River · Sierra Leone
Rokel River
Rokel River is the longest river in Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It runs down from the north-eastern hills and reaches the Atlantic through the wide Sierra Leone River.
Picture credit: Warren McCleland (CC BY 2.0) · Warren McCleland (CC BY 2.0) · Hoffmar11 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is the Rokel River?
The river starts here: highlands in the north-east of Sierra Leone.
It ends in the Sierra Leone River, Atlantic Ocean.
Countries on the river: Sierra Leone.
The story behind it
In Sierra Leone many people call this river the Seli. It rises in green hills near the border with Guinea and then travels south-west through villages, palm groves and rice fields. In the rainy season, from about May to October, storms swell the water until it turns brown with mud and spreads over the low ground. In the dry months it becomes calm and shallow, and children fish from the sandbanks. A big dam at Bumbuna uses the falling water to make electricity for the country. Near the coast the river widens into a huge estuary, one of the largest natural harbours in the world, where ships from many countries anchor. Mangroves grow in the salty mud there, and crabs, oysters and countless birds live among their tangled roots.
Questions children ask
How long is the Rokel River?
The Rokel River measures about 386 kilometres. It is the longest river in Sierra Leone and is also known as the Seli.
Which country does the Rokel River flow through?
It flows only through Sierra Leone in West Africa. Its journey leads from the hills in the north-east to the coast in the west.
Where does the Rokel River end?
It empties into the Sierra Leone River, a broad estuary that opens into the Atlantic Ocean. The capital, Freetown, stands beside this bay.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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