Liberia

Republic of Liberia

Geography 

Capital: Monrovia
Major Towns: Monrovia, Greenville, Zwedru, Harbel, Tubmanburg
Location (geographical coordinates/latitude and longitude): Monrovia: 6°19'N, 10°48'W
Time Zone: GMT
Size (Land and Sea): 111,369 km², Water: 13%
Borders with Atlantic Ocean, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Côte d'Ivoire.
Elevation extremes: Lowest point : Atlantic Ocean 0 m, highest point: Mount Wuteve 1,380 m 
 
Politics  
Head of State: President: Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Vice-President: Joseph Boakai
Form of Government: Republic
Independancy / Formation by African-Americans: ACS colonies consolidation: 1821-1842 , Independence: 26 July 1847
Currency: Liberian Dollar
 
Industry 
Main Industries: Rubber processing, palm oil processing, timber, diamonds.
Natural resources: Iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower.
Agriculture: Rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, sugarcane, bananas; sheep, goats; timber
 
Population and People 

Population: 3283000 (July 2005 est.)
Population density per sq mi: 86
Growth rate:  Liberia has the highest population growth rate in the world (4.91%).
Birth rate: 45.95 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.94 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 149.7/1000
Religion: traditional 70%, Muslim 20%, Christian 10%
Languages: English, Bassa, Gola, Grebo, Kru
Ethnic groups / Tribes: indigenous African tribes 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, and Bella), Americo-Liberians 5% (descendants of former slaves)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 43.6% (male 698,382/female 695,409); 15-64 years: 53.6% (male 848,951/female 865,380); 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 42,745/female 45,064) (2007 est.)
Life expectancy: 40.4
Literacy: Total population: 38.3%; male: 53.9%, female: 22.4% (1999 est.)

• The name Liberia stands for "liberty" or "Land of the Free"
• Liberia was colonized by freed African American slaves in 1822
• A new ethnic group called the Americo-Liberians was created when the country was founded in 1847 (with US government support)
• Mount Wuteve at 1440 meters is Libera’s highest point
• In 2006 Liberia had the highest population growth rate in the world (4.91%)
• The Kpelle are largest ethnic group
• Approximately 40 percent exclusively practices traditional indigenous religious beliefs
• Liberia has a long, rich history in textile arts and quilting through the freed returning slaves who came back from the US with their there acquired skills
• The University of Liberia opened in 1862 and is one of Africa's oldest institutes of higher learning
• George Weah, a famous Liberian football player who was named FIFA World Player of the Year, European Footballer of the Year, and African Footballer of the Year in 1995
• Momolu Duwalu Bukele was the inventor of the Vai syllabary used for writing the Vai language (around 1833), one of the few sub-Saharan African languages to develop its own writing system.
• Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (the current president, 2007) is Africa's first elected female head of state
• Liberia is Africa's oldest republic
• Pristine wilderness of Sapo National Park
• Mysterious and jungle-rich interior
• Firestone Plantation - the world's largest rubber plantation - is operating in Liberia (Liberia is sometimes called the Firestone Republic)
• Beautiful beaches, lagoons and waterfalls, like the Kpa-Tawe Waterfalls
• Liberia has Western Africa’s largest untouched tract of rainforest
• Forest elephants, pygmy hippos, chimpanzees, antelopes and other wildlife can be seen in Sapo National Park