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Liberia
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. 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.
Location :
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone
Geographic Coordinates Center :
6 30 N, 9 30 W (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | -11.49 |
| North | 8.55 |
| East | -7.37 |
| South | 4.35 |
Map references :
Africa
Area :
| total | 111 369 | square km |
| land | 96 320 | square km |
| water | 15 049 | square km |
Land boundaries :
| total | 1 585 | km |
| Guinea (gn) | 563 | km |
| Cote d'Ivoire | 716 | km |
| Sierra Leone (sl) | 306 | km |
Coastline :
579.00 km
Climate :
tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers
Terrain :
mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast
Elevation extremes :
| lowest point | 0 | metres |
| highest point | 1 380 | metres |
Natural resources :
| diamonds | gold |
| hydropower | iron ore |
| timber |
Land use :
| arable land | 3.43 | % |
| permanent crops | 1.98 | % |
| other | 94.59 | % |
Irrigated land :
30 square km
Total renewable water resources :
232 cubic km
Natural hazards :
| harmattan winds |
current issues :
tropical rain forest deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage
international agreements :
| Biodiversity | Climate Change |
| Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol | Desertification |
| Endangered Species | Environmental Modification |
| Hazardous Wastes | Law of the Sea |
| Marine Life Conservation | Ozone Layer Protection |
| Ship Pollution | Tropical Timber 83 |
| Tropical Timber 94 | Wetlands |
Population :
3 441 790
Indicators :
| Growth rate | 2.67 | % |
| Birth rate | 42.25 | births/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 5.79 | children born/woman |
| Death rate | 20.73 | deaths/1,000 population |
| Net migration rate | 5.13 | migrant(s)/1,000 population |
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 44.10 | % |
| 15-64 years | 53.00 | % |
| 65 years and over | 2.80 | % |
Median age :
| total | 18.00 | years |
| male | 17.90 | years |
| female | 18.20 | years |
Sex ratio :
| at birth | 1.03 | male(s)/female |
| under 15 years | 1.00 | male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 0.98 | male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.94 | male(s)/female |
| total population | 0.99 | male(s)/female |
Health :
| Infant mortality rate | 138.24 | deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth - total population | 41.84 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - male | 40.71 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - female | 43.00 | years |
| HIV-AIDS adult prevalence rate | 1.70 | % |
| HIV-AIDS people living with HIV-AIDS | 35 000 | |
| HIV-AIDS deaths | 2 300 |
Religions :
| Christian | 40.00 | % |
| Muslim | 20.00 | % |
| indigenous beliefs | 40.00 | % |
Languages :
| English | 20.00 | % |
Literacy :
| total population | 57.50 | % |
| male | 73.30 | % |
| female | 41.60 | % |
Country name :
| conventional long form | Republic of Liberia |
| conventional short form | Liberia |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | LR |
| ISO Numeric | 430 |
| ISO3 | LBR |
| FIPS | LI |
| ccTLD | lr |
| English | Liberia |
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
Capital :
| name | Monrovia |
| geographic coordinates | 6 18 N, 10 48 W |
| time difference | 0.00 |
International organization participation :
| ACP | AU |
| AfDB | ECOWAS |
| FAO | G-77 |
| IAEA | IBRD |
| ICAO | ICCt |
| ICRM | IDA |
| IFAD | IFC |
| IFRCS | ILO |
| IMF | IMO |
| IMSO | IOC |
| IOM | IPU |
| ISO (correspondent) | ITU |
| ITUC | Interpol |
| MIGA | NAM |
| OPCW | UN |
| UNCTAD | UNESCO |
| UNIDO | UPU |
| WCO | WFTU |
| WHO | WIPO |
| WMO | WTO (observer) |
Independence :
1847-07-26
National holiday :
Independence Day
1847-07-26
Executive branch :
| President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF |
GDP - Gross Domestic product :
| PPP - Purchasing Power Parity | 1 627 000 000 | $ |
| Official Exchange Rate | 868 000 000 | |
| RGR - Real Growth rate | 5.00 | % |
| PPP - per capita | 500 | $ |
GDP Composition by sector :
| agriculture | 76.90 | % |
| industry | 5.40 | % |
| services | 17.70 | % |
Labor force - by occupation :
| agriculture | 70.00 | % |
| industry | 8.00 | % |
| services | 22.00 | % |
Other Indicators :
| Labor force | 1 372 000 | people |
| Unemployment rate | 85.00 | % |
| Population below poverty line | 80.00 | % |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 11.20 | % |
| Current account balance | - 224 000 000 | $ |
| Debt external | 3 200 000 000 | $ |
| Military expenditures | 1.30 | % of GDP |
Household income or consumption by percentage share :
| lowest 10% | 2.40 | % |
| highest 10% | 30.10 | % |
Agriculture - products :
| bananas | cassava |
| cocoa | coffee |
| goats | palm oil |
| rice | rubber |
| sheep | sugarcane |
| timber |
Industries :
| diamonds | palm oil processing |
| rubber processing | timber |
Energy :
| Electricity Production | 350 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 325 500 000 | kWh |
| Oil Consumption | 4 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Exports | 23 | bbl/day |
| Oil Imports | 4 263 | bbl/day |
Value :
1 197 000 000 $
Partners :
| India (in) | 21.30 | % |
| United States (us) | 19.20 | % |
| Poland (pl) | 15.00 | % |
| Germany (de) | 10.90 | % |
| Belgium (be) | 7.30 | % |
Commodities :
| cocoa | coffee |
| diamonds | iron |
| rubber | timber |
Value :
7 143 000 000 $
Partners :
| South Korea | 26.50 | % |
| Singapore (sg) | 24.90 | % |
| Japan (jp) | 11.50 | % |
| China (cn) | 10.70 | % |
| Tawian | 4.70 | % |
Commodities :
| chemicals | foodstuffs |
| fuels | machinery |
| manufactured products | transportation equipment |
Currency-code :
LRD
Currency-name :
Liberian dollar
Communications :
| Telephons Main lines in use | 2 000 | |
| Telephons Mobile, Cellular | 732 000 | |
| FM Radio broadcast stations | 10 | |
| Television broadcast stations | 4 | |
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | lr | |
| Internet Hosts | 5 | |
| Internet Users | 20 000 |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 2 | |
| Roadways - total | 10 600 | km |
| Roadways - paved | 657 | km |
| Roadways - unpaved | 9 943 | km |
| Railways | 429 | km |
Flag
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