Located along the Aberdeen Creek on the western coast of Freetown, Cockle Bay is an informal settlement roughly 5 kilometres from the city centre. Although Cockle Bay has been occupied since the 1940's, the majority of the current community settled along the shore of Aberdeen Creek as a result of the 1991-2012 Civil War which pushed many rural inhabitants to relocate to Freetown’s fringe areas.

 

Much of the land on which Cockle Bay is built was reclaimed from the sea and was originally covered with mangrove forest, which until recently encircled the inter-tidal area of Aberdeen Creek. As a result, much of Cockle Bay is built on land that lies between 0-1 meters above sea level and the settlement is highly susceptible to coastal flooding and rising sea levels. The name Cockle Bay is derived from the cockle production that used to be a key source of income within the settlement, but has recently declined due to the destruction of the local ecosystem. Cockle Bay is split into four neighbourhoods known locally as Jai Mata, Kola Tree, Mafengbeh and Hilet View.