Bo

Bo, also known as Bo Town, is the second-largest city in Sierra Leone after Freetown and the largest city in the Southern Province, serving as capital of Bo District. Its population reached 223,075 based on 2021 mid-term census estimates, and it lies about 250 kilometers east-southeast of Freetown and 64 kilometers from Kenema. Bo is the leading financial, educational and economic center of southern Sierra Leone, governed by a directly elected Bo City Council under a mayor, and it is home to Njala University, the country's second-largest university, and Bo Government Secondary School, one of the most prominent schools in West Africa. The city is ethnically diverse with no single majority group, is the principal home of the Mende people, and Krio is its most widely spoken language.