Kakata

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". It is estimated that the city is surrounded by more than one hundred thousand acres 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 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. 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. Kakata has a large daily market in the center of town. 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.