sierra Leone, Clarkson and some of the Nova Scotian 'captains' "dispatched on shore to clear or make roadway for their landing". The Nova Scotians were to build Freetown on the former site of the first Granville Town, where jungle had taken over since its destruction in 1789. Its surviving Old Settlers had relocated to Fourah Bay in 1791.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

At Freetown, the women remained in the ships while the men worked to clear the land. Lt. Clarkson told the men to clear the land until they reached a large cotton tree (''[[Ceiba pentandra]]''). After the work had been done and the land cleared, all the Nova Scotians, men and women, disembarked and marched towards the thick forest and to the cotton tree, and their preachers (all African Americans) began singing "Awake and Sing of Moses and the Lamb."{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

In March 1792, Nathaniel Gilbert, a white preacher, prayed and preached a sermon under the large [[Cotton Tree (Sierra Leone)|Cotton Tree]], and Reverend [[David George (Baptist)|David George]], from South Carolina, preached the first recorded [[Baptist]] service in Africa. The land was dedicated and christened 'Free Town,' as ordered by the Sierra Leone Company Directors. This was the first thanksgiving service.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

John Clarkson was sworn in as first governor of Sierra Leone.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Institution |first=Smithsonian |title=Governor John Clarkson's diary and the origins of Sierra Leone {{!}} Smithsonian Institution |url=https://www.si.edu/object/siris_sil_788517 |access-date=9 February 2025 |website=Smithsonian Institution |language=en }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kup |first=A. P. |date=1972 |title=John Clarkson and the Sierra Leone Company |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/217514 |journal=The International Journal of African Historical Studies |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=203–220 |doi=10.2307/217514 |jstor=217514 |issn=0361-7882 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=20 March 2023 |access-date=9 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230320012259/https://www.jstor.org/stable/217514 |url-status=live }}</ref> Small huts were erected before the rainy season. The Sierra Leone Company surveyors and the settlers built Freetown on the American grid pattern, with parallel streets and wide roads, with the largest being Water Street. On 24 August 1792, the Black Poor or Old Settlers of the second Granville Town were incorporated into the new Sierra Leone Colony, but remained at Granville Town.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

In 1793, the settlers sent a petition to the Sierra Leone Company expressing concerns about the treatment that they were enduring.<ref>Settlers' Petition, # 19, page. 35, Our Children Free and Happy</ref> The settlers in particular objected to being issued currency that was only redeemable at a company owned store. They also claimed that the governor, a Mr. Dawes, ruled in an almost tyrannical fashion, favoring certain people over others when ruling the settlement. The writers then argued that they had not received the amount of land that Lt. Clarkson had promised them on leaving Nova Scotia. The letter expressed anxiety that the company was not treating them as freemen, but as slaves and requested that Lt. Clarkson return as governor.

Freetown survived being pillaged by the French in 1794, and was rebuilt by the settlers. By 1798, Freetown had between 300 and 400 houses with architecture resembling that of the United States – stone foundations with wooden superstructures. Eventually this style of housing, built by the Nova Scotians, would be the model for the 'bod oses' of their [[Sierra Leone Creole people|Creole]] descendants.

In 1800, the Nova Scotians rebelled. The colonial authorities used the arrival of about 550 [[Jamaican Maroons]] to suppress the insurrection. Thirty-four Nova Scotians were banished and sent to either the [[Sherbro Island|Sherbro]] or a penal colony at Gore. Some of the Nova Scotians were eventually allowed back into Freetown. After the Maroons captured the Nova Scotian rebels, they were granted their land. Eventually the Maroons had their own district, which came to be known as [[Maroon Town, Sierra Leone|Maroon Town]].

=== Freetown as a Crown Colony (1808–1961) ===
[[File:A view of Freetown, 1803.jpg|thumb|Freetown in 1803]]

[[Temne people|Themne people]] attacked the colony in 1801 and were repulsed. The British eventually took control of Freetown, making it a [[Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate|Crown Colony]] in 1808. This act accompanied expansion that led to the creation of Sierra Leone.

From 1808 to 1874, the city served as the capital of [[British West Africa]]. It also served as the base for the [[Royal Navy]]'s [[West Africa Squadron]], which was charged with enforcing the ban on the slave trade. When the squadron liberated slaves on trading ships, they brought most to Sierra Leone, and Freetown in particular; thus, the population grew to include descendants of many different peoples from all over the west coast of Africa. The British also situated three of their [[Mixed Commission Court]]s in Freetown.<ref name=Adderley>{{cite book |last1=Adderley |first1=Rosanne Marion |title="New negroes from Africa" slave trade abolition and free African settlement in the nineteenth-century Caribbean |date=2006 |publisher=Indiana University Press |location=Bloomington |isbn=978-0-253-21827-8}}<!--|access-date=September 6, 2014--></ref>

[[File:Freetown, Sierra Leone ca 1856.jpg|thumb|Freetown in 1856]]
The liberated Africans established the suburbs of Freetown Peninsula. They were the largest group of immigrants to make up the Creole people of Freetown. The city expanded rapidly. The freed slaves were joined by West Indian and African soldiers, who had fought for Britain in the [[Napoleonic Wars]] and settled here afterwards. Descendants of the freed slaves who settled in Sierra Leone between 1787 and around 1885, are called the [[Sierra Leone Creole people|Creoles]]. The Creoles play a leading role in the city, although they are a minority of the overall Sierra Leone population.

In the 1890s, ethnic tension flared between [[Lebanese people|Lebanese]] residents and traders and the various native ethnicities of Sierra Leone, which led to Lebanese shops being destroyed in cities<ref name=":0" /> including Freetown.

During World War I Freetown became a base for operations of British forces in the Atlantic. Warships came into the port to resupply and German merchant vessels captured in the region were also sent there.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://livelb.nationalarchives.gov.uk/first-world-war/a-global-view/africa/sierra-leone/ |title=The National Archives - Homepage |first=The National |last=Archives |access-date=22 April 2018 |archive-date=24 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024020856/http://livelb.nationalarchives.gov.uk/first-world-war/a-global-view/africa/sierra-leone/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

During [[World War II]], Britain maintained a naval base at Freetown. The base was a staging post for [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] traffic in the South Atlantic and the assembly point for [[SL convoys]] to Britain. An [[RAF]] base was maintained at nearby [[Lungi International Airport|Lungi airfield]]. British fighter aircraft which were shipped into Freetown port, were carried on the [[Sierra Leone Government Railway]] to Makeni to be assembled and flown to Egypt.

=== Civil war, 1990s to early 2000s ===
{{Main|Siege of Freetown}}
The city was the scene of fierce fighting in the late 1990s during the [[Sierra Leone Civil War]]. It was captured by [[Economic Community of West African States|ECOWAS]] troops seeking to restore President [[Ahmad Tejan Kabbah]] in 1998. Later it was unsuccessfully attacked by rebels of the [[Revolutionary United Front]].

===Mudslide disaster, 2017===
{{main|2017 Sierra Leone mudslides}}
In the early morning on 14 August 2017, after much heavy rain, part of Mount Sugar Loaf on an edge of Freetown collapsed in a huge mudslide which drowned over 300 people in Regent town. [[Deforestation]] has been blamed for the landslide.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/08/14/sierra-leone-landslide-hundreds-feared-buried-houses-submerged/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/08/14/sierra-leone-landslide-hundreds-feared-buried-houses-submerged/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Sierra Leone landslide: More than 300 killed as roads turn into 'churning rivers of mud' |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=14 August 2017 |access-date=21 August 2017 |last1=Boyle |first1=Danny}}{{cbignore }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ft.com/content/665dd272-8100-11e7-94e2-c5b903247afd |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/665dd272-8100-11e7-94e2-c5b903247afd |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |title=Hundreds killed in Sierra Leone mudslide |website=Financial Times |date=15 August 2017 |access-date=21 August 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/08/sierra-leone-mudslide-170816053741558.html |title=Sierra Leone mudslide: What, where and why? |website=Aljazeera |access-date=21 August 2017 |archive-date=20 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820230405/http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/08/sierra-leone-mudslide-170816053741558.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Sierra Leone fuel tanker explosion, 2021===
{{main|2021 Sierra Leone fuel tanker explosion}}
On 5 November 2021, a fuel tank truck collided with another truck in Freetown, resulting in an explosion killing at least 99 and injuring around 100.

== Geography ==

{{multiple image
|align = center
|total_width = 765
|image1 =Freetown SPOT 1094.jpg
|caption1 = Satellite picture of Freetown, 2006
|image3 = Freetown overview map.svg
|caption3 = A map of central Freetown
|image4 = Sierra Leone Freetown location map.png
|caption4 = A map showing the broader area of the Freetown Municipality
}}
Freetown borders the Atlantic Ocean and the [[Western Area Rural District]]. Freetown municipality is politically divided into three regions: East End, Central and West End of Freetown. The wards in the East End of Freetown (East I, East II, and East III) contain the city's largest population centre and generally the poorest part of the city. The [[Queen Elizabeth II Quay]] is located within East End. The [[Lion Mountains]] sit southeast to Freetown.

The two central wards (Central I and Central II) make up Central Freetown, which includes Downtown Freetown and the central business district (Central II). Most of the tallest and most important national government building and foreign embassies are based in Central Freetown.

Sierra Leone's [[Sierra Leone House of Parliament|House of Parliament]] and the [[State House (Sierra Leone)|State House]], the principal workplace of the [[president of Sierra Leone]], are on [[Tower Hill (Sierra Leone)|Tower Hill]] in central Freetown. The [[National Stadium (Sierra Leone)|National Stadium]], the home stadium of the [[Sierra Leone national football team]] (popularly known as the [[Leone Stars]]) is in the Brookfield neighborhood.

The three westernmost wards (West I, West II, and West III) of the city constitute the West End of Freetown. These wards are relatively affluent. Most of the city's luxury hotels, a number of casinos, and Lumley Beach are in the west end of the city. The West End neighbourhood of Hill Station is home to the [[State Lodge]], the official residence of the president of Sierra Leone.

== Climate ==

Like the rest of Sierra Leone, Freetown has a [[tropical climate]] with a [[rainy season]] from May through November; the balance of the year represents the [[dry season]]. The beginning and end of the rainy season is marked by strong [[thunderstorms]]. Under the [[Köppen climate classification]], Freetown has a [[tropical monsoon climate]] (''Am'') primarily due to the heavy amount of precipitation it receives during the rainy season.

Freetown's high [[humidity]] is somewhat relieved December through February by the famous [[Harmattan]], a wind blowing from the [[Sahara Desert]], affording Freetown its coolest period of the year. Temperature extremes recorded in Freetown are from {{convert|15|C}} to {{convert|38|C}} all year. The average annual temperature is around {{convert|28|C|}}.
{{Weather box
|width = auto
|location = Freetown, Sierra Leone (1961–1990, extremes 1947–1990)
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|Jan record high C = 36.0
|Feb record high C = 38.0
|Mar record high C = 38.0
|Apr record high C = 38.5
|May record high C = 35.0
|Jun record high C = 35.0
|Jul record high C = 33.0
|Aug record high C = 32.0
|Sep record high C = 31.0
|Oct record high C = 35.0
|Nov record high C = 36.5
|Dec record high C = 33.5
|year record high C = 38.5
|Jan high C = 29.9
|Feb high C = 30.3
|Mar high C = 30.9
|Apr high C = 31.2
|May high C = 30.9
|Jun high C = 30.1
|Jul high C = 28.7
|Aug high C = 28.4
|Sep high C = 29.0
|Oct high C = 29.9
|Nov high C = 30.1
|Dec high C = 29.7
|year high C = 
|Jan mean C = 27.3
|Feb mean C = 27.6
|Mar mean C = 28.1
|Apr mean C = 28.5
|May mean C = 28.3
|Jun mean C = 27.4
|Jul mean C = 26.3
|Aug mean C = 25.9
|Sep mean C = 26.4
|Oct mean C = 27.1
|Nov mean C = 27.7
|Dec mean C = 27.5
|year mean C = 
|Jan low C = 23.8
|Feb low C = 24.0
|Mar low C = 24.4
|Apr low C = 24.8
|May low C = 24.4
|Jun low C = 23.6
|Jul low C = 23.1
|Aug low C = 23.0
|Sep low C = 23.1
|Oct low C = 23.4
|Nov low C = 24.0
|Dec low C = 24.1
|year low C = 
|Jan record low C = 15.0
|Feb record low C = 17.8
|Mar record low C = 19.4
|Apr record low C = 20.0
|May record low C = 20.6
|Jun record low C = 20.0
|Jul record low C = 19.4
|Aug record low C = 19.4
|Sep record low C = 20.0
|Oct record low C = 19.4
|Nov record low C = 20.0
|Dec record low C = 15.6
|year record low C = 
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 8.0
|Feb rain mm = 6.0
|Mar rain mm = 28.0
|Apr rain mm = 68.0
|May rain mm = 214.0
|Jun rain mm = 522.0
|Jul rain mm = 1190.0
|Aug rain mm = 1078.0
|Sep rain mm = 800.0
|Oct rain mm = 333.0
|Nov rain mm = 148.0
|Dec rain mm = 38.0
|Jan rain days = 0
|Feb rain days = 0
|Mar rain days = 1
|Apr rain days = 4
|May rain days = 15
|Jun rain days = 22
|Jul rain days = 27
|Aug rain days = 27
|Sep rain days = 24
|Oct rain days = 21
|Nov rain days = 9
|Dec rain days = 2
|year rain days = 
|Jan humidity = 66
|Feb humidity = 67
|Mar humidity = 67
|Apr humidity = 68
|May humidity = 73
|Jun humidity = 76
|Jul humidity = 81
|Aug humidity = 82
|Sep humidity = 80
|Oct humidity = 78
|Nov humidity = 76
|Dec humidity = 69
|year humidity = 
|Jan sun = 226.3
|Feb sun = 215.6
|Mar sun = 232.5
|Apr sun = 207.0
|May sun = 189.1
|Jun sun = 153.0
|Jul sun = 102.3
|Aug sun = 86.8
|Sep sun = 126.0
|Oct sun = 186.0
|Nov sun = 198.0
|Dec sun = 161.2
|year sun = 
|source = NOAA,<ref name= NOAA>{{cite web |url=ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/SL/61856.TXT |title=Freetown Climate Normals 1961–1990 |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240523003741/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/SL/61856.TXT |archive-date=23 May 2024 |url-status=dead |access-date=7 February 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.weather.gov.hk/wxinfo/climat/world/eng/africa/w_afr/freetown_e.htm |title=Climatological Information for Freetown, Sierra Leone |publisher=[[Hong Kong Observatory]] |access-date=25 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021124020507/http://www.weather.gov.hk/wxinfo/climat/world/eng/africa/w_afr/freetown_e.htm |archive-date=24 November 2002 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Deutscher Wetterdienst]] (extremes),<ref name = DWD>{{cite web |url=http://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_618560_kt.pdf |title=Klimatafel von Freetown-Lunghi (Flugh.) / Sierra Leone |work=Baseline climate means (1961–1990) from stations all over the world |publisher=Deutscher Wetterdienst |language=de |access-date=7 February 2016 |archive-date=15 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915101644/https://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_618560_kt.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
|source 2 = Worldwide Bioclimatic Classification System<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.globalbioclimatics.org/station/si-freet.htm |title=Sierra Leone - Freetown |publisher=Worldwide Bioclimatic Classification System |access-date=24 July 2021 |archive-date=16 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016035049/https://globalbioclimatics.org/station/si-freet.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}

== Demographics ==
{{Further|Religion in Sierra Leone|Languages of Sierra Leone}}
Freetown is home to a large population of both Muslims and Christians, though Muslims make up the majority of the population. In the youth populations of both faiths can be found a significant [[Progressivism|liberal]] influence. Like the rest of Sierra Leone, Freetown is a religiously tolerant city, with Muslims and Christians living side by side peacefully.

As in many parts of Sierra Leone, the [[Krio language]] (the English-based creole language of the [[Sierra Leone Creole people]] who make up 5% of the country's population) is by far the most widely spoken language in the city. The language is spoken at home as a [[first language]] by over 20% of the city's population and is spoken as a [[lingua franca]] by a large number of the population in the city. English (the country's official language) is also widely spoken, particularly by the well-educated. [[Temne language|Themne]] is the second most spoken language in Freetown after Krio. The [[Temne people|Themne people]] also make up the largest members of the population of Freetown and the Western Area Region.

{{Historical populations
| 1974 | 276,247
| 1985 | 469,776
| 2004 | 772,873
| 2015 | 1,055,964
| 2024 | 1,347,559
| align = none
| footnote = source:<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/sierraleone/cities/ |title=Sierra Leone: Provinces, Districts, Major Cities & Urban Localities - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information |website=www.citypopulation.de |access-date=25 December 2020 |archive-date=16 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201016080933/https://www.citypopulation.de/en/sierraleone/cities/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}

== Government ==
The city of Freetown is one of Sierra Leone's six municipalities and is governed by a [[directly elected]] [[city council]], headed by a mayor, in whom [[executive authority]] is vested. The current mayor is [[Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr]]. The mayor is responsible for the general management of the city. The mayor and members of the Freetown City Council are elected directly by the residents of Freetown every four years.

The government of the Freetown Municipality has been dominated by [[All People's Congress]] (APC) since 2004. Since 2004, the residents of Freetown have voted in municipal elections for members of the All People's Congress (APC) by an overwhelming majority. The APC won the city's mayorship and vast majority seats in the Freetown city council in the 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2018 local elections by more than 67% each.

In Presidential elections Freetown is considered a swing city, as it has a large support base of both the All People's Congress and the [[Sierra Leone People's Party]]. However, the APC has won majority percent of the votes in Freetown in the 2007, 2012 and 2018 Sierra Leone Presidential election, including The APC winning more than 65% of the votes in Freetown in both The 2012 and 2018 Sierra Leone Presidential elections. The APC presidential candidate [[Ernest Bai Koroma]] received 69% of the votes in Freetown in the 2012 Sierra Leone Presidential election; compared to the SLPP presidential candidate [[Julius Maada Bio]] who received 30%. In the 2018 Sierra Leone Presidential election, The APC presidential candidate [[Samura Kamara]] received 65% compared to the SLPP presidential candidate Julius Maada Bio who received 34%, though Maada Bio won the presidential election nationally.

In November 2011, Freetown Mayor [[Herbert George-Williams]] was removed from office and replaced by council member Alhaji Gibril Kanu as acting mayor. Mayor Herbert George-Williams and eight others, including the Chief Administrator of the Freetown city council Bowenson Fredrick Philips; and the Freetown city council Treasurer Sylvester Momoh Konnehi, were arrested and indicted by the [[Sierra Leone Anti-corruption Commission]] on twenty-five counts on [[graft (politics)|graft]] charges, ranging from [[Conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]] to commit corruption to misappropriation of [[public funds]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7AS0AR20111129 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111203083439/http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7AS0AR20111129 |archive-date=3 December 2011 |title=Sierra Leone indicts Freetown mayor for graft |work=Reuters |last=Akam |first=Simon |date=29 November 2011 |access-date=19 August 2022 }}</ref> Mayor [[Herbert George-Williams]] was acquitted of seventeen of the nineteen charges against him. He was convicted of two less serious charges by the Freetown [[High Court]] judge Jon Bosco Katutsi and sentenced to pay a [[fine (penalty)|fine]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thepatrioticvanguard.com/spip.php?article6638 |title=Freetown: Mayor, Five Others Sentenced |work=The Patriotic Vanguard |date=15 August 2012 |access-date=19 August 2022 |archive-date=2 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602063450/http://www.thepatrioticvanguard.com/spip.php?article6638 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201208170197.html |title=Sierra Leone: Mayor, Others to Pay Le455 Million or Risk Three-Year Jail |work=All Africa |last=Kamara |first=Patrick J. |date=16 August 2012 |access-date=19 August 2022 |archive-date=16 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016171846/http://allafrica.com/stories/201208170197.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Acting Mayor Kanu lost the APC nomination for the mayor of Freetown in the 2012 Mayoral elections by 56 votes; council member Sam Franklyn Bode Gibson won 106 in a landslide victory.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cocorioko.net/?p=36480 |title=Councillor Bode Gibson Wins The Freetown APC Mayoral Candidate Contest |work=Cocorioko |access-date=6 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110034409/http://www.cocorioko.net/?p=36480 |archive-date=10 November 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://bintumani.forumchitchat.com/post/Acting-Mayor-Blast-Krio-Tribalism-in-Freetown-City-Council-5975300 |title=Acting Mayor Blast Krio Tribalism in Freetown City Council |website=bintumani.forumchitchat.com |access-date=25 December 2020 |archive-date=7 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807062950/http://bintumani.forumchitchat.com/post/Acting-Mayor-Blast-Krio-Tribalism-in-Freetown-City-Council-5975300 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the national presidential and parliamentary elections, Freetown is similar to [[swing states]] in [[American politics]]. As the city is so [[ethnically]] diverse, no single ethnic group forms a majority of the population of the city. Historically, the APC and the SLPP, two of the country's major political parties, have had about equal support in the city. In the 2007 Sierra Leone Presidential election, the APC candidate and then main opposition leader, [[Ernest Bai Koroma]], won just over 60% of the votes in the [[Western Area Urban District]], including the city of Freetown, where almost the entire District population reside.

== Culture ==
The city has the [[Sierra Leone National Museum]] and [[Sierra Leone National Railway Museum]]. There are also various historical landmarks connected to its founding by [[African Americans]], [[Liberated African]]s, and [[Afro-Caribbean]]s whose descendants are the [[Sierra Leone Creole]] people.<ref name=Thayer>{{cite journal |last=Thayer |first=James Steel |year=1991 |title=A Dissenting View of Creole Culture in Sierra Leone |journal=Cahiers d'Études Africaines |volume=31 |issue=121 |pages=215–230 |doi=10.3406/cea.1991.2116 |url=https://www.persee.fr/doc/cea_0008-0055_1991_num_31_121_2116 |archive-date=10 August 2021 |access-date=20 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810180838/https://www.persee.fr/doc/cea_0008-0055_1991_num_31_121_2116 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Browne-Davies>{{cite journal |last=Browne-Davies |first=Nigel |date=2014 |title=A Precis of Sources relating to genealogical research on the Sierra Leone Krio people |journal=Journal of Sierra Leone Studies |volume=3 |issue=1 |url=https://www.academia.edu/40720522 |archive-date=15 April 2022 |access-date=20 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220415013754/https://www.academia.edu/40720522 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Walker>{{cite book |last=Walker |first=James W |year=1992 |chapter=Chapter Five: Foundation of Sierra Leone |title=The Black Loyalists: The Search for a Promised Land in Nova Scotia and Sierra Leone, 1783–1870 |location=Toronto |publisher=University of Toronto Press |pages=[https://archive.org/details/blackloyalistsse0000walk/page/94 94]–114 |url=https://archive.org/details/blackloyalistsse0000walk |url-access=registration |isbn=978-0-8020-7402-7}}, originally published by Longman & Dalhousie University Press (1976).</ref><ref name="Taylor">{{cite book |last=Taylor |first=Bankole Kamara |title=Sierra Leone: The Land, Its People and History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I__jAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA68 |date=February 2014 |publisher=New Africa Press |isbn=9789987160389 |page=68 }}</ref> The Cotton Tree represents the christening of Freetown in March 1792. In downtown Freetown is the [[Connaught Hospital]], the first hospital constructed in West Africa that incorporated Western medical practices.

Freetown has a long-held tradition of organized cultural events taking place on specific dates to coincide with specific holidays or seasons within the calendar year. One such event is the Eastern Paddle Hunting Society's annual exhibition of a highly sophisticated masquerade, consisting of a costume built, in a fashionable sense, of various materials available: leather, sequins, sea shells, traditional cloths, etc. The masquerade, known as "Paddle", strategically takes to the streets of the eastern and central parts of the city, followed by members of the Eastern Paddle Hunting Society, traditional musical bands and a crowd of supporters. For years this event coincided with the Muslim holiday of [[Eid al-Adha]] until recently, as critics said such an event should not be held on the same day as Muslims celebrate Eid, as Islam is against the practices of secret societies and masquerades.

The "Tangays" Festival is usually held in November, with a traditional theme that involves virtually every aspect of Sierra Leonean culture. It takes place at the National Stadium. Towards the end of the festival, a couple of musical concerts are usually held in the main bowl of the stadium, with performances from local and international musical artists (especially contemporary artists from Nigeria and other African countries or the African diaspora).

Freetown has its own tradition of Christmas street parades, organised in neighbourhoods across the city. The month-long celebration gathers residents in the streets with a variety of [[Sierra Leonean cuisine|food]] and [[Music of Sierra Leone|traditional music]].

The Lantan (Lantern) Festival takes place on the last day of Ramadan each year. After a long month of fasting, participants spend the day at home eating, praying, and later head out to clubs to celebrate. That night, communities gather to showcase elaborate lantans. A designated area in the capital, Freetown, serves as the judging point, where the judges (an organization known as the YMMA) evaluate the lantans at two key locations. Each lantan is mounted on a wheeled iron chassis and hauled through the city by lantan clubs, often moving to the beat of classic Sierra Leonean tunes and instrumentals played by club members. The lantans are large and intricate, sometimes built in the form of animals, humans, mythical beings, and warships, stretching twenty feet long and up to ten feet high, providing a platform for social commentary by incorporating cultural themes and representing political themes relevant to Freetown’s history with colonialism.  <ref>Basu, Paul, and Johanna Zetterstrom-Sharp. "Complicating Culture for Development: Negotiating ‘Dysfunctional Heritage'in Sierra Leone." ''Museums, heritage and international development''. Routledge, 2014. 56-82.</ref>

As the lantans move through the city, they are lit from within electric bulbs powered by generators, creating a glowing spectacle. Onlookers would fill the city, leaving no bar, allet, or street corner empty. Club members, dressed in matching aswebi (family attire), dancing and singing along to the music filling the streets. Judges assess by the coordination of the group and the creativity of the aswebi, but mainly the lantan’s design.<ref>Oram, Jennifer Lesley. ''Freetown'lantans': tradition, art and performance in Sierra Leone, 1895-1997''. Diss. University of London 2007., 2007.</ref>

==Tourism==
Freetown's tourism sector is an integral part of the city. Although the sector was seriously affected during the [[Sierra Leone Civil War|Civil War]], there has been a steady improvement in recent years. The city has a lot to offer to tourists.<ref>Sylvester Gasopan Goba (August 2014) [https://www.theigc.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Sylvester-Gasopan-Goba-Sierra-Leone-GW2012.pdf Sierra Leone Tourism: sector overview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118001455/https://www.theigc.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Sylvester-Gasopan-Goba-Sierra-Leone-GW2012.pdf |date=18 November 2021 }}. [[International Growth Centre]]. [https://www.theigc.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Sylvester-Gasopan-Goba-Sierra-Leone-GW2012.pdf Archived] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118001455/https://www.theigc.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Sylvester-Gasopan-Goba-Sierra-Leone-GW2012.pdf |date=18 November 2021 }}. Retrieved 18 November 2021.</ref> There is a vast expanse of white sand beaches stretching along the Freetown Peninsula. The Lumley-Aberdeen beach stretches all the way from Cape Sierra Leone down to Lumley. There are also other popular beaches like the world renowned River Number 2 Beach, Laka Beach, Tokeh Beach, Bureh Beach, and Mama Beach. The Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, which is located within the peninsula's vast rainforest reserve, just a few miles from the centre of Freetown, has a collection of rare and endangered chimpanzees. Other popular destinations for tourists include the Freetown Cotton Tree, located in Central Freetown, a significant national monument and integral to the founding of the city; Bunce Island, which is a boat ride from the city, is home to the ruins of the slave fortress that was being used during the Transatlantic slave trade; the Sierra Leone Museum, which has a collection of both precolonial as well as colonial artifacts and other items of historical significance; the National Railway Museum; and a journey around the city's coastline with the popular Seacoach Express.

The Aberdeen-Lumley area is a favourite destination for those venturing into the city's nightlife. There are nightclubs, restaurants and hotels located close by the beach along the road linking Aberdeen and Lumley.

== Architecture ==

Nearby is the [[King's Yard]] Gate built in stone with a statement inscribed which reads "any slave who passes through this gate is declared a free man", and it was this gate through which liberated Africans passed. Down by the Naval Wharf are slave steps carved out of stone. Before Freetown was established, this was where the Portuguese slave traders transported Africans as slaves to ships.

Freetown is home to [[Fourah Bay College]], the oldest university in West Africa, founded in 1827. The university played a key role in Sierra Leone's colonial history. The college's first student, [[Samuel Ajayi Crowther]], went on to be named as the first indigenous Bishop of West Africa. National Railway Museum has a coach car built for the state visit of [[Elizabeth II]] in 1961. The Big Market on Wallace Johnson Street is the showcase for local artisans' work.

The Freetown peninsula is ringed by long stretches of white sand. Lumley Beach, on the western side of the peninsula, is a popular location for local parties and festivals.

== Places of worship ==
Among the [[places of worship]], Christian churches predominate and the remaining religious institutions are predominantly [[Islam|Muslim]] mosques.<ref>Britannica,
[https://www.britannica.com/place/Sierra-Leone Sierra-Leone] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200913065402/https://www.britannica.com/place/Sierra-Leone |date=13 September 2020 }}, britannica.com, USA, accessed on 7 July 2019</ref> Among the [[Christianity|Christian]] churches and temples: [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Freetown]] ([[Catholic Church]]), [[United Methodist Church in Sierra Leone]] ([[World Methodist Council]]), [[Baptist Convention of Sierra Leone]] ([[Baptist World Alliance]]), [[Assemblies of God]], and [[St. George's Cathedral, Freetown|St. George's Cathedral (Anglican)]] which opened in 1828.

== Economy ==
[[File:Freetown street (13992704238).jpg|thumb|A local market street in Central Freetown]]

Freetown is the economic and financial centre of Sierra Leone. The country's state television and radio station, the [[Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation]], is primarily based in Freetown. The other national broadcasters, such as AYV (African Young Voices) and [[Capital Radio Sierra Leone|Capital Radio]], are also based in Freetown. Many of the national headquarters of the country's largest corporations, as well as the majority of international companies, are located in Freetown - predominately in Central Freetown.

The city's economy revolves largely around its [[natural harbour]], which is the largest natural harbour on the African continent. [[Queen Elizabeth II Quay]] is capable of receiving oceangoing vessels and handles Sierra Leone's main exports.

Industries include food and beverage processing, fish packing, rice milling, petroleum refining, diamond cutting, and the manufacture of cigarettes, paint, textile, and [[Sierra Leone Brewery Limited|beer]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lynch |first1=Kenneth |last2=Maconachie |first2=Roy |last3=Binns |first3=Tony |last4=Tengbe |first4=Paul |last5=Bangura |first5=Kabba |date=2013 |title=Meeting the urban challenge? Urban agriculture and food security in post-conflict Freetown, Sierra Leone |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S014362281200063X |journal=Applied Geography |language=en |volume=36 |pages=31–39 |doi=10.1016/j.apgeog.2012.06.007 |bibcode=2013AppGe..36...31L |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Njala University, Njala, Sierra Leone |last2=Kamara |first2=Js |last3=Leigh |first3=Au |last4=Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Food Security, Freetown, Sierra Leone |last5=Cooke |first5=Ra |last6=University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA. |date=7 December 2015 |title=A national survey of rice (Oryza sativa L.) grain quality in Sierra Leone II: Evaluation of physical grain quality. |url=https://www.ajfand.net/Volume15/No5/Kamara15490.pdf |journal=African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development |volume=15 |issue=72 |pages=10559–10577 |doi=10.18697/ajfand.72.15490 |s2cid=56077078 |archive-date=5 February 2024 |access-date=19 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240205122755/https://www.ajfand.net/Volume15/No5/Kamara15490.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sawe |first=Benjamin Elisha |date=16 April 2019 |title=What Are The Biggest Industries In Sierra Leone? |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-are-the-biggest-industries-in-sierra-leone.html |access-date=19 March 2023 |website=WorldAtlas |language=en-US |archive-date=19 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230319151703/https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-are-the-biggest-industries-in-sierra-leone.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sierra Leone: Economy |url=https://globaledge.msu.edu/countries/sierra-leone/economy |access-date=19 March 2023 |website=globaledge.msu.edu |language=en-us }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Sierra Leone |date=10 March 2023 |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/sierra-leone/#economy |work=The World Factbook |access-date=19 March 2023 |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |language=en |archive-date=3 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210403133725/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/sierra-leone/#economy |url-status=live }}</ref>

The city is served by the [[Freetown International Airport]], located in [[Lungi, Sierra Leone|Lungi]], across the river estuary from Freetown.

In almost every neighborhood of Freetown there are a number of high streets with shops of various kinds of commercial products and services. Shop traders are diverse, including locals and foreign shop owners. However, a majority of locals shop at specific and popular areas of the city, such as Lumley Junction, Eastern Police Junction, PZ area, Shell Junction, etc.

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" style="text-align: center;" caption="Some other notable places in Freetown" heights="70px" perrow="4">
File:Freetown Court 1984.jpg|Law Courts Building, Siaka Stevens Street
File:Lumley Beach Freetown.JPG|Lumley Beach
File:Magazine Wharf - home to some of Freetown's hardest-hit Ebola survivors (22772017351).jpg|Freetown's highly congested Magazine Wharf neighbourhood – which was hit hard during the 2014 Ebola crisis
File:Lumley.jpg|Lumley area
File:Atlantic estate.jpg|Aberdeen
File:Central Freetown at night, Sierra Leone. January1 2014.jpg|Night view of Central Freetown
</gallery>

== Education ==
{{See also|Education in Sierra Leone}}

Freetown (as the rest of Sierra Leone) has an education system with six years of primary school (Classes 1 to 6), and six years of secondary school (Forms 1 to 6). Secondary schools are further divided into Junior secondary school (Forms 1 to 3) and Senior secondary school (Forms 4 to 6). This system is known as the 6-3-3-4 education system, which means: 6 years of Primary, 3 years of Junior Secondary, 3 years of Senior Secondary, and 4 years of university.

Primary school pupils are usually aged 6 to 12, and secondary schools are usually aged 13 to 18. Primary Education is free and compulsory in government-sponsored public schools. Freetown is home to one of the country's two main universities, the [[Fourah Bay College]], the oldest university in West Africa, founded in 1827.

== Transportation ==
[[File:Siaka Stevens Street, Freetown.jpg|thumb|300px|A normal day Freetown street with "Keke", regular taxis and private vehicles on the road]]

=== Air transportation ===

[[Freetown International Airport]] is the international airport which serves Freetown and the rest of the country. It is located in the town of [[Lungi, Sierra Leone|Lungi]], about 17&nbsp;km north-east of Freetown across the sea. It serves as the primary airport for domestic and international travel to and from Sierra Leone. The airport is operated by Sierra Leone Airports Authority. There is a frequent commercial fast boat, [[buses|bus]], and [[ferry]] service to Freetown and other parts of the country. [[Hastings Airport (Sierra Leone)|Hastings Airport]] provides secondary service, but can only handle small aircraft because of its short runway. It is located about 14&nbsp;km south-east of downtown Freetown (nearly 22&nbsp;km by road).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://maps.google.com/?ll=8.394156,-13.12892&spn=0.020166,0.017166&t=h&z=16 |title=Google Maps |website=Google Maps |access-date=21 August 2017 }}</ref>

==== Transfers to Freetown ====
Passengers have the choice of [[hovercraft]], ferry, road (5 hours), [[speedboat]], water taxi, local banana boats and helicopter to cross the river to Freetown. Ferry is the cheapest option. Hovercraft and ferry operations have at times been suspended due to passenger overloads and safety issues. Several piers are unusable at low-tide. During these times, there is no dry path from land to the speedboats or water taxi. Operators offer from the beachhead to hoist passengers and their luggage above water-level while themselves wade into the sea to help patrons and their belongings board.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/neumeyer/6891131191/in/photolist-2ohc4gH-2oYF8HX-2piHRkj-2j7hhsF-riqUQu-buWR5z-buWRpi-2kpn9Wd-2pivBkg-buWRdK-2oWz5ct-2pbHeYn-buWRQP-buWRwp-2pepibU-buWRFR-2poXgkB-e8rsvC-buWQV8-buWEvi-buWCtt-2pKFqdv-buWCgk-buWEfZ-e8kN7T-buWF3K-buWC82-buWBWe-buWCR6-buWBLK-buWEH8-buWDUn-ttFomX-2j7cS7q-safcxq-rswmJ8 |title=Scene of speedboat pier at lowtide |date=27 December 2011 |access-date=17 February 2012 }}</ref>

=== Access by sea ===
Sierra Leone has the largest natural [[harbour]] on the African continent. Ships from all over the globe berth at Freetown's [[Queen Elizabeth II Quay]]. Passenger, cargo, and private craft also utilize Government Wharf nearer to central Freetown. Recent investment has seen the introduction of high-tech [[cargo scanning]] facilities.

=== Access by land ===

====Road====
Sierra Leone's infrastructure is limited, and its highways and roads reflect this. The roads and highways of the country are administered by the Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA) which has often been crippled by corruption. Highway 1 enters the city from the town of Waterloo, several kilometers to the south. Despite the SLRA's limited capabilities, main feeder/trunk roads have been reconstructed to a high standard.

====Railway====
Following a recommendation from the [[International Bank for Reconstruction and Development]], the [[Sierra Leone Government Railway]] which linked Freetown to the rest of the country was permanently closed in 1974. The iron rails were looted in the following years.

== Sports ==
[[File:Sierra Leone National Stadium.jpg|thumb|The National Stadium]]
Like the rest of Sierra Leone, [[association football|football]] is the most popular sport in Freetown. The Sierra Leone national football team, popularly known as the [[Leone Stars]] plays all their home games at Freetown's [[National Stadium (Sierra Leone)|National Stadium]], the largest stadium in Sierra Leone.

Eight of the fifteen clubs in the [[Sierra Leone National Premier League]] are from Freetown, including two of Sierra Leone's biggest and most successful football clubs, [[East End Lions]] and [[Mighty Blackpool]]. A match between these two teams is the biggest domestic-football clash in Sierra Leone. A notable Sierra Leonian footballer is [[Kei Kamara]], who plays for [[Los Angeles FC]] of [[Major League Soccer]].

== Twin towns/sister cities ==
Freetown is officially [[List of twin towns and sister cities in Africa|twinned]] with five cities:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; background:white; width:60%;"
|- style="color:black;"
! ! style="background:#00FF7F; width: 40%;" | City
! ! style="background:#00FF7F; width:40%;" | Province / Region / State
! ! style="background:#00FF7F; width:15%;" | Country
! ! style="background:#00FF7F; width:10%;" | Year
! ! style="background:#00FF7F; width:10%;" | Ref
|-
| ! ! style="background:LightCyan;" | [[File:Flag of Charleston, South Carolina.svg|30px]] '''[[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]]'''
| ! ! style="text-align:center;" | [[South Carolina]]
| ! ! style="text-align:center;" | {{flagicon|United States}}
| ! ! style="text-align:center;" | 2019
| ! ! style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{cite web |title=Press Release: Freetown & Charleston Sign Sister City Partnership Agreement |url=https://fcc.gov.sl/freetowncharlestonsignsistercitypartnershipagreement/ |website=fcc.gov.sl |publisher=Freetown City Council |date=15 July 2019 |access-date=23 October 2020 |archive-date=26 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926135448/https://fcc.gov.sl/freetowncharlestonsignsistercitypartnershipagreement/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| ! ! style="background:LightCyan;" | '''[[Hefei]]'''
| ! ! style="text-align:center;" | [[Anhui]]
| ! ! style="text-align:center;" | {{flagicon|CHN}}
| ! ! style="text-align:center;" | 1984
| ! ! style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{cite web |title=Ambassador from China to Sierra Leone Pays the Mayor of Freetown a Courtesy Call |url=https://fcc.gov.sl/ambassador-from-china-to-sierra-leone-pays-the-mayor-of-freetown-a-courtesy-call/ |website=fcc.gov.sl |publisher=Freetown City Council |date=22 August 2019 |access-date=23 October 2020 |archive-date=26 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926131107/https://fcc.gov.sl/ambassador-from-china-to-sierra-leone-pays-the-mayor-of-freetown-a-courtesy-call/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| ! ! style="background:LightCyan;" | [[File:Flag of Kansas City, Missouri.svg|30px]] '''[[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]]'''
| ! ! style="text-align:center;" | [[Missouri]]
| ! ! style="text-align:center;" | {{flagicon|United States}}
| ! ! style="text-align:center;" | 1974
| ! ! style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{cite web |title=Welcome |url=https://www.kcsistercities.org/ |website=kcsistercities.org |publisher=Kansas City Sister Cities Association |access-date=22 October 2020 |archive-date=23 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023053702/https://www.kcsistercities.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| ! ! style="background:LightCyan;" | [[File:Coat of Arms of Kingston upon Hull.svg|20px]] '''[[Kingston upon Hull]]'''
| ! ! style="text-align:center;" | [[England]]
| ! ! style="text-align:center;" | {{flagicon|United Kingdom}}
| ! ! style="text-align:center;" | 1979
| ! ! style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{cite web |title=Mayor of Hull City Pays Courtesy Call on President Julius Maada Bio at State Lodge in Freetown |url=https://statehouse.gov.sl/mayor-of-hull-city-pays-courtesy-call-on-president-julius-maada-bio-at-state-lodge-in-freetown/ |website=statehouse.gov.sl |publisher=The Republic of Sierra Leone State House |date=11 June 2019 |access-date=23 October 2020 |archive-date=28 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220828093439/https://statehouse.gov.sl/mayor-of-hull-city-pays-courtesy-call-on-president-julius-maada-bio-at-state-lodge-in-freetown/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| ! ! style="background:LightCyan;" |'''[[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]]'''
| ! ! style="text-align:center;" | [[Connecticut]]
| ! ! style="text-align:center;" | {{flagicon|United States}}
| ! ! style="text-align:center;" | 
| ! ! style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{cite web |title=New Haven Sister Cities |url=https://www.newhavenct.gov/arts/neighborhood_n_cultural_development/sister_cities.htm |website=newhavenct.gov |publisher=City of New Haven |access-date=16 May 2021 |archive-date=16 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516191920/https://www.newhavenct.gov/arts/neighborhood_n_cultural_development/sister_cities.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Sierra Leone}}
* [[List of people from Freetown]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{See also|Timeline of Freetown#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Freetown}}
* {{cite book |last1=Rodney |first1=Walter |title=A history of the Upper Guinea Coast 1545 to 1800 |date=1970 |publisher=Clarendon Press |location=Oxford}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|Freetown}}
* {{wikivoyage inline|Freetown}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYkTeAaow_s 220 Years of Freetown] on [[YouTube]]

{{List of African capitals|state=expanded}}

{{Geographic location
|title     = '''Freetown and neighbouring cities, towns and places'''
|North     = Atlantic ocean, Lungi (airport), Masoila
|Northwest = Atlantic ocean, [[Conakry]]
|Northeast = Sierra Leone River (Estuary), Tagrin, Bunce Island, Pepel
|West      = Atlantic ocean
|East      = Jui, Hastings, Waterloo
|Southwest = Banana Island, Atlantic ocean
|Centre    = '''FREETOWN'''
|South     = Bureh Town/Bureh Beach, Kent, York, John Obey, Tokeh, Tombo
|Southeast = Tumbu, Yawri Bay
}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Freetown| ]]
[[Category:Capitals in Africa]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Sierra Leone]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1792]]
[[Category:Populated places in Sierra Leone]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns in Africa]]
[[Category:Western Area]]
[[Category:1790s establishments in Africa]]
[[Category:Repatriated Africans]]
[[Category:Repatriated slaves]]
[[Category:People of Liberated African descent]]
[[Category:Populated places established by Sierra Leone Creoles]]
[[Category:Neighbourhoods in Freetown]]