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(opens in new window) In August 2003, a comprehensive peace agreement ended 14 years of
civil war and prompted the resignation of former president Charles
TAYLOR, who was exiled to Nigeria. After two years of rule by a
transitional government, democratic elections in late 2005 brought
President Ellen JOHNSON-SIRLEAF to power. The legislative and
presidential polls were broadly deemed free and fair despite fraud
allegations from JOHNSON-SIRLEAF's rival George WEAH. The UN Mission
in Liberia (UNMIL), which maintains a strong presence throughout the
country, completed a disarmament program for former combatants in
late 2004, but the security situation is still volatile and the
process of rebuilding the social and economic structure of this
war-torn country remains sluggish.
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote
d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone
6 30 N, 9 30 W
total: 111,370 sq km total: 1,585 km 579 km territorial sea: 200 nm
tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold
nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and
low mountains in northeast
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower
arable land: 3.43% 30 sq km (2003)
dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March)
tropical rain forest deforestation; soil erosion; loss of
biodiversity; pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw
sewage facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by
lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars; the inland
grassy plateau supports limited agriculture
3,042,004 (July 2006 est.)
0-14 years: 43.1% (male 656,016/female 653,734) total: 18.1 years 4.91% (2006 est.)
44.77 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
23.1 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
27.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female total: 155.76 deaths/1,000 live births total population: 39.65 years 6.02 children born/woman (2006 est.)
5.9% (2003 est.)
100,000 (2003 est.)
7,200 (2003 est.)
degree of risk: very high noun: Liberian(s) indigenous African tribes 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru,
Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, Dei, Bella,
Mandingo, and Mende), Americo-Liberians 2.5% (descendants of
immigrants from the US who had been slaves), Congo People 2.5%
(descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean who had been slaves)
indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%
English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages, of which a
few can be written and are used in correspondence definition: age 15 and over can read and write conventional long form: Republic of Liberia republic Monrovia 15 counties; Bomi, Bong, Gbarpolu, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount,
Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba,
River Cess, River Gee, Sinoe 26 July 1847
Independence Day, 26 July (1847)
6 January 1986
dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American common law for
the modern sector and customary law based on unwritten tribal
practices for indigenous sector; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations 18 years of age; universal
bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (30 seats -
number of seats changed in 11 October 2005 elections; members
elected by popular vote to serve nine-year terms) and the House of
Representatives (64 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
six-year terms) Supreme Court
Civil war and government mismanagement have destroyed much of
Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around
Monrovia, while continued international sanctions on diamonds and
timber exports will limit growth prospects for the foreseeable
future. Many businessmen have fled the country, taking capital and
expertise with them. Some have returned, but many will not. Richly
endowed with water, mineral resources, forests, and a climate
favorable to agriculture, Liberia had been a producer and exporter
of basic products - primarily raw timber and rubber. Local
manufacturing, mainly foreign owned, had been small in scope. The
departure of the former president, Charles TAYLOR, to Nigeria in
August 2003, the establishment of the all-inclusive Transitional
Government, and the arrival of a UN mission have helped diffuse the
political crisis, but have done little to encourage economic
development. Wealthy international donors, who are ready to assist
reconstruction efforts, are withholding funding until Liberia's
National Assembly signs onto a Governance and Economic Management
Action Plan (GEMAP). The Plan was created in October 2005 by the
International Contact Group for Liberia to help ensure transparent
revenue collection and allocation - something that was lacking under
the Transitional Government and that has limited Liberia's economic
recovery. The reconstruction of infrastructure and the raising of
incomes in this ravaged economy will largely depend on generous
financial support and technical assistance from donor countries.
$2.598 billion (2005 est.)
8% (2005 est.)
$900 (2005 est.)
agriculture: 76.9% agriculture: 70% 85% (2003 est.)
80% 15% (2003 est.)
revenues: $85.4 million rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, sugarcane,
bananas; sheep, goats; timber rubber processing, palm oil processing, timber, diamonds
509.4 million kWh (2003)
473.8 million kWh (2003)
3,400 bbl/day (2003 est.)
$910 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
rubber, timber, iron, diamonds, cocoa, coffee
Denmark 28%, Germany 18%, Poland 13.6%, US 8.5%, Greece 7.6%,
Thailand 4.8% (2004) $4.839 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured
goods; foodstuffs South Korea 38.6%, Japan 21.1%, Singapore 12.2%, Croatia 5.3%,
Germany 4.2% (2004) $3.2 billion (2005 est.)
$94 million (1999)
Liberian dollar (LRD)
calendar year
6,900 (2002) 47,300 (2003) general assessment: the limited services available are found
almost exclusively in the capital Monrovia AM 0, FM 7, shortwave 2 (2001)
1 (plus four low-power repeaters) (2001)
.lr 5 (2005) 1,000 (2002) 53 (2005) total: 2 total: 51 total: 490 km total: 10,600 km total: 1,533 ships (1000 GRT or over) 56,681,509
GRT/88,825,842 DWT Buchanan, Monrovia
Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL): Army, Navy, Air Force
although Liberia's domestic fighting among disparate rebel groups,
warlords, and youth gangs was declared over in 2003, civil unrest
persists, and in 2004, 133,000 Liberian refugees remained in Guinea,
72,000 in Cote d'Ivoire, 67,000 in Sierra Leone, and 43,000 in
Ghana; Liberia, in turn, shelters refugees fleeing turmoil in Cote
d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone; since 2003, the UN Mission in Liberia
(UNMIL) has maintained about 18,000 peacekeepers in Liberia; the
Cote d'Ivoire Government accuses Liberia of supporting Ivoirian
rebels; UN sanctions ban Liberia from exporting diamonds and timber
refugees (country of origin): 13,941 (Sierra Leone) 12,408
(Cote d'Ivoire) transshipment point for Southeast and Southwest Asian heroin and
South American cocaine for the European and US markets; corruption,
criminal activity, arms-dealing, and diamond trade provide
significant potential for money laundering, but the lack of
well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a
major money-laundering center |
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