Kole, the district capital, is located approximately 28 kilometres (17 mi), by road, northwest of Lira, the largest city in the sub-region.

[1] This location is approximately 290 kilometres (180 mi), by road, north of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city.

Kole District was created by an Act of Parliament and became operational on 1 July 2010.

[3] The district is part of Lango sub-region, home to an estimated 1.5 million people, in 2002, according to the national census.

Bala[4] The 2002 national census estimated the population of the district at about 165,900.