Freetown

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Freetown

Freetown

Freetown lies on the western Atlantic coast of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city and the country's capital and largest city. Much of the city's economy revolves around the port, which covers part of the mouth of the Sierra Leone River in one of the largest natural deep-water harbors in the world. The town of Freetown was established by abolitionist Lieutenant John Clarkson as a settlement for freed African-American, Afro-Caribbean and African slaves on March 11, 1792. They are known as the Creole people. Before Europeans arrived, the native Temne and Loko people lived in villages in the area of land later known as Freetown. There are plenty of attractions in the city, including the Sierra Leone National Museum and the Sierra Leone National Railway Museum. There are several historical monuments relating to the founding of the city. The Cotton Tree symbolizes the christening of Freetown on March 1792. Located in downtown Freetown is Connaught Hospital, the very first hospital built in West Africa to embrace Western medical practice. The city offers a great deal to tourists, with vast white-sand beaches running along the Freetown peninsula. The Lumley-Aberdeen beach extends from Cape Sierra Leone all the way to Lumley. Other popular beaches include the world-famous River Number 2 Beach, Laka Beach, Tokeh Beach, Bureh Beach and Mama Beach. The Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, located in the peninsula's large rainforest reserve only a few miles from the center of Freetown, has a collection of very rare and endangered chimpanzees.