Bo | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Bo Location in Sierra Leone | |
| Coordinates: 7°57′23″N 11°44′24″W / 7.95639°N 11.74000°W | |
| Country |  Sierra Leone |
| Province | Southern Province |
| District | Bo District |
| Government | |
| • Type | City Council |
| • Mayor | Harold Logie Tucker (SLPP)[6] |
| • Governing Body | Bo City Council |
| Population (2017) | |
• Total | 233,684[1][2][3][4][5] |
| Time zone | GMT |
Bo, also commonly referred to as Bo Town, is the second largest city[7] in Sierra Leone by population (after Freetown) and the largest city in the Southern Province. Bo is the capital and administrative centre of Bo District. The city of Bo has a population of 223,075 based on 2021 national mid-term census estimates.[2] Bo is an urban centre, and lies approximately 160 miles (250 km) east-southeast of Freetown, and about 40 miles (64 km) to Kenema.[8] Bo is the leading financial, educational and economic centre of southern Sierra Leone[citation needed].
The city of Bo is one of Sierra Leone's six municipalities and is locally governed by a directly elected city council, known as the Bo City Council, headed by a mayor. The Mayor and members of the Bo City Council are directly elected every four years in a municipal election.[7] The current mayor of Bo is Harold Logie Tucker of the Sierra Leone People's Party, who was elected mayor with 69.7% of the votes in the 2012 Bo Mayoral election.
The city is the primary home of Njala University, the second largest university in Sierra Leone, after the Fourah Bay College. Bo is also home to the Bo Government Secondary School, commonly known as Bo School, which is one of the biggest and most prominent secondary schools in West Africa. The school has a history of producing some of Sierra Leone's most gifted students. The city is home to the Bo Stadium, the second largest stadium in Sierra Leone, and is mostly used for football matches.
Bo is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in Sierra Leone[citation needed]. The city is home to a significant population of many of Sierra Leone's ethnic groups, with no single ethnic group forming a majority. Bo is the principal home of the Mende people, who form the plurality of the city's population. As with most parts of Sierra Leone, the Krio language of the Sierra Leone Creole people is by far the most widely spoken language in Bo and is the primary means of communication in the city.[9][10]
The city's population is religiously diverse, primarily among Muslims and Christians.
- ^ "Population of Cities in Sierra Leone (2021)". worldpopulationreview.com.
- ^ a b "Sierra Leone: Administrative Division (Districts and Chiefdoms) - Population Statistics, Charts and Map". www.citypopulation.de.
- ^ "A Sobering Reality in Sierra Leone :: Article - the Rheumatologist". Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
- ^ http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x%3D%26men%3Dgpro%26lng%3Den%26des%3Dwg%26geo%3D-195%26srt%3Dnpan%26col%3Dabcdefghinoq%26msz%3D1500%26pt%3Dc%26va%3D%26geo%3D352708826. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help)[dead link] - ^ "Shifting Lenses: From Tourism to Development". December 6, 2012.
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20170921050216/http://www.nec-sierraleone.org/index_files/Mayor_Chairperson%20Result%202012.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-09-21. Retrieved 2013-11-14.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ a b Bo City Council. "About". Retrieved October 18, 2024.
- ^ "S Leone mob seeks police 'conman'". BBC. 3 July 2003. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
- ^ "Krio Translation Services". Language9.com. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
- ^ Oyètádé, B. Akíntúndé; Fashole-Luke, Victor (15 February 2008). "Sierra Leone: Krio and the Quest for National Integration". Language and National Identity in Africa. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 122–140. ISBN 978-0-19-928675-1.