Liberia
Liberia
Liberia is a nation in western-Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Côte d'Ivoire in the east and south and Sierra Leone in the northwest.
Liberia is mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast. The coastline is characterized by lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars; while the inland grassy plateau supports limited agriculture.
Liberia's major environmental issues include:
- tropical rain forest deforestation;
- soil erosion;
- loss of biodiversity; and,
-
pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage.
Location of Liberia. Source: Vardion/Wikipedia
It is susceptible to dust-laden harmattan winds which blow from the Sahara Desert from December to March.
Settlement of freed slaves from the United States 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 descendents 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 himself was killed. A period of relative peace in 1997 allowed for elections 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 faces war crimes charges in The Hague related to 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.
The UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) maintains a strong presence throughout the country, but the security situation is still fragile and the process of rebuilding the social and economic structure of this war-torn country will take many years.
Source: CIA World Factbook
Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Côte d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone
Geographic Coordinates: 6 30 N, 9 30 W
Area: 111,370 km2 (96,320 km2 land and 15,050 km2 water)
arable land: 3.43%
permanent crops: 1.98%
other: 94.59% (2005)
Land Boundaries: 1,585 km. Border countries: Guinea 563 km, Côte d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km
Coastline: 579 km
Maritime Claims: territorial sea to 200 nautical miles
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.Its lowest point is the Atlantic Ocean (0 metres) and its highest point is Mount Wuteve (1,380 metres)
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 Environmental Agreements
Liberia is party to international agreements on: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, and Wetlands. It has signed, but not ratified agreements on: 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: 41.13 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: 57.5% (2003 est.)
Water
Total Renewable Water Resources: 232 cu km (1987)
Freshwater Withdrawal: Total: 0.11 cu km/yr (27% domestic, 18% industrial, 55% agricultural). 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.
Energy
| Energy in Liberia | |||||
| Production | Consumption | Exports | Imports | Reserves | |
| Electricity | 319.3 million kWh (2005) | 296.9 million kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (2005) | |
| Oil | 0 bbl/day (2005 est.) | 3,550 bbl/day (2005 est.) | 23.31 bbl/day (2004) | 3,532 bbl/day (2004) | 0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.) |
| Natural Gas | 0 cu m (2005 est.) | 0 cu m (2005 est.) | 0 cu m (2005 est.) | 0 cu m (2005) | 0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.) |
| Source: CIA Factbook | |||||
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, [[[Côte d'Ivoire]], Sierra Leone, and Ghana; Liberia, in turn, shelters refugees fleeing turmoil in Côte d'Ivoire; despite the presence of over 9,000 UN forces (UNOCI) in Côte 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 (Côte d'Ivoire). Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs): 13,000 (civil war from 1990-2004; IDP resettlement began in November 2004) (2007)
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.)
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)
Ports and Terminals: Buchanan, Monrovia
Further Reading
Citation
Central Intelligence Agency (Lead Author);CIA World Factbook (Content Source);Lakhdar Boukerrou (Topic Editor) "Liberia". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth May 31, 2009; Last revised Date December 31, 2011; Retrieved February 9, 2012 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Liberia>
The Author
The Central Intelligence Agency was created in 1947 with the signing of the National Security Act by President Harry S. Truman. The act also created a Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) to serve as head of the United States intelligence community; act as the principal adviser to the President for intelligence matters related to the national security; and serve as head of the Central Intelligence Agency. The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 amended the National Securit ... (Full Bio)
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