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Liberia

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This article is about the country in Africa. For the city, see Liberia, Costa Rica.
Republic of Liberia

Flag Coat of Arms
Motto: "The love of liberty brought us here"
Anthem: All Hail, Liberia, Hail!
MENU0:00
Location of Liberia (dark blue) in Africa (light blue & dark grey) in the African Union (light blue)
Location of Liberia (dark blue)
in Africa (light blue & dark grey)
in the African Union (light blue)

Capital
and largest city Monrovia
619N 1048W
Official languages English
Spoken languages Liberian Kreyol
Ethnic groups (2008[1])
20.3% Kpelle
13.4% Bassa
10.0% Grebo
8.0% Gio
7.9% Mano
6.0% Kru
5.1% Lorma
4.8% Kissi
4.4% Gola
20.1% others
Demonym Liberian
Government Unitary presidential
constitutional republic
- President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
- Vice President Joseph Boakai
- Speaker of the House Alex J. Tyler
- Chief Justice Johnnie Lewis
Legislature Legislature of Liberia
- Upper house Senate
- Lower house House of Representatives
Formation
- Established by the American Colonization Society 1822
- Independence 26 July 1847
- Current constitution 6 January 1986
Area
- Total 111,369 km2 (103rd)
43,000 sq mi
- Water (%) 13.514
Population
- 2011 estimate 4,128,572[2]
- 2008 census 3,476,608 (130th)
- Density 35.5/km2 (180th)
92.0/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2012 estimate
- Total $2.675 billion[3]
- Per capita $672[3]
GDP (nominal) 2012 estimate
- Total $1.735 billion[3]
- Per capita $436[3]
HDI (2013) Steady 0.412[4]
low 175th
Currency Liberian dollara (LRD)
Time zone GMT
- Summer (DST) not observed (UTC)
Drives on the right
Calling code +231
ISO 3166 code LR
Internet TLD .lr
a. The United States dollar is also legal tender.
Liberia Listeni/labri/, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa bordered by Sierra
Leone to its west, Guinea to its north and Ivory Coast to its east. It covers an area of 111,369 square
kilometres (43,000 sq mi) and is home to about 4 million people. English is the official language and over
thirty indigenous languages are also spoken within the country. Its coastline is composed mostly of
mangroves, while its more sparsely populated inland consists of forests opening onto a plateau of drier
grasslands. The climate is hot and equatorial, with significant rainfall during the MayOctober rainy
season and harsh harmattan winds the remainder of the year. The country possesses about forty
percent of the remaining Upper Guinean rainforest.

Liberia is the only country in Africa founded by United States colonization while occupied by native
Africans. Beginning in 1820, the region was colonized by African Americans, most of whom were freed
slaves. The colonizers (who later become known as Americo-Liberians) established a new country with
the help of the American Colonization Society, a private organization whose leaders thought former
slaves would have greater opportunity in Africa. African captives freed from slave ships by the British
and Americans were sent there instead of being repatriated to their countries of origin.

In 1847, this new country became the Republic of Liberia, establishing a government modeled on that of
the United States and naming its capital city Monrovia after James Monroe, the fifth president of the
United States and a prominent supporter of the colonization. The colonists and their descendants,
known as Americo-Liberians, led the political, social, cultural and economic sectors of the country and
ruled the nation for over 130 years as a dominant minority.

The country began to modernize in the 1940s following investment by the United States during World
War II and economic liberalization under President William Tubman. Liberia was a founding member of
the United Nations and the Organisation of African Unity. In 1980 a military coup overthrew the
Americo-Liberian leadership, marking the beginning of political and economic instability and two
successive civil wars. These resulted in the deaths of between 250,000 and 520,000 people and
devastated the country's economy. A peace agreement in 2003 led to democratic elections in 2005.
Today, Liberia is recovering from the lingering effects of the civil wars and their consequent economic
upheaval, but about 85% of the population continue to live below the international poverty line.

Contents [hide]
1 History
1.1 20th century
2 Geography
2.1 Counties and districts
3 Politics
3.1 Military
3.2 Foreign relations with United Kingdom
4 Economy and infrastructure
4.1 Telecommunications
4.2 Transportation
4.3 Energy
4.4 Education
4.5 Health
4.6 Crime and law enforcement
5 Demographics
5.1 Largest cities
5.2 Religion
6 Culture
6.1 Cuisine
6.2 Sports
6.3 Measurement system
7 See also
8 References
9 Bibliography
10 Further reading
11 External links
History[edit]
Main article: History of Liberia

A European map of West Africa and the Pepper Coast, 1736. Included is the archaic mapping designation
of Negroland.
The Pepper Coast has been inhabited at least as far back as the 12th century and perhaps earlier.
Mende-speaking people expanded westward from the Sudan, forcing many smaller ethnic groups
southward towards the Atlantic ocean. The Dei, Bassa, Kru, Gola and Kissi were some of the earliest
recorded arrivals.[5]

This influx was compounded by the decline of the Western Sudanic Mali Empire in 1375 and later in
1591 with the Songhai Empire. Additionally, inland regions underwent desertification, and inhabitants
were pressured to move to the wetter coast. These new inhabitants brought skills such as cotton
spinning, cloth weaving, iron smelting, rice and sorghum cultivation, and social and political institutions
from the Mali and Songhai Empires.[6] Shortly after the Manes conquered the region, the Vai people of
the former Mali Empire immigrated into the Grand Cape Mount region. The ethnic Kru opposed the
influx of Vai, forming an alliance with the Manes to stop further influx of Vai.[7]

People along the coast built canoes and traded with other West Africans from Cap-Vert to the Gold
Coast. Between 1461 and late 17th century, Portuguese, Dutch and British traders had contacts and
trading posts in the region. The Portuguese named the area Costa da Pimenta ("Pepper Coast") but it
later came to be known as the Grain Coast, due to the abundance of grains of melegueta pepper.
European traders would barter various commodities and goods with local people. When the Kru began
trading with Europeans, they initially traded in commodities, but later they actively participated in the
African slave trade.[citation needed]

In 1820, the American Colonization Society (ACS) began sending African American volunteers to the
Pepper Coast to establish a colony for freed African Americans. The American Colonisation Society is
now widely regarded[by whom?] as being a failure in this effort - only an estimated 528 free African
Americans were convinced to move to Liberia.[citation needed] These free African Americans came to
identify themselves as Americo-Liberian, developing a cultural tradition infused with American notions
of racial supremacy, and political republicanism.[8]

The ACS, a private organization supported by prominent American politicians such as Abraham Lincoln,
Henry Clay, and James Monroe, believed repatriation was preferable to emancipation of slaves.[9]
Similar organizations established colonies in Mississippi-in-Africa and the Republic of Maryland, which
were later annexed by Liberia. On July 26, 1847, the settlers issued a Declaration of Independence and
promulgated a constitution, which, based on the political principles denoted in the United States
Constitution, created the independent Republic of Liberia.[10][11]


Presidents Edwin Barclay (right) and Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1943.
The leadership of the new nation consisted largely of the Americo-Liberians. The 1865 Ports of Entry Act
prohibited foreign commerce with the inland tribes.[10] In 1877, the Americo-Liberian True Whig Party
was the most powerful political power in the country.[12] Competition for office was usually contained
within the party, whose nomination virtually ensured election.[12]

Pressure from the United Kingdom and France led to a loss of Liberia's claims to extensive territories,
which were annexed by adjoining countries.[13] Economic development was hindered by the decline of
markets for Liberian goods in the late 19th century and by indebtedness on a series of international
loans.[14] In Liberia's early years, the Americo-Liberian settlers periodically encountered stiff and
sometimes violent opposition from indigenous Africans who were excluded from citizenship until
1904.[15]

20th century[edit]
In the mid-20th century, Liberia gradually began to modernize with American assistance. Both the
Freeport of Monrovia and Roberts International Airport were built by U.S. personnel through the Lend-
Lease program during World War II.[16] President William Tubman encouraged foreign investment in
the country, resulting in the second-highest rate of economic growth in the world during the 1950s.[16]

Liberia also began to take a more active role in international affairs. It was a founding member of the
United Nations in 1945 and became a vocal critic of the South African apartheid regime.[17] Liberia also
served as a proponent both of African independence from the European colonial powers and of Pan-
Africanism, helping to found the Organisation of African Unity.[18]


Samuel Doe with Caspar Weinberger during a visit to the United States, 1982.
On April 12, 1980, a military coup led by Master Sergeant Samuel Doe of the Krahn ethnic group
overthrew and killed President William R. Tolbert, Jr.. Doe and the other plotters later executed a
majority of Tolbert's cabinet and other Americo-Liberian government officials and True Whig Party
members.[19] The coup leaders formed the People's Redemption Council (PRC) to govern the
country.[19] A strategic Cold War ally of the West, Doe received significant financial backing from the
United States while critics condemned the PRC for corruption and political repression.[19]

After Liberia adopted a new constitution in 1985, Doe was elected president in subsequent elections
that were internationally condemned as fraudulent.[19] On November 12, 1985, a failed counter-coup
was launched by Thomas Quiwonkpa, whose soldiers briefly occupied the national radio station.[20]
Government repression intensified in response, as Doe's troops executed members of the Gio and Mano
ethnic groups in Nimba County.[20]

The National Patriotic Front of Liberia, a rebel group led by Charles Taylor, launched an insurrection in
December 1989 against Doe's government with the backing of neighboring countries such as Burkina
Faso and Cte d'Ivoire, triggering the First Liberian Civil War.[21] By September 1990, Doe's forces
controlled only a small area just outside the capital, and Doe was captured and executed that month by
rebel forces.[22] The rebels soon split into various factions fighting one another, and the Economic
Community Monitoring Group under the Economic Community of West African States organized a
military task force to intervene in the crisis.[22] From 1989 to 1996 one of Africa's bloodiest civil wars
ensued, claiming the lives of more than 200,000 Liberians and displacing a million others into refugee
camps in neighboring countries.[15] A peace deal between warring parties was reached in 1995 leading
to Taylor's election as president in 1997.[22]

Under Taylor's leadership, Liberia became internationally known as a pariah state due to the use of
blood diamonds and illegal timber exports to fund the Revolutionary United Front in the Sierra Leone
Civil War.[23] The Second Liberian Civil War began in 1999 when Liberians United for Reconciliation and
Democracy, a rebel group based in the northwest of the country, launched an armed insurrection
against Taylor.[24] In March 2003, a second rebel group, Movement for Democracy in Liberia, began
launching attacks against Taylor from the southeast.[24]

Peace talks between the factions began in Accra in June of that year, and Taylor was indicted by the
Special Court for Sierra Leone for crimes against humanity that same month.[23] By July 2003, the rebels
had launched an assault on Monrovia.[25] Under heavy pressure from the international community and
the domestic Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace movement,[26] Taylor resigned in August 2003
and went into exile in Nigeria,[27] and a peace deal was signed later that month.[28] The United Nations
Mission in Liberia began arriving in September 2003 to provide security and monitor the peace
accord,[29] and an interim government took power the following October.[30]

The subsequent 2005 elections were internationally regarded as the most free and fair in Liberian
history.[31] Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a Harvard-trained economist and former Minister of Finance, was
elected as the first female president in Africa.[31] Upon her inauguration, Sirleaf requested the
extradition of Taylor from Nigeria and immediately handed him over to the SCSL for trial in The
Hague.[32][33] In 2006, the government established a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to address
the causes and crimes of the civil war.[34]

Geography[edit]
Main article: Geography of Liberia

A map of Liberia.
Liberia is situated in West Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean to the country's southwest. It lies
between latitudes 4 and 9N, and longitudes 7 and 12W.

The landscape is characterized by mostly flat to rolling coastal plains that contain mangroves and
swamps, which rise to a rolling plateau and low mountains in the northeast.[35]

Tropical rainforests cover the hills, while elephant grass and semi-deciduous forests make up the
dominant vegetation in the northern sections.[35] The equatorial climate is hot year-round with heavy
rainfall from May to October with a short interlude in mid-July to August.[35] During the winter months
of November to March, dry dust-laden harmattan winds blow inland, causing many problems for
residents.[35]

Liberia's watershed tends to move in a southwestern pattern towards the sea as new rains move down
the forested plateau off the inland mountain range of Guine Forestire, in Guinea. Cape Mount near
the border with Sierra Leone receives the most precipitation in the nation.[35]

Liberia's main northwestern boundary is traversed by the Mano River while its southeast limits are
bounded by the Cavalla River.[35] Liberia's three largest rivers are St. Paul exiting near Monrovia, the
river St. John at Buchanan and the Cestos River, all of which flow into the Atlantic. The Cavalla is the
longest river in the nation at 515 kilometres (320 mi).[35]

The highest point wholly within Liberia is Mount Wuteve at 1,440 metres (4,724 ft) above sea level in
the northwestern Liberia range of the West Africa Mountains and the Guinea Highlands.[35] However,
Mount Nimba near Yekepa, is higher at 1,752 metres (5,748 ft) above sea level but is not wholly within
Liberia as Nimba shares a border with Guinea and Cte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and is their tallest
mountain as well.[36]

Counties and districts[edit]
Main articles: Counties of Liberia, Districts of Liberia and Clans of Liberia
A clickable map of Liberia exhibiting its fifteen counties.
About this image

A view of a lake in Bomi County.
Liberia is divided into fifteen counties, which, in turn, are subdivided into districts and further
subdivided into clans. The oldest counties are Grand Bassa and Montserrado, both founded in 1839
prior to Liberian independence. Gbarpolu is the newest county, created in 2001. Nimba is the largest of
the counties in size at 11,551 km2 (4,460 sq mi), while Montserrado is the smallest at 1,909 km2 (737 sq
mi).[37] Montserrado is also the most populous county with 1,144,806 residents as of the 2008
census.[37]


The fifteen counties are administered by superintendents appointed by the president. The Constitution
calls for the election of various chiefs at the county and local level, but these elections have not taken
place since 1985 due to war and financial constraints.[38]

map# County Capital Population (2008)[37] Area[37] Created
1 Bomi Tubmanburg 82,036 1,942 km2 (750 sq mi) 1984
2 Bong Gbarnga 328,919 8,772 km2 (3,387 sq mi) 1964
3 Gbarpolu Bopulu 83,758 9,689 km2 (3,741 sq mi) 2001
4 Grand Bassa Buchanan 224,839 7,936 km2 (3,064 sq mi) 1839
5 Grand Cape Mount Robertsport 129,055 5,162 km2 (1,993 sq mi) 1844
6 Grand Gedeh Zwedru 126,146 10,484 km2 (4,048 sq mi) 1964
7 Grand Kru Barclayville 57,106 3,895 km2 (1,504 sq mi) 1984
8 Lofa Voinjama 270,114 9,982 km2 (3,854 sq mi) 1964
9 Margibi Kakata 199,689 2,616 km2 (1,010 sq mi) 1985
10 Maryland Harper 136,404 2,297 km2 (887 sq mi) 1857
11 Montserrado Bensonville 1,144,806 1,909 km2 (737 sq mi) 1839
12 Nimba Sanniquellie 468,088 11,551 km2 (4,460 sq mi) 1964
13 Rivercess Rivercess 65,862 5,594 km2 (2,160 sq mi) 1985
14 River Gee Fish Town 67,318 5,113 km2 (1,974 sq mi) 2000
15 Sinoe Greenville 104,932 10,137 km2 (3,914 sq mi) 1843
Politics[edit]
Main article: Politics of Liberia

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
The government of Liberia, modeled on the government of the United States, is a unitary constitutional
republic and representative democracy as established by the Constitution. The government has three
co-equal branches of government: the executive, headed by the president; the legislative, consisting of
the bicameral Legislature of Liberia; and the judicial, consisting of the Supreme Court and several lower
courts.

The president serves as head of government, head of state and the commander-in-chief of the Armed
Forces of Liberia.[1] Among the other duties of the president are to sign or veto legislative bills, grant
pardons, and appoint Cabinet members, judges and other public officials. Together with the vice
president, the president is elected to a six-year term by majority vote in a two-round system and can
serve up to two terms in office.[1]

The Legislature is composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The House, led by a
speaker, has 73 members apportioned among the 15 counties on the basis of the national census, with
each county receiving a minimum of two members.[1] Each House member represents an electoral
district within a county as drawn by the National Elections Commission and is elected by a plurality of
the popular vote of their district into a six-year term. The Senate is made up of two senators from each
county for a total of 30 senators.[1] Senators serve nine-year terms and are elected at-large by a
plurality of the popular vote.[1] The vice president serves as the President of the Senate, with a
President pro tempore serving in his absence.

Liberia's highest judicial authority is the Supreme Court, made up of five members and headed by the
Chief Justice of Liberia. Members are nominated to the court by the president and are confirmed by the
Senate, serving until the age of 70. The judiciary is further divided into circuit and speciality courts,
magistrate courts and justices of the peace.[39] The judicial system is a blend of common law, based on
Anglo-American law, and customary law.[1] An informal system of traditional courts still exists within
the rural areas of the country, with trial by ordeal remaining common despite being officially
outlawed.[39]

Between 1877 and 1980, the government was dominated by the True Whig Party.[12] Today, over 20
political parties are registered in the country, based largely around personalities and ethnic groups.[31]
Most parties suffer from poor organizational capacity.[31] The 2005 elections marked the first time that
the president's party did not gain a majority of seats in the Legislature.[31]

Liberia scored a 3.3 on a scale from 10 (highly clean) to 0 (highly corrupt) on the 2010 Corruption
Perceptions Index. This gave it a ranking 87th of 178 countries worldwide and 11th of 47 in Sub-Saharan
Africa.[40] This score represented a significant improvement since 2007, when the country scored 2.1
and ranked 150th of 180 countries.[41] When seeking attention of a selection of service providers, 89%
of Liberians had to pay a bribe, the highest national percentage in the world according to the
organization's 2010 Global Corruption Barometer.[42]

Military[edit]
Main article: Armed Forces of Liberia
The Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) are the armed forces of the Republic of Liberia. Founded as the
Liberian Frontier Force in 1908, the military was retitled in 1956. For virtually all of its history, the AFL
has received considerable materiel and training assistance from the United States. For most of the
194189 period, training was largely provided by U.S. advisers, though this assistance has not prevented
the same generally low levels of effectiveness common to most of the armed forces in the developing
world.

Foreign relations with United Kingdom[edit]
The foreign relations of Liberia are handled by various governmental ministries. The UK was amongst
the first to recognise the new republic. After the visit to the UK in 1848 of President Roberts, Queen
Victoria put the Royal Navy ship HMS Amazon at the disposal of him and his family, for his return
journey to Liberia.[43]

In 1961, Queen Elizabeth II made a state visit to Liberia, arriving at Monrovia on the HMY Britannia.[44]
President Tubman made a gift of two Pygmy hippopotamus, which arrived by cargo ship in 1962 and
were sent to Whipsnade Zoo.[45]

In 1962, President Tubman and his wife visited the UK.[46]

Economy and infrastructure[edit]
Main article: Economy of Liberia

A boy grinding sugar cane.
The Central Bank of Liberia is responsible for printing and maintaining the Liberian dollar, which is the
primary form of currency in Liberia. Liberia is one of the world's poorest countries, with a formal
employment rate of only 15%.[39] GDP per capita peaked in 1980 at US$496, when it was comparable to
Egypt's (at the time).[47] In 2011, the country's nominal GDP was US$1.154 billion, while nominal GDP
per capita stood at US$297, the third-lowest in the world.[3] Historically, the Liberian economy has
depended heavily on foreign aid, foreign direct investment and exports of natural resources such as iron
ore, rubber and timber.[35]

Following a peak in growth in 1979, the Liberian economy began a steady decline due to economic
mismanagement following the 1980 coup.[48] This decline was accelerated by the outbreak of civil war
in 1989; GDP was reduced by an estimated 90% between 1989 and 1995, one of the fastest declines in
history.[48] Upon the end of the war in 2003, GDP growth began to accelerate, reaching 9.4% in
2007.[49] The global financial crisis slowed GDP growth to 4.6% in 2009,[49] though a strengthening
agricultural sector led by rubber and timber exports increased growth to 5.1% in 2010 and an expected
7.3% in 2011, making the economy one of the 20 fastest growing in the world.[50][51]

Current impediments to growth include a small domestic market, lack of adequate infrastructure, high
transportation costs, poor trade links with neighboring countries and the high dollarization of the
economy.[50] Liberia used the United States dollar as its currency from 1943 until 1982 and continues to
use the U.S. dollar alongside the Liberian dollar.[52] Following a decrease in inflation beginning in 2003,
inflation spiked in 2008 as a result of worldwide food and energy crises,[53] reaching 17.5% before
declining to 7.4% in 2009.[49] Liberia's external debt was estimated in 2006 at approximately $4.5
billion, 800% of GDP.[48] As a result of bilateral, multilateral and commercial debt relief from 2007 to
2010, the country's external debt fell to $222.9 million by 2011.[54]


Liberia, Trends in the Human Development Index 19702010.
While official commodity exports declined during the 1990s as many investors fled the civil war, Liberia's
wartime economy featured the exploitation of the region's diamond wealth.[55] The country acted as a
major trader in Sierra Leonian blood diamonds, exporting over US$300 million in diamonds in 1999.[56]
This led to a United Nations ban on Liberian diamond exports in 2001, which was lifted in 2007 following
Liberia's accession to the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme.[57] In 2003, additional UN sanctions
were placed on Liberian timber exports, which had risen from US$5 million in 1997 to over US$100
million in 2002 and were believed to be funding rebels in Sierra Leone.[58][59] These sanctions were
lifted in 2006.[60] Due in large part to foreign aid and investment inflow following the end of the war,
Liberia maintains a large account deficit, which peaked at nearly 60% in 2008.[50] Liberia gained
observer status with the World Trade Organization in 2010 and is in the process of acquiring full
member status.[61]

Liberia has the highest ratio of foreign direct investment to GDP in the world, with US$16 billion in
investment since 2006.[51] Following the inauguration of the Sirleaf administration in 2006, the country
signed several multi-billion dollar concession agreements in the iron ore and palm oil industries with
numerous multinational corporations, including BHP Billiton, ArcelorMittal, and Sime Darby.[62]
Especially palm oil companies like Sime Darby (Malaysia) and Golden Veroleum (USA) are being accused
by critics of the destruction of livelihoods and the displacement of local communities, enabled through
government concessions.[63] The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company has operated the world's largest
rubber plantation in Liberia since 1926.[64]

Due to its status as a flag of convenience, the country has the second-largest maritime registry in the
world behind Panama, with 3,500 vessels registered under its flag accounting for 11% of ships
worldwide.[65][66]

Telecommunications[edit]
Main article: Communications in Liberia
There are six major newspapers in Liberia, and 45% of the population has a mobile phone service. Much
of Liberia's communications infrastructure was destroyed or plundered during the two civil wars (1989
1996 and 19992003).[67] With low rates of adult literacy and high poverty rates, television and
newspaper use is limited, leaving radio as the predominant means of communicating with the
public.[68]

Transportation[edit]
Main article: Transport in Liberia
Wiki letter w.svg This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (June 2013)
Energy[edit]
Formal electricity services are solely provided by the state-owned Liberia Electricity Corporation, which
operates a small grid almost exclusively in the Greater Monrovia District.[69] The vast majority of
electric energy services is provided by small privately owned generators. At $0.54 per kWh, the
electricity tariff in Liberia is among the highest in the world. Total installed capacity in 2013 was 20 MW,
a sharp decline from a peak of 191 MW in 1989.[69] Completion of the repair and expansion of the
Mount Coffee Hydropower Plant, with a maximum capacity of 80 MW, is scheduled to be completed by
2018,[70] while construction of three new heavy fuel oil power plants is expected to boost electrical
capacity by 38 MW.[71] In 2013, Liberia began importing power from neighboring Cte d'Ivoire and
Guinea through the West African Power Pool.[72]

Liberia has begun exploration for offshore oil; unproven oil reserves may be in excess of one billion
barrels.[73] The government divided its offshore waters into 17 blocks and began auctioning off
exploration licenses for the blocks in 2004, with further auctions in 2007 and 2009.[74][75][76] An
additional 13 ultra-deep offshore blocks were demarcated in 2011 and planned for auction.[77] Among
the companies to have won licenses are Repsol, Chevron, Anadarko and Woodside Petroleum.[78]

Education[edit]
Main article: Education in Liberia

Students studying by candlelight in Bong County.
In 2010, the literacy rate of Liberia was estimated at 60.8% (64.8% for males and 56.8% for females).[79]
In some areas primary and secondary education is free and compulsory from the ages of 6 to 16, though
enforcement of attendance is lax.[80] In other areas children are required to pay a tuition fee to attend
school. On average, children attain 10 years of education (11 for boys and 8 for girls).[1] The country's
education sector is hampered by inadequate schools and supplies, as well as a lack of qualified
teachers.[81]

Higher education is provided by a number of public and private universities. The University of Liberia is
the country's largest and oldest university. Located in Monrovia, the university opened in 1862 and
today has six colleges, including a medical school and the nation's only law school, Louis Arthur Grimes
School of Law.[82] In 2009, Tubman University in Harper, Maryland County became the second public
university in Liberia.[83] Cuttington University, established by the Episcopal Church of the USA in 1889 in
Suakoko, Bong County, is the nation's oldest private university. Since 2006, the government has also
opened community colleges in Buchanan, Sanniquellie, and Voinjama.[84][85][86]

Health[edit]
Further information: Health in Liberia
The Hospitals in Liberia includes the John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Monrovia and several others.
Life expectancy in Liberia is estimated to be 57.4 years in 2012.[87] With a fertility rate of 5.9 births per
woman, the maternal mortality rate stood at 990 per 100,000 births in 2010.[88] A number of highly
communicable diseases are widespread, including tuberculosis, diarrheal diseases and malaria. In 2007,
the HIV infection rates stood at 2% of the population aged 1549 [89] whereas the incidence of
tuberculosis was 420 per 100,000 people in 2008.[90] Liberia imports 90% of its rice, a staple food, and
is extremely vulnerable to food shortages.[91] In 2007, 20.4% of children under the age of 5 were
malnourished.[92] In 2008, only 17% of the population had access to adequate sanitation facilities.[93]

Civil war strife ended in 2003 after destroying approximately 95% of the country's healthcare
facilities.[94] In 2009, government expenditure on health care per capita was US$22,[95] accounting for
10.6% of total GDP.[96] In 2008, Liberia had only 1 doctor and 27 nurses per 100,000 people.[90]

In 2014 there was an outbreak of Ebola virus in Liberia, which had originated in neighboring Guinea.[97]
As of June 20, 2014, there were 18 confirmed deaths and 24 suspected deaths in Liberia from the
ongoing outbreak.[98] In early August 2014 Guinea closed its borders to Liberia to help contain the
spreading of the virus, which originated in Guinea, as more new cases of the disease were being
reported in Liberia than in Guinea.[99] On 16 August 2014, a quarantine center in Monrovia was
attacked by protesters causing a number of patients being monitored for Ebola to flee, while blood-
soaked bedding and other infected items were removed. The incident was seen by officials as a disaster
as it had the potential to accelerate the spread of the disease.[100]

Crime and law enforcement[edit]
The "Liberian National Police" are the national police force of the country.

The Liberian National Police have 844 officers spread across 33 stations in Montserrado County, which
contains the capital Monrovia, as of October 2007.[101] Additionally, the National Police Training
Academy is in Montserrado County in Paynesville City.[102]

Rape and sexual assault have persisted in the post-conflict era in Liberia; the country has one of the
highest incidences of sexual violence against women in the world. Rape is the most frequently reported
crime, accounting for more than one-third of sexual violence cases; targets are largely adolescent girls,
and almost 40% of perpetrators are adult men known to victims. [103]

Demographics[edit]
Main articles: Demographics of Liberia and Languages of Liberia

The streets of downtown Monrovia in March 2009.

School children in Liberia
As of the 2008 national census, Liberia was home to 3,476,608 people.[104] Of those, 1,118,241 lived in
Montserrado County, the most populous county in the country and home to the capital of Monrovia,
with the Greater Monrovia District home to 970,824 people.[104] Nimba County is the next most
populous county with 462,026 residents.[104] As revealed in the 2008 census, Monrovia is more than
four times more populous than all the county capitals combined.[37]

Prior to the 2008 census, the last census had been held in 1984 and listed the country's population as
2,101,628.[104] The population of Liberia was 1,016,443 in 1962 and increased to 1,503,368 in 1974.[37]
As of 2006, Liberia has the highest population growth rate in the world (4.50% per annum). Similar to its
neighbors, it has a large youth population, with half of the population under the age of 18.

The population includes sixteen indigenous ethnic groups and various foreign minorities. Indigenous
peoples comprise about 95% of the population. The 16 officially recognized ethnic groups include the
Kpelle, Bassa, Mano, Gio or Dan, Kru, Grebo, Krahn, Vai, Gola, Mandingo or Mandinka, Mende, Kissi,
Gbandi, Loma, Fante, Dei or Dewoin, Belleh, and Americo-Liberians or Congo people. The largest of
which are the Kpelle in central and western Liberia. Americo-Liberians, who are descendants of African
American and West Indian, mostly Barbadian or Bajan settlers, make up 2.5%, and Congo people,
descendants of repatriated Congo and Afro-Caribbean slaves who arrived in 1825, make up an estimated
2.5%.[1][105]

There are also a large number of Lebanese, Indians, and other West African nationals who make up a
significant part of Liberia's business community. There is a high percentage of interracial marriage
between ethnic Liberians and the Lebanese. Thus creating a large mulatto population especially in and
around Monrovia. A small minority of Liberians of European descent reside in the country.[1] The
Liberian constitution restricts citizenship to only people of black African descent.[106]

Thirty-one indigenous languages are spoken within Liberia, none of which are a first language to more
than a small percentage of the population.[107] English is the official language and serves as the lingua
franca of the country.[108] Liberians speak a variety of dialects collectively known as Liberian
English.[108]

Largest cities[edit]
v t e
Largest cities or towns of Liberia
GeoNames
Rank Name County Pop.
Monrovia
Monrovia 1 Monrovia Montserrado 939,524
2 Gbarnga Bong 45,835
3 Kakata Margibi 33,945
4 Bensonville Montserrado 33,188
5 Harper Maryland 32,661
6 Voinjama Lofa 26,594
7 Buchanan Grand Bassa 25,731
8 Zwedru Grand Gedeh 25,678
9 New Yekepa Nimba 24,695
10 Greenville Sinoe 16,434
Religion[edit]
Main article: Religion in Liberia
Religion in Liberia[109]
Religion percent
Christianity

85.5%
Islam

12.2%
Unaffiliated

1.5%
Indigenous

0.5%
Other

0.1%
According to the 2008 National Census, 85.5% of the population practices Christianity. Muslims
comprise 12.2% of the population, largely coming from the Mandingo and Vai ethnic groups. Traditional
indigenous religions are practiced by 0.5% of the population, while 1.5% subscribe to no religion. A small
number of people are Bah', Hindu, Sikh, or Buddhist. Concurrent participation in indigenous religious
secret societies such as Poro and Sande is common, with some Sande societies practicing female genital
mutilation.[109] Liberian Muslims are divided into Sunnis, Shias, Ahmadiyyas, Sufis, and non-
denominational Muslims[110]

The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the government generally respects this
right.[109] While separation of church and state is also mandated by the Constitution, Liberia is
considered a Christian state in practice.[31] Public schools offer biblical studies, though parents may opt
out their children. Commerce is prohibited by law on Sundays and major Christian holidays. The
government does not require businesses or schools to excuse Muslims for Friday prayers.[109]

Culture[edit]
Main article: Culture of Liberia

The former Executive Mansion, an example of American South architectural influence.
The religious practices, social customs and cultural standards of the Americo-Liberians had their roots in
the antebellum American South. The settlers wore top hat and tails and modeled their homes on those
of Southern slaveowners.[111] Most Americo-Liberian men were members of the Masonic Order of
Liberia, which became heavily involved in the nation's politics.[112]

Liberia has a long, rich history in textile arts and quilting, as the settlers brought with them their sewing
and quilting skills. Liberia hosted National Fairs in 1857 and 1858 in which prizes were awarded for
various needle arts. One of the most well-known Liberian quilters was Martha Ann Ricks,[113] who
presented a quilt featuring the famed Liberian coffee tree to Queen Victoria in 1892. When President
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf moved into the Executive Mansion, she reportedly had a Liberian-made quilt
installed in her presidential office.[114]

A rich literary tradition has existed in Liberia for over a century. Edward Wilmot Blyden, Bai T. Moore,
Roland T. Dempster and Wilton G. S. Sankawulo are among Liberia's more prominent authors.[115]
Moore's novella Murder in the Cassava Patch is considered Liberia's most celebrated novel.[116]

Cuisine[edit]
Main article see Liberian cuisine


A beachside barbeque at Sinkor, Monrovia, Liberia
Liberian cuisine heavily incorporates rice, the country's staple food. Other ingredients include cassava,
fish, bananas, citrus fruit, plantains, coconut, okra and sweet potatoes.[117] Heavy stews spiced with
habanero and scotch bonnet chillies are popular and eaten with fufu.[118] Liberia also has a tradition of
baking imported from the United States that is unique in West Africa.[119]

Sports[edit]

Liberian footballer George Weah holding the Ballon d'Or in 1995
The most popular sport in Liberia is association football, with George Weah (the only African to be
named FIFA World Player of the Year) the nation's most famous athlete.[120] The Liberia national
football team has reached the Africa Cup of Nations twice, in 1996 and 2002.

In Liberia, the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex serves as a multi-purpose stadium and hosts sporting
events.

Measurement system[edit]
Liberia is one of only three countries that has not officially adopted the International System of
Units.[121] The Liberian government has begun transitioning away from use of imperial units to the
metric system.[122] However, this change has been gradual, with government reports concurrently
using both imperial and metric units.[123][124] A 2008 report from the University of Tennessee stated
that the changeover from imperial to metric measures was confusing to coffee and cocoa farmers.[122]

See also[edit]
Gender inequality in Liberia
Terrestrial globe.svgGeography portal Africa satellite orthographic.jpgAfrica portal Flag of
Liberia.svgLiberia portal
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Bibliography[edit]
Dunn-Marcos, Robin; Kollehlon, Konia T.; Ngovo, Bernard; Russ, Emily (April 2005). "Liberians: An
Introduction to their History and Culture" (PDF). In Ranar, Donald A. Culture Profile (Center for Applied
Linguistics) (19). Archived from the original on 2008-06-25. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
Further reading[edit]
Gilbert, Erik & Reynolds, Jonathan T (October 2003). Africa in World History, From Prehistory to the
Present (Paperback ed.). Prentice Hall. ISBN 978-0-13-092907-5.
Merriam Webster's Geographical Dictionary: 3rd Edition (Paperback ed.). Merriam Webster Inc.,
Springfield. 1997. ISBN 0-87779-546-0.
Tim Hetherington (2009). Long Story Bit By Bit: Liberia Retold. New York: Umbrage. ISBN 978-1-884167-
73-7.
Graham Greene (1936). Journey Without Maps. Vintage. ISBN 978-0-09-928223-5.
Gabriel I. H. Williams (July 6, 2006). Liberia: The Heart of Darkness. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 1-55369-
294-2.
Alan Huffman (2004). Mississippi in Africa: The Saga of the Slaves of Prospect Hill Plantation and Their
Legacy in Liberia Today. Gotham Books. ISBN 978-1-59240-044-7.
John-Peter Pham (April 4, 2001). Liberia: Portrait of a Failed State. Reed Press. ISBN 1-59429-012-1.
Barbara Greene (March 5, 1991). Too Late to Turn Back. Penguin. ISBN 0-14-009594-2.
Great Tales of Liberia by Wilton Sankawulo. Dr. Sankawulo is the compiler of these tales from Liberia
and about Liberian culture. Published by Editura Universitatii "Lucian Blaga"; din Sibiu, Romania, 2004.
ISBN 973-651-838-8.
Sundown at Dawn: A Liberian Odyssey by Wilton Sankawulo. Recommended by the Cultural Resource
Center, Center for Applied Linguistics for its content concerning Liberian culture. ISBN 0-9763565-0-3
To Liberia: Destiny's Timing, by Victoria Lang (Publish America, Baltimore, 2004, ISBN 1-4137-1829-9). A
fast-paced gripping novel of the journey of a young Black couple fleeing America to settle in the African
motherland of Liberia.
Godfrey Mwakikagile, Military Coups in West Africa Since The Sixties, Chapter Eight: Liberia: 'The Love of
Liberty Brought Us Here,' pp. 85 110, Nova Science Publishers, Inc., Huntington, New York, 2001;
Godfrey Mwakikagile, The Modern African State: Quest for Transformation, Chapter One: The Collapse
of A Modern African State: Death and Rebirth of Liberia, pp. 1 18, Nova Science Publishers, Inc., 2001.
Redemption Road: The Quest for Peace and Justice in Liberia (A Novel) by Elma Shaw, with a Foreword
by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. (Cotton Tree Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0-9800774-0-7)
House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood by Helene Cooper (Simon & Schuster, 2008,
ISBN 0-7432-6624-2)
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Liberia.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Liberia.
Chief of State and Cabinet Members[dead link]
Liberia entry at The World Factbook
Liberia from UCB Libraries GovPubs.
Liberia at DMOZ
Liberia profile from the BBC News.
"Liberia Maps", Perry-Castaeda Library, University of Texas at Austin.
Wikimedia Atlas of Liberia
[show]
Articles relating to Liberia
Categories: LiberiaCountries in AfricaEconomic Community of West African StatesEnglish-speaking
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