Kenema : Ask Biography

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Kenema is the third largest city in Sierra Leone (after the capital Freetown and Bo) and the largest city in the Eastern Province with a population of 128,402 in the 2004 census and a more recent estimate of 169,937 . The city is the capital and administrative center of Kenema District. Kenema is a major trade and commercial center and serves as the economic and financial center of Eastern Sierra Leone, along with Koidu Town. Kenema lies 200 miles east-south-east of Freetown .

Kenema is an ethnically diverse city and is home to significant numbers of virtually all the country's ethnic groups, though the Mende people make up the largest ethnic group. The city is the primary home of the Eastern Polytechnic College, one of Sierra Leone's major colleges that offer degree and certificate. The Krio language is the most widely spoken language in the city and is used as the primary language of communication among the residents.

The city grew along with a now-closed railway, around the logging and carpentry industries, and recently with diamond mines first discovered in 1931.