# Northern Province, Sierra Leone – Districts, Population & Map

> Source: https://wherepedia.org/sierra-leone/northern/

Province · Sierra Leone 

# Northern Province

Northern Province is a province of Sierra Leone. It had an estimated **2,796,517 people** in 2020 on 22,842 km² (about 122 per km²). Its main town is Makeni. It is divided into 4 districts. 2,462 named villages and localities are recorded here, and 276 mapped services such as hospitals, banks and schools.

- 2,796,517people (2020)
- 22,842km²
- 4districts
- 276mapped services

## How many people live in Northern Province?

Northern Province had an estimated **2,796,517 people** in 2020 — 35.4% of Sierra Leone, the most populous of 4 provinces. There are 954 women for every 1,000 men (below the Sierra Leone figure of 970). Spread over 22,842 km², that is about **122 people per km²**, 2nd of 4 provinces.

40.8% of people are children under 15 and 3.5% are 65 or older; the median age is about 19 years (it is 19 across Sierra Leone). For every 100 people of working age (15–64) there are 80 children and older people.

0–4 ****370,129**

5–9 ****437,297**

10–14 ****334,280**

15–19 ****344,490**

20–24 ****261,128**

25–29 ****239,476**

30–34 ****171,047**

35–39 ****166,003**

40–44 ****118,062**

45–49 ****95,673**

50–54 ****73,740**

55–59 ****43,612**

60–64 ****44,414**

65–69 ****29,076**

70–74 ****25,827**

75–79 ****15,664**

80+ ****26,583**

Source: [Statistics Sierra Leone (SSL) _ Population and Housing Census / UNFPA via OCHA HDX, population 2020 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ps-sle).

## Where is Northern Province?

Northern Province lies in [Sierra Leone](https://wherepedia.org/sierra-leone/). It borders 3 other provinces: [Eastern Province](https://wherepedia.org/sierra-leone/eastern/), [North Western Province](https://wherepedia.org/sierra-leone/north-western/) and [Southern Province](https://wherepedia.org/sierra-leone/southern/). By area it is the largest of 5 provinces in Sierra Leone. It covers 31.5% of [Sierra Leone](https://wherepedia.org/sierra-leone/). The centre of Northern Province is about 205 km in a straight line from Freetown, the capital. The centre point is at 9.1182° N, 11.4780° W.

Source: [Government of Sierra Leone via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-sle).

## Things to see in and around Northern Province

OpenStreetMap lists 4 named sights in Northern Province: 2 ruins; 1 beach; 1 memorial.

- BWMA Katene Docking Point · beach
- Kawungulu Abandoned Village Site · ruins
- Peace · memorial
- Physio House · ruins

Source: [© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright).

Named attractions, museums, viewpoints, historic sites and natural features mapped in OpenStreetMap. Places of worship are not listed.

## Know before you go: Northern Province

- Time zoneUTC+0, no daylight saving · Africa/Freetown
- CurrencyLeone (SLE)
- Country calling code+232
- LanguagesEnglish, Mende, Timne
- Plug typesType G · 230 V
- Driving sideRight

### Nearest airports

- Lungi International Airport (FNA) · Freetown (Lungi-Town)197 km
- Ahmed Sékou Touré International Airport (CKY) · Conakry240 km

### Daylight

Days are longest in Jun (about 12.7 hours, sunrise around 06:26) and shortest in Dec (about 11.6 hours, sunrise around 06:53, sunset around 18:28).

Month Sunrise Sunset Daylight 

Jan 07:05 18:43 11.6 h 

Feb 07:05 18:55 11.8 h 

Mar 06:53 18:57 12.1 h 

Apr 06:36 18:55 12.3 h 

May 06:25 18:57 12.5 h 

Jun 06:26 19:05 12.7 h 

Jul 06:33 19:09 12.6 h 

Aug 06:37 19:03 12.4 h 

Sep 06:35 18:46 12.2 h 

Oct 06:33 18:29 11.9 h 

Nov 06:39 18:22 11.7 h 

Dec 06:53 18:28 11.6 h 

Source: [GeoNames country and time-zone files (CC BY 4.0)](https://www.geonames.org/); [Wikidata (CC0) — plug types, mains voltage, driving side; retrieved 2026-11-02](https://www.wikidata.org/); [OurAirports (public domain)](https://ourairports.com/data/).

Airports with scheduled passenger flights; straight-line distances. Daylight is calculated for the 15th of each month in local standard time. Check entry and visa rules with official government sources before travelling.

## Districts of Northern Province

District Area km² Chiefdoms Services 

[Bombali District](https://wherepedia.org/sierra-leone/northern/bombali/) 3,999 9 142 

[Fabala District](https://wherepedia.org/sierra-leone/northern/fabala/) 6,557 5 11 

[Koinadugu District](https://wherepedia.org/sierra-leone/northern/koinadugu/) 5,852 6 28 

[Tonkolili District](https://wherepedia.org/sierra-leone/northern/tonkolili/) 6,433 11 95 

Source: [Government of Sierra Leone via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-sle); [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/); [Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)](https://overturemaps.org/).

## Largest towns in Northern Province

- Makeni85,116
- Kabala17,948
- Mile 9115,491
- Magburaka14,915
- Binkolo13,867
- Rokupr12,744
- Masingbi5,644
- Yonibana3,589
- Makali3,550
- Bumbuna3,222
- Masaka3,219
- Bindi3,188
- Alikalia3,138
- Gberia Fotombu3,034

Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/).

Populations as recorded in GeoNames, which may be older than the estimates above.

## Landscape and landmarks of Northern Province

Named natural and historic features inside Northern Province, from the GeoNames gazetteer.

### Water

576 rivers and streams; 2 dams; 1 waterfall.

- Akinoma
- Alatara
- Babakia
- Bafin
- Baima
- Balkasayi
- Balu
- Banaba
- Bandatia
- Bange
- Bangwane
- Bankani
- Banke
- Banko
- Bantani
- Bari
- Basia
- Batabana
- Batahuhui
- Batbant
- Batbesi
- Batbui
- Batiloma
- Batimora

…and 555 more.

### Hills and mountains

105 hills; 102 mountains; 11 peaks.

- Loma Mansa · 1,895 m
- Kundukonko · 1,581 m
- Serelen · 1,507 m
- Furankoli · 1,457 m
- Durukonko · 1,395 m
- Fikon · 1,227 m
- Nomboyo · 1,207 m
- Nyare · 1,205 m
- Konkonaninte · 1,164 m
- Sumbara · 1,164 m
- Sengisengi · 1,156 m
- Wotuma · 1,144 m
- Fakonko · 1,112 m
- Pompolto · 1,072 m
- Kenkula · 1,067 m
- Kurakpaye · 1,022 m
- Kundu · 989 m
- Belekonko · 987 m
- Tingibu · 970 m
- Tankabu · 963 m
- Kundula · 933 m
- Kwofan · 906 m
- Bende · 903 m
- Kakamba · 900 m

…and 194 more.

### Forests and nature

2 forest reserves.

- Kangari Hills Forest Reserve
- Loma Mountains Non-Hunting Forest Reserve

### Getting around

1 airport.

- Kabala Airport

Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/).

Places of worship are not listed. Elevations are from the GeoNames terrain model and are approximate.

## Weather in Northern Province and the best time to visit

In Northern Province, the warmest month is Apr (average 28 °C) and the coolest is Aug (23 °C). About 1,945 mm of rain falls in a year; the wettest month is Aug (538 mm) and the driest Jan (1 mm). The most comfortable months for a visit are **November to March and May**.

- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec

Month Average °C Rain mm 

Jan 24 1 

Feb 26 4 

Mar 28 9 

Apr 28 30 

May 27 101 

Jun 25 277 

Jul 24 442 

Aug 23 538 

Sep 24 350 

Oct 24 149 

Nov 25 40 

Dec 24 2 

Source: [NASA POWER climatology, retrieved 2026-10-29](https://power.larc.nasa.gov/).

## Hospitals, banks and other services in Northern Province

Places mapped inside Northern Province in open map data, by type.

- Hospitals26
- Banks14
- Petrol pumps17
- Hotels29
- Shopping malls2
- Schools118
- Colleges and universities29
- Pharmacies27
- Restaurants9
- Police stations5

Source: [Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)](https://overturemaps.org/).

Coverage depends on what has been mapped; contact details are not shown.

## Quick answers

- Where is Northern Province?In Sierra Leone
- What is the population of Northern Province?2,796,517 (2020 estimate)
- What is the median age in Northern Province?About 19 years (2020 estimate)
- What is the population density of Northern Province?About 122 people per km²
- What borders Northern Province?Eastern Province, North Western Province and Southern Province
- What is there to see in Northern Province?BWMA Katene Docking Point, Kawungulu Abandoned Village Site, Peace, Physio House
- What time zone is Northern Province in?UTC+0
- What currency is used in Northern Province?Leone (SLE)
- What language is spoken in Northern Province?English, Mende, Timne (main languages nationally)
- What is the largest town in Northern Province?Makeni
- What is the highest point in Northern Province?Loma Mansa (1,895 m, GeoNames elevation model)
- What is the best time to visit Northern Province?November to March and May
- How many hospitals are in Northern Province?26 mapped
- How many banks are in Northern Province?14 mapped
- How many petrol pumps are in Northern Province?17 mapped
- What is the P-code of Northern Province?SL02 (OCHA common operational dataset)