Magburaka is the

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

and largest city of

Tonkolili District Tonkolili District is a district in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is Magburaka. The other major towns include Masingbi, Yele, Mile 91, Bumbuna, Yonibana, Matotoka. Mathora, Magbass and Masanga. T ...

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 Makeni is the largest city in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. The city is the capital of Bombali District, and is the economic center of the Northern Province. Makeni is the fifth largest city in Sierra Leone by population. The city of ...

, 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 The Sierra Leonean Creole or Krio is an English-based creole language that is the lingua franca and de facto national language spoken throughout the West African nation of Sierra Leone. Krio is spoken by 96 percent of the country's population, ...

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 Ernest Bai Koroma (born 2 October 1953) is a Sierra Leonean politician who served as the fourth President of Sierra Leone from 17 September 2007 to 4 April 2018. Born and raised in Makeni in northern Sierra Leone, Koroma spent more than 24 y ...

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 Sierra Leone National Premier League is a professional football league in Sierra Leone. It was founded in 1967. The league is sponsored by Leone Rock Metal Group. East End Lions and Mighty Blackpool are the two biggest and most successful clubs ...

, the top football league in the country.

Government

The city along with the entire

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

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

, the top football league in the country.

Notable people from Magburaka

Minkailu Bah Minkailu Bah (died 18 May 2020, Magburaka, Tonkolili District) was a Sierra Leonean politician and lecturer. He served as Sierra Leone's Minister of Education, Youth and Sports. Born in Magburaka, he was the acting head of the Electrical and Elect ...

, Sierra Leone's minister of Education, Youth and Sports

Transport

References

{{reflist Populated places in Sierra Leone Northern Province, Sierra Leone