Lunsar is a town in
Marampa Chiefdom,
Port Loko District
Port Loko District is a district in the North West Province of Sierra Leone. It is the most populous district in the North and the second most populous district in Sierra Leone, after Western Area Urban District. As of the 2015 census, Port Loko ...
in the
Northern Province of
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...
.
It is the largest town in Port Loko District by population. A 2004 estimate placed the population of Lunsar at 36,108. The town is one of the main commercial and business hubs in the North of Sierra Leone. Lunsar lies approximately 50
miles
The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of length; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 English f ...
east of
Freetown
Freetown () 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, e ...
and about 18 miles south-east of the district
capital
Capital and its variations may refer to:
Common uses
* Capital city, a municipality of primary status
** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital
** List of national capitals
* Capital letter, an upper-case letter
Econom ...
of
Port Loko
Port Loko is the capital of Port Loko District and since 2017 the North West Province of Sierra Leone. The city had a population of 21,961 in the 2004 census and current estimate of 44,900. Port Loko lies approximately north-east of Freetown. ...
. The inhabitants of Lunsar are largely from the
Temne ethnic group.
History
Its most recent history has been an iron ore mining town. The ore, for the most part, is set in stone which forms a huge mountain, called Massaboin Hill. The word stone in the local
Temne language
Temne (also ''Themne, Timne''; ) is a language of the Mel branch of the Niger–Congo language family, spoken by the Temne people. Temne speakers live mostly in the Northern Province and Western Area, Sierra Leone. Temne people can be found ...
is "Sar," and thus befits the area where the iron ore was found. Thus, the town's initial name was "Ro-Sar" meaning the place where the stones are found. Ro-sar later evolved to Lunsar during the
colonial era Colonial period (a period in a country's history where it was subject to management by a colonial power) may refer to:
Continents
*European colonization of the Americas
* Colonisation of Africa
* Western imperialism in Asia
Countries
* Col ...
.
Sports & culture
Lunsar is the home to Sierra Leone's largest cycling team, the Lunsar Cycling Team. The team has run the Tour de Lunsar, the country's largest cycle race, annually since 2016. In 2019, two riders from the town, Osman T. Kalokoh and Ibrahim Jalloh, represented Sierra Leone on the national cycling team at the .
In 2022, Fatima Deborah Conteh who raced for Lunsar Cycling Team, was offered a professional cycling contract by
Canyon / SRAM Generation, making her the first Sierra Leonean to be given a pro contract.
See also
*
Railway stations in Sierra Leone
Railway stations in Sierra Leone include:
Maps
The MSN and FallingRain and UNHCR maps still show the railway lines closed in 1974.
UN Map of Sierra Leone - no railways shown at all.UNHCR Atlas map* Map on page 24.
African Mineral iron ore railw ...
References
External links
*
Populated places in Sierra Leone
Port Loko District
{{SierraLeone-geo-stub