Magburaka is the
capital and largest city of
Tonkolili District in the
Northern Province of
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...
. Its population was 16,313 in the 2004 census. and a current estimate of 40,313. It is located at around , along the Rokel River. Magburaka lies just about 26 miles (42 km) drive south-west of
Makeni, the economic centre of Northern Sierra Leone and about 80 miles (135 km) drive east of the country's capital
Freetown
Freetown () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, e ...
. Magburaka is a trade centre and is one of the main cities in Northern Sierra Leone. As with most parts of Sierra Leone, the
Krio language of the
Sierra Leone Creole people is the most widely spoken language in Magburaka.
Magburaka is an educational centre and is home to the
Magburaka Government Secondary School for Boys, the first western standard
Secondary school
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...
built in Northern Sierra Leone. The school is one of the elite secondary schools in Sierra Leone and is well known for producing some of the most gifted students in the country. Sierra Leone's former president
Ernest Bai Koroma is a graduate of the Government Secondary School for Boys. The city is home to the
Magburaka Technical Institute, a two-year
technical college
An institute of technology (also referred to as technological university, technical university, university of technology, polytechnic university) is an institution of tertiary education that specializes in engineering, technology, applied science ...
and a university which is known as Ernest Bai Koroma University of Science and Technology.
The
Golden Dragon F.C., which is based in Magburaka, represent the city in the
Sierra Leone National Premier League, the top football league in the country.
Government
The city along with the entire
Tonkolili District is a stronghold of the APC.
Education
Magburaka is the educational centre of Northern Sierra Leone. The city is home to the
Magburaka Government Secondary School for Boys, the first
Secondary school
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...
built in Northern Sierra Leone; the school is one of the elite secondary schools in Sierra Leone and is well known for producing some of the most gifted students in the country. The city is also home to the first Girls Secondary School in the North, Mathora.
Sport
Like the rest of Sierra Leone,
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
is the most popular sport in Magburaka. The major football club that represent the city and the entire Tonkolili District is the
Golden Dragon F.C., which is currently playing in the
Sierra Leone National Premier League, the top football league in the country.
Notable people from Magburaka
*
Minkailu Bah, Sierra Leone's minister of Education, Youth and Sports
Transport
References
{{reflist
Populated places in Sierra Leone
Northern Province, Sierra Leone