LIBERIA
MARCH 25, 2009 BY RANG WHAM
| Introduction | Liberia | Top of Page |
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Background:
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 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. She subsequently won reelection in 2011 in a second round vote that was boycotted by the opposition and remains challenged to build Liberia's economy and reconcile a nation still recovering from 14 years of fighting. The United Nations Security Council in September 2012 passed Resolution 2066 which calls for a reduction of UN troops in Liberia by half by 2015, bringing the troop total down to fewer than 4000, and challenging Liberia's security sector to fill the gaps.
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| Geography | Liberia | Top of Page |
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Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone
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Geographic coordinates:
6 30 N, 9 30 W
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Map references:
Africa
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Area:
total: 111,369 sq km
land: 96,320 sq km water: 15,049 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Tennessee
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Land boundaries:
total: 1,585 km
border countries: Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km |
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Coastline:
579 km
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Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 200 nm |
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Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers
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Terrain:
mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast
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Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Wuteve 1,380 m |
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Natural resources:
iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower
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Land use:
arable land: 3.43%
permanent crops: 1.98% other: 94.59% (2005) |
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Irrigated land:
30 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water resources:
232 cu km (1987)
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.11 cu km/yr (27%/18%/55%)
per capita: 34 cu m/yr (2000) |
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Natural hazards:
dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March)
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Environment - current issues:
tropical rain forest deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage
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Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation |
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Geography - note:
facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars; the inland grassy plateau supports limited agriculture
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| People | Liberia | Top of Page |
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Population:
3,887,886 (July 2012 est.)
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Age structure:
0-14 years: 44.1% (male 861,721/ female 850,951)
15-64 years: 53% (male 1,019,144/ female 1,040,077) 65 years and over: 3% (male 58,159/ female 57,834) (2012 est.) |
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Median age:
total: 18.2 years
male: 18 years female: 18.3 years (2012 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
2.609% (2012 est.)
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Birth rate:
36.45 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)
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Death rate:
10.36 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)
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Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)
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Urbanization:
urban population: 48% of total population (2010)
rate of urbanization: 3.4% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.) |
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Major cities - population:
MONROVIA (capital) 882,000 (2009)
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Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2011 est.) |
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Maternal mortality rate:
770 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
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Infant mortality rate:
total: 72.71 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 77.08 deaths/1,000 live births female: 68.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 57.41 years
male: 55.82 years female: 59.04 years (2012 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
5.02 children born/woman (2012 est.)
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Health expenditures:
3.9% of GDP (2009)
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Physicians density:
0.014 physicians/1,000 population (2008)
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Hospital bed density:
0.7 beds/1,000 population (2009)
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Sanitation facility access:
improved: urban: 25% of population rural: 4% of population total: 17% of population unimproved: urban: 75% of population rural: 96% of population total: 83% of population |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.5% (2009 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
37,000 (2009 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
3,600 (2009 est.)
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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 (2009) |
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Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
20.4% (2007)
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Nationality:
noun: Liberian (s)
adjective: Liberian |
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Ethnic groups:
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)
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Religions:
Christian 85.6%, Muslim 12.2%, Traditional 0.6%, other 0.2%, none 1.4% (2008 Census)
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Languages:
English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages few of which can be written or used in correspondence
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Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 60.8% male: 64.8% female: 56.8% (2010 est.) |
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 11 years
male: 13 years female: 9 years (2000) |
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Education expenditures:
2.7% of GDP (2008)
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| Government | Liberia | Top of Page |
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Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Liberia
conventional short form: Liberia |
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Government type:
republic
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Capital:
name: Monrovia
geographic coordinates: 6 18 N, 10 48 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
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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
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Independence:
26 July 1847
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National holiday:
Independence Day, 26 July (1847)
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Constitution:
6 January 1986
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Legal system:
mixed legal system of common law (based on Anglo-American law) and customary law
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International law organization participation:
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
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Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF (since 16 January 2006); Vice President Joseph BOAKAI (since 16 January 2006); note - the President is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF (since 16 January 2006); Vice President Joseph BOAKAI (since 16 January 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); elections last held on 11 October and 8 November 2011 (next to be held in 2017) election results: Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF re-elected president; percent of vote, second round - Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF 90.7%, Winston TUBMAN 9.3% |
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Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (30 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve nine-year terms) and the House of Representatives (73 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held on 11 October 2011 (next to be held in 2014); House of Representatives - last held on 11 October 2011 (next to be held in 2017) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UP 10, NPP 6, CDC 3, ADP 2, NUDP 2, LDP 1, LP 1, NDC 1, NDP 1, independents 3; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UP 24, CDC 11, LP 7, NUDP 6, NDC 5, ADP 3, NPP 3, MPC 2, LDP 1, LTP 1, NRP 1, independents 9 |
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Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
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Political parties and leaders:
Alliance for Peace and Democracy or APD [Togba-na TIPOTEH]; Congress for Democratic Change or CDC [George WEAH]; Liberty Party or LP [Charles BRUMSKINE]; National Patriotic Party or NPP [Roland MASSAQUOI]; Unity Party or UP [Varney SHERMAN]
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
other: demobilized former military officers |
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International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jeremiah Congbeh SULUNTEH
chancery: 5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 723-0437 FAX: [1] (202) 723-0436 consulate(s) general: New York |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Deborah R. MALAC
embassy: 111 United Nations Drive, P. O. Box 98, Mamba Point, 1000 Monrovia, 10 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [231] 7-705-4826 FAX: [231] 7-701-0370 |
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Flag description:
11 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; a white five-pointed star appears on a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner; the stripes symbolize the signatories of the Liberian Declaration of Independence; the blue square represents the African mainland, and the star represents the freedom granted to the ex-slaves; according to the constitution, the blue color signifies liberty, justice, and fidelity, the white color purity, cleanliness, and guilelessness, and the red color steadfastness, valor, and fervor
note: the design is based on the US flag |
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National symbol(s):
white star
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National anthem:
name: "All Hail, Liberia Hail!" lyrics/music: Daniel Bashiel WARNER/Olmstead LUCA note: lyrics adopted 1847, music adopted 1860; the anthem's author would become the third president of Liberia |
| Economy | Liberia | Top of Page |
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Economy - overview:
Liberia is a low income country heavily reliant on foreign assistance for revenue. 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, several have returned. Liberia has the distinction of having the highest ratio of direct foreign investment to GDP in the world. 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 and is reviving those sectors. 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 and Liberia shipped its first major timber exports to Europe in 2010. The country reached its Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative completion point in 2010 and nearly $5 billion of international debt was permanently eliminated. This new status will enable Liberia to establish a sovereign credit rating and issue bonds. Liberia's Paris Club creditors agreed to cancel Liberia's debt as well. The IMF has completed the sixth review of Liberia's extended credit facility, bringing total disbursements to over $379 million. The African Development Bank approved a grant of $48 million in 2011 to support economic governance and competitiveness. Rebuilding infrastructure and raising incomes will depend on generous financial and technical assistance from donor countries and foreign investment in key sectors, such as infrastructure and power generation. The country has achieved high growth during 2010-12 due to favorable world prices for its commodities.
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
$2.693 billion (2012 est.)
$2.472 billion (2011 est.) $2.284 billion (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
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GDP (official exchange rate):
$1.767 billion (2012 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
9% (2012 est.)
8.2% (2011 est.) 6.1% (2010 est.) |
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
$700 (2012 est.)
$600 (2011 est.) $600 (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
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GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 76.9%
industry: 5.4% services: 17.7% (2002 est.) |
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Labor force:
1.372 million (2007)
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Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 70%
industry: 8% services: 22% (2000 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
85% (2003 est.)
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Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:
total: 4.7%
male: 5.7% female: 3.7% (2007) |
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Population below poverty line:
80% (2000 est.)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.4%
highest 10%: 30.1% (2007) |
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Budget:
revenues: $556.8 million
expenditures: $575.7 million (2012 est.) |
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Taxes and other revenues:
31.5% of GDP (2012 est.)
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Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):
-1.1% of GDP (2012 est.)
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Public debt:
4.4% of GDP (2012 est.)
3.3% of GDP (2011 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.5% (2012 est.)
7.4% (2011 est.)
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Commercial bank prime lending rate:
16% (31 December 2012 est.)
13.75% (31 December 2011 est.)
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Stock of narrow money:
$445.6 million (31 December 2012 est.)
$403.6 million (31 December 2011 est.)
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Stock of broad money:
$664.1 million (31 December 2012 est.)
$560.2 million (31 December 2011 est.)
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Stock of domestic credit:
$1.454 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
$1.334 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
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Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
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Agriculture - products:
rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (manioc)), palm oil, sugarcane, bananas; sheep, goats; timber
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Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
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Electricity - production:
335 million kWh (2009 est.)
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Electricity - consumption:
311.6 million kWh (2009 est.)
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Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2010 est.)
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Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2010 est.)
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Electricity - installed generating capacity:
197,000 kW (2009 est.)
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Electricity - from fossil fuels:
100% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
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Electricity - from nuclear fuels:
0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
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Electricity - from hydroelectric plants:
0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
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Electricity - from other renewable sources:
0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
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Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2011 est.)
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Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
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Oil - imports:
0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
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Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
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Refined petroleum products - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Refined petroleum products - consumption:
3,533 bbl/day (2011 est.)
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Refined petroleum products - exports:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Refined petroleum products - imports:
4,041 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2010 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2010 est.)
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Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2010 est.)
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Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2010 est.)
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2012 est.)
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Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy:
738,600 Mt (2010 est.)
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Current account balance:
-$587.5 million (2012 est.)
-$754.3 million (2011 est.)
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Exports:
$506.5 million (2012 est.)
$422.1 million (2011 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
rubber, timber, iron, diamonds, cocoa, coffee
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Exports - partners:
US 21.2%, Spain 10.3%, Cote dIvoire 6.1%, Germany 5.7%, Japan 5.6%, China 5.4%, Canada 4.9% (2011)
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Imports:
$785.3 million (2012 est.)
$755.1 million (2011 est.)
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Imports - commodities:
fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods; foodstuffs
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Imports - partners:
South Korea 41.8%, China 28.3%, Japan 18.6% (2011)
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Debt - external:
$400.3 million (31 December 2012 est.)
$306.8 million (31 December 2011 est.)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$2.353 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
$2.061 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$NA
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Exchange rates:
Liberian dollars (LRD) per US dollar -74 (2012 est.) , 72.227 (2011 est.) , 71.403 (2010 est.)
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Fiscal year:
calendar year
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| Communications | Liberia | Top of Page |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
3,200 (2011)
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
2.03 million (2011)
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Telephone system:
general assessment: the limited services available are found almost exclusively in the capital Monrovia; fixed-line service stagnant and extremely limited; telephone coverage extended to a number of other towns and rural areas by four mobile-cellular network operators
domestic: mobile-cellular subscription base growing and teledensity reached 50 per 100 persons in 2011 international: country code - 231; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
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Broadcast media:
3 private TV stations; satellite TV service available; 1 state-owned radio station; about 15 independent radio stations broadcasting in Monrovia, with another 25 local stations operating in other areas; transmissions of 2 international broadcasters are available (2007)
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Radio broadcast stations:
AM 0, FM 7, shortwave 2 (2001)
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Television broadcast stations:
1 (plus four low-power repeaters) (2001)
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Internet country code:
.lr
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Internet hosts:
7 (2012)
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Internet users:
20,000 (2009)
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| Transportation | Liberia | Top of Page |
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Airports:
29 (2012)
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Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2012) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 27
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 14 (2012) |
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Pipelines:
oil 4 km
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Railways:
total: 429 km
standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 84 km 1.067-m gauge note: most sections of the railways were inoperable because of damage suffered during the civil wars from 1980 to 2003, but many are being rebuilt (2008) |
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Roadways:
total: 10,600 km
paved: 657 km unpaved: 9,943 km (2000) |
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Merchant marine:
total: 2,771
by type: barge carrier 5, bulk carrier 662, cargo 143, carrier 2, chemical tanker 248, combination ore/oil 8, container 937, liquefied gas 92, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 526, refrigerated cargo 102, roll on/roll off 5, specialized tanker 10, vehicle carrier 27 foreign-owned: 2,581 (Angola 1, Argentina 1, Australia 1, Belgium 1, Bermuda 4, Brazil 20, Canada 2, Chile 9, China 4, Croatia 1, Cyprus 9, Denmark 8, Egypt 3, Germany 1185, Gibraltar 5, Greece 505, Hong Kong 48, India 8, Indonesia 4, Israel 34, Italy 47, Japan 110, Latvia 5, Lebanon 1, Monaco 8, Netherlands 31, Nigeria 4, Norway 38, Poland 13, Qatar 5, Romania 3, Russia 109, Saudi Arabia 20, Singapore 22, Slovenia 7, South Korea 2, Sweden 12, Switzerland 25, Syria 1, Taiwan 94, Turkey 16, UAE 37, UK 32, UK 22, Ukraine 10, Uruguay 1, US 53) (2010) |
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Ports and terminals:
Buchanan, Monrovia
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| Military | Liberia | Top of Page |
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Military branches:
Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL): Army, Navy, Air Force
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Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2010)
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Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 815,826
females age 16-49: 828,484 (2010 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 524,243
females age 16-49: 544,349 (2010 est.) |
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Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 36,585
female: 38,516 (2010 est.) |
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Military expenditures:
1.3% of GDP (2006 est.)
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| Transnational Issues | Liberia | Top of Page |
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Disputes-international:
although civil unrest continues to abate with the assistance of 18,000 UN Mission in Liberia 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 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
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Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 128,067 (Cote d'Ivoire) (2011) IDPs: undetermined (civil war from 1990-2004; unclear how many have found durable solutions; many dwell in slums in Monrovia) (2012) |
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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
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This page was last updated on 14 May 2009