World Atlas: Liberia. On this page you can see the map, country flag and many detailed information about the people, history and economy of Liberia.
Here you can find online selected information about the geography, inhabitants, government, economy and history of Liberia. Included are selected statistics, an overview map and the detailed map of Liberia. But let's start with the flag of Liberia here:
Liberia - Overview:
What you should know about Liberia? Let's start with this: Settlement of freed slaves from the US in what is today Liberia began in 1822; by 1847, the Americo-Liberians were able to establish a republic. William Tubman, president from 1944-71, did much to promote foreign investment and to bridge the economic, social, and political gaps between the descendants of the original settlers and the inhabitants of the interior. In 1980, a military coup led by Samuel DOE ushered in a decade of authoritarian rule. In December 1989, Charles Taylor launched a rebellion against DOE's regime that led to a prolonged civil war in which DOE was killed. A period of relative peace in 1997 allowed for an election that brought Taylor to power, but major fighting resumed in 2000. An August 2003 peace agreement ended the war and prompted the resignation of former president Charles Taylor, who was convicted by the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone in The Hague for his involvement in Sierra Leone's civil war. After two years of rule by a transitional government, democratic elections in late 2005 brought President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to power. She subsequently won reelection in 2011 but was challenged to rebuild Liberia's economy, particularly following the 2014-15 Ebola epidemic, and to reconcile a nation still recovering from 14 years of fighting. In July 2016, the UN handed over peacekeeping responsibility to Liberia and reduced the UN troop presence, which now serves a support role. Constitutional term limits barred President Johnson Sirleaf from running for re-election. The November 2017 presidential runoff election was halted pending a ruling on fraud allegations.
Geography of Liberia
Where on the globe is Liberia? The location of this country is Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone. Total area of Liberia is 111,369 sq km, of which 96,320 sq km is land. So this is not a large country. How could we describe the terrain of the country? This way: mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast. The lowest point of Liberia is Atlantic Ocean 0 m, the highest point Mount Wuteve 1,447 m. And the climate is tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers.
Inhabitants of Liberia
Let's take a look how many people live in Liberia. The number is: 4,689,021 (July 2017 est.). So this is not very populous country. Who lives here? Kpelle 20.3%, Bassa 13.4%, Grebo 10%, Gio 8%, Mano 7.9%, Kru 6%, Lorma 5.1%, Kissi 4.8%, Gola 4.4%, other 20.1% (2008 Census). What are the languages in Liberia? English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages few of which can be written or used in correspondence. And the religions: Christian 85.6%, Muslim 12.2%, Traditional 0.6%, other 0.2%, none 1.4% (2008 Census). How old are the people in average? 17.8 years. We have to add that this number is the median - so one half of the people is older than this, one half is younger. And what is their life expectancy (at birth)? This: 63.3 years. Where the people live in Liberia? Here: more than half of the population lives in urban areas, with approximately one-third living within an 80-km radius of Monrovia. The major urban areas of Liberia are: Monrovia (capital) 1.264 million (2015).
Government and Economy of Liberia
The capital of Liberia is Monrovia and the government type presidential republic. Let's take a look at the administrative divisions - 15 counties; Bomi, Bong, Gbarpolu, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, River Gee, Sinoe. Regarding the economy of Liberia, important industrial products are mining (iron ore and gold), rubber processing, palm oil processing, diamonds. Important agricultural products are rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (manioc, tapioca), palm oil, sugarcane, bananas; sheep, goats; timbe. The most important export commodities are rubber, timber, iron, diamonds, cocoa, coffee and the most important export partners are Poland 18.5%, Switzerland 9.7%, UAE 9.4%, Netherlands 8.9%, Germany 6.1%, US 5.9%, South Africa 5%, China 4.4%, Ghana 4.2% (2016). The most important import commodities are fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods; foodstuffs and the most important import partners are South Korea 38.3%, Singapore 18%, China 15.9%, Japan 10.9% (2016). How rich is Liberia and how rich are people in this country? The most important number here is GDP per capita (PPP): $900 (2017 est.). This is a very low number. Let's add that this means Gross Domestic Product per person, which is recalculated with respect to the relative cost of local goods and services. And one more important number - population below poverty line: 54.1% (2014 est.).