# Western Area Rural, Western Province – Chiefdoms & Population

> Source: https://wherepedia.org/sierra-leone/western/western-area-rural/

District · Western Province 

# Western Area Rural

Western Area Rural is a district of Sierra Leone in Western Province. It had an estimated **495,338 people** in 2020 on 608 km² (about 815 per km²). It is divided into 4 chiefdoms. 397 named villages and localities are recorded here, and 278 mapped services such as hospitals, banks and schools.

- 495,338people (2020)
- 608km²
- 4chiefdoms
- 278mapped services

## How many people live in Western Area Rural?

Western Area Rural had an estimated **495,338 people** in 2020 — 29.6% of Western Province, 8th of 14 districts. There are 1,000 women for every 1,000 men (close to the Western Province figure of 1,000). Spread over 608 km², that is about **815 people per km²**, 2nd of 14 districts.

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 Western Province). For every 100 people of working age (15–64) there are 80 children and older people.

0–4 ****65,560**

5–9 ****77,457**

10–14 ****59,209**

15–19 ****61,018**

20–24 ****46,254**

25–29 ****42,415**

30–34 ****30,296**

35–39 ****29,403**

40–44 ****20,914**

45–49 ****16,947**

50–54 ****13,061**

55–59 ****7,724**

60–64 ****7,867**

65–69 ****5,148**

70–74 ****4,577**

75–79 ****2,776**

80+ ****4,709**

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 Western Area Rural?

Western Area Rural lies in [Western Province](https://wherepedia.org/sierra-leone/western/), [Sierra Leone](https://wherepedia.org/sierra-leone/). It borders 3 other districts: [Moyamba District](https://wherepedia.org/sierra-leone/southern/moyamba/), [Port Loko District](https://wherepedia.org/sierra-leone/north-western/port-loko/) and [Western Area Urban](https://wherepedia.org/sierra-leone/western/western-area-urban/). By area it is the 15th largest of 16 districts in Sierra Leone. It covers 88.2% of [Western Province](https://wherepedia.org/sierra-leone/western/). The centre of Western Area Rural is about 26 km in a straight line from Freetown, the capital. The centre point is at 8.3262° N, 13.0608° 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 Western Area Rural

OpenStreetMap lists 14 named sights in Western Area Rural: 6 beachs; 2 attractions; 2 nature reserves; 1 ruins; 1 viewpoint; 1 waterfall; 1 museum.

- Kent Slave House · museum
- Mambo Waterfall · waterfall
- Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary · nature reserve
- Western Area Peninsula National Park · nature reserve
- Bahamut Beach Club · beach
- Bureh beach · beach
- Hamilton Beach · beach
- John Obey Beach · beach
- Levuma Beach · beach
- Sussex beach · beach
- OAR Secret Beach · viewpoint
- Tacaguma Chimpanzee Sanctuary · attraction
- Tigiemans Resident · attraction
- Gun emplacement · 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: Western Area Rural

- 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)36 km
- Ahmed Sékou Touré International Airport (CKY) · Conakry152 km

### Nearest railway station

Waterloo (Waterloo Village A), about 2.0 km from the centre.

### Daylight

Days are longest in Jun (about 12.6 hours, sunrise around 06:34) and shortest in Dec (about 11.6 hours, sunrise around 06:58, sunset around 18:36).

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.

## Chiefdoms of Western Area Rural

Chiefdom People per km² Area km² Sections Services 

[Waterloo Rural](https://wherepedia.org/sierra-leone/western/western-area-rural/waterloo-rural/) 238,351 1,453 164 4 129 

[York Rural](https://wherepedia.org/sierra-leone/western/western-area-rural/york-rural/) 144,476 606 239 7 76 

[Koya Rural](https://wherepedia.org/sierra-leone/western/western-area-rural/koya-rural/) 80,370 482 167 6 38 

[Mountain Rural](https://wherepedia.org/sierra-leone/western/western-area-rural/mountain-rural/) 32,276 833 39 5 35 

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

## Largest towns in Western Area Rural

- Waterloo55,000
- Goderich19,209
- Hastings5,121
- Kent1,804
- Dublin842

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 Western Area Rural

Named natural and historic features inside Western Area Rural, from the GeoNames gazetteer.

### Water

10 rivers and streams; 2 dams; 1 reservoir or tank; 1 waterfall.

- Allamangy Brook
- Bat-Gberi
- Bathurst Falls
- Bush Water
- Gladdon Brook
- Guma Dam
- Guma Reservoir
- Kongo Dam
- Lewis Brook
- Ma-komba
- Number Two River
- Olupe
- Rokel Brook
- Sunlo River

### Coast and islands

6 islands; 1 headland.

- Devils Island
- Dublin Island
- John Obey
- Maroon Island
- Mes-Meheux Island
- Ricketts Island
- Thistle Island

### Hills and mountains

13 mountains; 5 hills; 2 peaks; 1 valley.

- Picket Hill · 868 m
- Sugar Loaf · 727 m
- Sugar Loaf · 708 m
- Mount Horton · 703 m
- Good Luck Hill · 642 m
- Leicester Peak · 585 m
- Jagba Hill · 561 m
- Knoll · 544 m
- Adder Hill · 518 m
- Golgotha · 507 m
- Bawbaw Hill · 442 m
- Tail Hill · 394 m
- Millars Point · 389 m
- Bwango Hill · 378 m
- Hamilton · 370 m
- Guma Valley · 322 m
- Moku Hill · 260 m
- Bananas · 218 m
- Kent · 126 m
- Devil Hill · 120 m
- Toke Hill · 62 m

### Getting around

2 railway halts; 1 airport; 1 railway station.

- Devil Hole Flag Station
- Hastings Airport
- Newton Station
- Three Mile Halt

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 Western Area Rural and the best time to visit

In Western Area Rural, the warmest month is Apr (average 28 °C) and the coolest is Aug (25 °C). About 2,569 mm of rain falls in a year; the wettest month is Aug (699 mm) and the driest Jan (1 mm). The most comfortable months for a visit are **November to April**.

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

Month Average °C Rain mm 

Jan 26 1 

Feb 27 2 

Mar 27 2 

Apr 28 25 

May 28 135 

Jun 26 399 

Jul 25 644 

Aug 25 699 

Sep 25 400 

Oct 26 187 

Nov 26 71 

Dec 26 4 

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

## Hospitals, banks and other services in Western Area Rural

Places mapped inside Western Area Rural in open map data, by type — each number opens the full list with locations.

- Hospitals12
- Banks8
- Petrol pumps9
- Hotels34
- Schools164
- Colleges and universities17
- Cinemas1
- Pharmacies1
- Restaurants18
- Police stations13
- Dental clinics1

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 Western Area Rural?In Western Province, Sierra Leone
- What is the population of Western Area Rural?495,338 (2020 estimate)
- What is the median age in Western Area Rural?About 19 years (2020 estimate)
- What is the population density of Western Area Rural?About 815 people per km²
- What borders Western Area Rural?Moyamba District, Port Loko District and Western Area Urban
- What is there to see in Western Area Rural?Bahamut Beach Club, Bureh beach, Gun emplacement, Hamilton Beach
- What time zone is Western Area Rural in?UTC+0
- What currency is used in Western Area Rural?Leone (SLE)
- What language is spoken in Western Area Rural?English, Mende, Timne (main languages nationally)
- What is the largest town in Western Area Rural?Waterloo
- How many reservoirs and tanks are in Western Area Rural?1 named in GeoNames
- What is the highest point in Western Area Rural?Picket Hill (868 m, GeoNames elevation model)
- What is the best time to visit Western Area Rural?November to April
- How many hospitals are in Western Area Rural?12 mapped
- How many banks are in Western Area Rural?8 mapped
- How many petrol pumps are in Western Area Rural?9 mapped
- What is the P-code of Western Area Rural?SL0401 (OCHA common operational dataset)