Tonkolili District

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Tonkolili District" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Tonkolili District
Location of Tonkolili District in Sierra Leone
Coordinates: 8°40′N 11°40′W / 8.667°N 11.667°W / 8.667; -11.667
Country	Sierra Leone
Province	Northern Province
Capital	Magburaka
Largest city	Magburaka
Government
• Type	District Council
• District Council Chairwoman	Yabom Sesay [1] (APC)
• Deputy District Council Chairman	Foday Kanu (APC)
Area
• Total	7,003 km2 (2,704 sq mi)
Population  (2015 census)[1]
• Total	530,776
• Density	76/km2 (200/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Greenwich Mean Time)
HDI (2017)	0.384[2] low · 10th

Tonkolili District is a district in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is Magburaka. The other major towns include Masingbi, Yele, Mile 91, Bumbuna, Yonibana, Matotoka. Mathora, Magbass and Masanga. Tonkolili District is home to the largest sugar factory in Sierra Leone, and one of the largest sugar factories in West Africa, that is located in the town of Magbass. Tonkolili District had a population of 530,776.^[1] The district occupies a total area of 7,003 km² (2,704 sq mi) and comprises eleven chiefdoms.

Tonkolili District borders Bombali District to the northwest, Kono District to the east, Kenema District and Bo District to the southeast, Port Loko and Koinadugu Districts. Tonkolili is strategically located in the center of Sierra Leone. The district is criss crossed by many rivers including the Pampana River and Sierra Leone's longest river, the Rokel.

The Temne people make up the overwhelming majority of the population of Tonkolili District. The vast majority of the population of Tonkolili District are Muslims.