A civil war that began in December 1989 created many refugees and destroyed the Liberian economy.
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| National motto: The love of liberty brought us here. | |||||
| Official language | English | ||||
| Capital | Monrovia | ||||
| President | Gyude Bryant | ||||
| Area - Total - % water | Ranked 101st 111,370 km² 1% | ||||
| Population
- Total - Density | Ranked 129th
3,317,176 (2003) 26.3/km² | ||||
| Independence | July 26, 1847 | ||||
| Currency | Liberian dollar | ||||
| Time zone | UTC | ||||
| National anthem | All Hail, Liberia Hail | ||||
| Internet TLD | .LR | ||||
| Calling Code | 231 | ||||
| Table of contents |
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2 Politics 3 Counties 4 Geography 5 Economy 6 Demographics 7 Culture 8 Miscellaneous topics 9 External links |
Liberia was settled by freed American slaves in the early 1800s, and this is where the country gets its name from. Liberia became a republic in 1847.
These freed slaves were called Americo-Liberians, and became an elite group living on the coast of the country. Under their rule the country made much economic progress.
The Americo-Liberians, though, had little in common with the tribal communities living inland. One of these tribes were the Krahn, to which Samuel Doe belonged. In 1980 Doe staged a coup, and executed the President of nine-years William R. Tolbert, Jr in his mansion.
Despite his military regime, Doe made strong ties with the United States in the early 1980s, receiving a lot of money for pushing out the Soviet Union from the country, and allowing exclusive rights for the US to use Liberia's ports and land.
Doe continued his authoritarian policies, banning newspapers, outlawing opposition parties and holding staged elections.
In late 1989, Doe was outsted and killed by Charles Taylor, Yormie Johnson and members of the Gio tribe, creating a civil war. The conflict intensified in mid-2003, when the fighting moved closer to Monrovia. As a result, Charles Taylor accepted an asylum offer by Nigeria, but vowed: "God willing, I will be back."
The country is currently governed by an interim caretaker government.
See also: List of Presidents of Liberia
Liberia is divided into 13 counties:
Liberia is situated in Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean. The landscape is characterised by mostly flat to rolling coastal plains, which rise to rolling plateau and low mountains in the northeast. The climate is tropical: hot and humid. Winters are dry with hot days and cool to cold nights. Summers are wet and cloudy with frequent heavy showers.
The Liberian economy depended heavily on the export of iron ore. The long civil war has destroyed much of the country's infrastructure and Liberia is dependent on foreign aid.
The population of over 3 million comprises 16 indigenous ethnic groups and various foreign minorities. The Kpelle in central and western Liberia is the largest ethnic group. The Liberian constitution restricts citizenship only to people of Negro descent. Political upheavals and civil war have brought about a steep decline in living standards.
Liberia was traditionally noted for its hospitality and academic institutions, cultural skills and arts and craft works.
History
Main article: History of LiberiaPolitics
Main article: Politics of LiberiaCounties
Main article: Counties of LiberiaGeography
Main article: Geography of LiberiaEconomy
Main article: Economy of LiberiaDemographics
Main article: Demographics of LiberiaCulture
Main article: Culture of Liberia
| Date | English Name | Local Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independence Day | July 26 |
Miscellaneous topics
External links