Kakata

Kakata
Kakata
	Kakata Location in Liberia
	Coordinates: 6°31′48″N 10°21′6″W / 6.53000°N 10.35167°W
Country	Liberia
County	Margibi County
Population (2008 census)
• Total	33,945
Climate	Am

Kakata is the capital city of Liberia's Margibi County. Located in Kakata District, its proximity to the Du River bridge also comprises its border with Todee District. It is a transit town at the heart of the historical natural rubber cultivation belt in Liberia. The city is colloquially known as "Kak City".

Geography

The city is connected by the paved highway from Monrovia, Liberia via Paynesville, Liberia, and to Firestone Natural Rubber Company's Harbel, Liberia in the south by a dirt dusty road 26th Gate road, and by the paved 15th Gate plantation road in Careysburg, Liberia. It is also connected to Bong Town, Liberia to the north by a partially paved road, by the dusty Borlala road, to Gibi mountain and Gibi District in the east. Finally the paved Monrovia highway continues northeast to Salala, Liberia and Gbarnga.

Demographics

As of the 2008 census, Kakata has a population of 33,945. Of this, 16,501 were male and 17,444 female. It is the fifth most populous urban area in Liberia.^[1]

Economy

It is estimated that the city is surrounded by more than one hundred thousand acres^[2] of rubber plantations, most of which are now past latex production. Though the Salala Rubber Company and Firestone Liberia are not far from Kakata, the nearby rubber plantations are mostly privately owned. Morris American Rubber Company (MARCO) and Bright Farm are the two largest plantations by area around Kakata. Small and medium rubber plantations also dot most of the landscape.

Kakata has a large daily market in the center of town.

Education

Kakata has many primary and secondary schools. One of the most notable is Booker Washington Institute (BWI), Liberia's premier vocational high school and technical institution. It also hosts Kakata Rural Teacher Training Institute, which trains Liberian elementary, lower-grade and secondary teachers.

Healthcare

C. H. Rennie Hospital in Kakata is the only government referral hospital in the County and it is the headquarters for the Margibi County health team. The Firestone Duside Hospital in Harbel is the nearest referral health care facility.

Media

Radio is one of the main source of news and community engagement. The prominent stations broadcasting in Kakata are:

Radio Kakata FM 101.7 MHz
Atlantic Radio FM 92.7 MHz
Radio Margibi FM 103.9 MHz
The BBC World Service IS FM 103.0 MHz
ELBC FM 99.9 MHz
Radio Joy Africa FM 97.5 MHz
Hope Communication Inc. FM 94.9 MHz
Classic FM 93.5 MHz

References

^ "2008 National Population and Housing Census: Preliminary Results" (PDF). Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services. Government of the Republic of Liberia. June 2008. Retrieved 2011-11-08.
^ "2008-2012 Margibi County Development Agenda" ([PDF]). County Development Committee, in collaboration with the Ministries of Finance and Development Planning and Internal Affairs. Ministry of Finance and Development Planning. 2008. Retrieved 2012-06-12.

[1] "2008 National Population and Housing Census: Preliminary Results" (PDF). Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services. Government of the Republic of Liberia. June 2008. Retrieved 2011-11-08.

[2] "2008-2012 Margibi County Development Agenda" ([PDF]). County Development Committee, in collaboration with the Ministries of Finance and Development Planning and Internal Affairs. Ministry of Finance and Development Planning. 2008. Retrieved 2012-06-12.

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