Port Loko is the capital and second largest town of  Port Loko District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. The town had a population of 21,961 in the 2004 census and current estimate of 23,915. Port Loko lies approximately 45 miles east of Freetown. The area in and around Port Loko is a major bauxite mining and trade centre. The town lies on the main highway linking Freetown to Guinea's capital Conakry.