Current Environmental Issues: tropical rain forest deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage

Geography

Source: CIA

Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone

Geographic Coordinates: 6 30 N, 9 30 W

Area:

total: 111,370 sq km
land: 96,320 sq km
water: 15,050 sq km

Land Boundaries:

total: 1,585 km
border countries: Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km

Coastline: 579 km

Maritime Claims:

territorial sea: 200 nm

Natural Hazards: dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March)

Terrain

Mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast

Elevation Extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Wuteve 1,380 m

Climate

Tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers

Government

Government Type: Republic

Capital: Monrovia

Independence Date: 26 July 1847

Legal System: 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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

International Agreement

Environmental-international Agreement:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation

People and Society

Population: 3,334,587 (July 2008 est.)

Age Structure:

0-14 years: 44% (male 734,375/female 731,287)
15-64 years: 53.3% (male 879,848/female 896,319)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 45,175/female 47,583) (2008 est.)

Population Growth Rate: 3.661% (2008 est.)

Birth Rate: 42.92 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death Rate: 21.45 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net Migration Rate: 15.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth:

total population: 41.13 years
male: 39.85 years
female: 42.46 years (2008 est.)

Total Fertility Rate: 5.87 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Languages: English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages, of which a few can be written and are used in correspondence

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 57.5%
male: 73.3%
female: 41.6% (2003 est.)

Water

Total Renewable Water Resources: 232 cu km (1987)

Freshwater Withdrawal (domestic, industrial, agricultural):

total: 0.11 cu km/yr (27%/18%/55%)
per capita: 34 cu m/yr (2000)

Agriculture

Agricultural Products: rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, sugarcane, bananas; sheep, goats; timber

Irrigated Land: 30 sq km (2003)

Resources

Natural Resources: iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower

Land Use:

arable land: 3.43%
permanent crops: 1.98%
other: 94.59% (2005)

Energy

Health

Prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Adults: 5.9% (2003 est.)

Major Infectious Diseases:

degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever
animal contact disease: rabies (2008)

Conflict

International Disputes: although civil unrest continues to abate with the assistance of 18,000 UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) peacekeepers, as of January 2007, Liberian refugees still remain in Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, and Ghana; Liberia, in turn, shelters refugees fleeing turmoil in Cote d'Ivoire; despite the presence of over 9,000 UN forces (UNOCI) in Cote d'Ivoire since 2004, ethnic conflict continues to spread into neighboring states who can no longer send their migrant workers to Ivorian cocoa plantations; UN sanctions ban Liberia from exporting diamonds and timber

Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons: refugees (country of origin): 12,600 (Cote d'Ivoire)
IDPs: 13,000 (civil war from 1990-2004; IDP resettlement began in November 2004) (2007)

Illicit Drugs: 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

Economy

Civil war and government mismanagement destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around the capital, Monrovia. Many businesses fled the country, taking capital and expertise with them, but with the conclusion of fighting and the installation of a democratically-elected government in 2006, some have returned. 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. President JOHNSON SIRLEAF, a Harvard-trained banker and administrator, has taken steps to reduce corruption, build support from international donors, and encourage private investment. Embargos on timber and diamond exports have been lifted, opening new sources of revenue for the government. The reconstruction of infrastructure and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economy will largely depend on generous financial and technical assistance from donor countries and foreign investment in key sectors, such as infrastructure and power generation.

GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $1.34 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (Official Exchange Rate): $730 million (2007 est.)

GDP- real growth rate: 9.4% (2007 est.)

GDP- per capita (PPP): $400 (2007 est.)

GDP- composition by sector:

agriculture: 76.9%
industry: 5.4%
services: 17.7% (2002 est.)

Population Below Poverty Line: 80% (2000 est.)

Household Income or Consumption by Percentage Share:

lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Industries: rubber processing, palm oil processing, timber, diamonds

Exports: rubber, timber, iron, diamonds, cocoa, coffee

Export Partners: Malaysia 22.1%, South Africa 18.1%, Poland 14.9%, Germany 9.2%, US 8.4%, Spain 6.6%, South Korea 4.8%, [[]Norway] 4.4% (2006)

Imports: fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods; foodstuffs

Import Partners: South Korea 38.2%, Singapore 19.4%, Japan 13.1%, China 10.2% (2006)

Economic Aid Recipient: $236.2 million (2005)

Currency: Liberian dollar (LRD)

Communications

Telephones- main line in use: 6,900 (2002)

Telephones- mobile/cellular: 563,000 (2007)

Radio Broadcast Stations: AM 0, FM 10, shortwave 2 (2007)

Television Broadcast Stations: 4 (plus 4 repeaters) (2007)

Internet Hosts: 38 (2007)

Internet Users: 1,000 (2002)

Transportation

Airports: 53 (2007)

Railways:

total: 490 km
standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 145 km 1.067-m gauge
note: sections of railway are inoperable because of damage suffered during the civil war (2008)

Roadways:

total: 10,600 km
paved: 657 km
unpaved: 9,943 km (2000)

Ports and Terminals: Buchanan, Monrovia