Liberia

republicIndependence 26 July 1847

Liberia as the 1992 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 70 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalMonrovia
Area111,370 km2
1992

Every edition of Liberia

Populationas each edition published it
2.46 million July 1992 · 2.64m in 1990
Population growth% a year
Not in this edition 3.37% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 18.1 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 57.28 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
6.5 children per woman 1992 · 6.6 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
119 deaths per 1,000 live births 1992 · 126 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
Not in this edition $400 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
Not in this edition 1.5% in 1993

Geography

12 fields
Total area
111,370km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than Tennessee
Coastline
579km
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitationTerritorial sea: 200 nm
Land boundaries
1,585km
Guinea 563 km, Ivory Coast 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km

Land area

96,320 km2

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

Natural resources

iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold

Land use

  • arable land 1%;
  • permanent crops 3%;
  • meadows and pastures 2%;
  • forest and woodland 39%;
  • other 55%;
  • includes irrigated NEGL%

Environment

West Africa's largest tropical rain forest, subject to deforestation

People

14 fields
Population
2,462,276
(July 1992), growth rate 29.6% (1992)

Per 1,000 population(1992)

Birth
44Death
13Net migration
265

Religions

traditional 70%Muslim 20%Christian 10%
Literacy
40%
(male 50%, female 29%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Infant mortality rate

119 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Life expectancy at birth

54 years male, 59 years female (1992)

Total fertility rate

6.5 children born/woman (1992)

Nationality

noun - Liberian(s); adjective - Liberian

Ethnic divisions

  • indigenous African tribes, including
    • Kpelle,
    • Bassa,
    • Gio,
    • Kru,
    • Grebo,
    • Mano,
    • Krahn,
    • Gola,
    • Gbandi,
    • Loma,
    • Kissi,
    • Vai,
    • and Bella 95%
    ;
  • descendants of repatriated slaves known as Americo-Liberians 5%

Languages

  • English (official);
  • more than 20 local languages of the Niger-Congo language group;
  • English used by about 20%

Labor force

  • 510,000, including 220,000 in the monetary economy;
  • agriculture 70.5%, services 10.8%, industry and commerce 4.5%, other 14.2%;
  • non-African foreigners hold about 95% of the top-level management and engineering jobs;
  • 52% of population of working age

Organized labor

2% of labor force

Government

Republic

18 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

50.9%
Gen. Dr. Samuel Kanyon DOE (NDPL) 50.9%Jackson DOE (LAP) 26.4%other 22.7%

Long-form name

Republic of Liberia

Type

republic

Capital

Monrovia

Administrative divisions

13 counties; Bomi, Bong, Grand Bassa, Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, Sinoe

Independence

26 July 1847

Constitution

6 January 1986

National holiday

Independence Day, 26 July (1847)

Executive branch

president, vice president, Cabinet

Legislative branch

bicameral National Assembly consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives

Judicial branch

People's Supreme Court

Leaders

Chief of State and Head of Government: interim President Dr. Amos SAWYER (since 15 November 1990); Vice President, vacant (since August 1991); note - this is an interim government appointed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) that will be replaced after elections are held under a West African - brokered peace plan; rival rebel factions led by Prince Y. JOHNSON and Charles TAYLOR are challenging the SAWYER government's legitimacy while observing a tenuous cease-fire; the former president, Gen. Dr. Samuel Kanyon DOE, was killed on 9 September 1990 by Prince Y. JOHNSON

Political parties and leaders

  • National Democratic Party of Liberia (NDPL), Augustus CAINE, chairman;
  • Liberian Action Party (LAP), Emmanuel KOROMAH, chairman;
  • Unity Party (UP), Carlos SMITH, chairman;
  • United People's Party (UPP), Gabriel Baccus MATTHEWS, chairman

Suffrage

universal at age 18

Elections

President:
last held on 15 October 1985 (next to be held NA); results - Gen. Dr. Samuel Kanyon DOE (NDPL) 50.9%, Jackson DOE (LAP) 26.4%, other 22.7%; note - President Doe was killed by rebel forces on 9 September 1990
Senate:
  • last held on 15 October 1985 (next to be held NA);
  • results - percent of vote by party NA;
  • seats - (26 total) NDPL 21, LAP 3, UP 1, UPP 1
House of Representatives:
  • last held on 15 October 1985 (next to be held NA);
  • results - percent of vote by party NA;
  • seats - (64 total) NDPL 51, LAP 8, UP 3, UPP 2

Member of

ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation

  • Ambassador Eugenia A. WORDSWORTH-STEVENSON;
  • Chancery at 5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011;
  • telephone (202) 723-0437 through 0440;
  • there is a Liberian Consulate General in New York
US:
Ambassador Peter J. de VOS; Embassy at 111 United Nations Drive, Monrovia (mailing address is P. O. Box 98, Monrovia, or APO AE 09813; telephone [231] 222991 through 222994; FAX (231) 223-710

Flag

  • 11 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white;
  • there is a white five-pointed star on a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner;
  • the design was based on the US flag

Economy

Civil war during 1990 destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the | infrastructure in and around Monrovia.

16 fields
Unemployment rate
43%urban
(1988)
External debt
$1.6billion
(December 1990 est.)

Budget

Revenues
$242.1 millionExpenditures
$435.4 million
expenditures, including capital expenditures of $29.5 million (1989)

Overview

Civil war during 1990 destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around Monrovia. Expatriate businessmen fled the country, taking capital and expertise with them. Many will not return. Richly endowed with water, mineral resources, forests, and a climate favorable to agriculture, Liberia had been a producer and exporter of basic products, while local manufacturing, mainly foreign owned, had been small in scope.

Political instability threatens prospects for economic reconstruction and repatriation of some 750,000 Liberian refugees who fled to neighboring countries. In 1991, the political impasse between the interim government and the rebel leader Charles Taylor prevented restoration of normal economic life.

GDP

exchange rate conversion - $988 million, per capita $400; real growth rate 1.5% (1988)

Exports

$505 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.)

commodities:
iron ore 61%, rubber 20%, timber 11%, coffee
partners:
US, EC, Netherlands

Imports

$394 million (c.i.f., 1989 est.)

commodities:
rice, mineral fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, other foodstuffs
partners:
US, EC, Japan, China, Netherlands, ECOWAS

Industrial production

growth rate 1.5% in manufacturing (1987); accounts for 22% of GDP

Electricity

410,000 kW capacity; 750 million kWh produced, 275 kWh per capita (1991)

Industries

rubber processing, food processing, construction materials, furniture, palm oil processing, mining (iron ore, diamonds)

Agriculture

  • accounts for about 40% of GDP (including fishing and forestry);
  • principal products - rubber, timber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava, palm oil, sugarcane, bananas, sheep, and goats;
  • not self-sufficient in food, imports 25% of rice consumption

Economic aid

  • US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $665 million;
  • Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $870 million;
  • OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $25 million;
  • Communist countries (1970-89), $77 million

Currency

Liberian dollar (plural - dollars); 1 Liberian dollar (L$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates

Liberian dollars (L$) per US$1 - 1.00 (fixed rate since 1940); unofficial parallel exchange rate of L$7 = US$1, January 1992

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

7 fields

Merchant marine, 1,564 ships by type

passenger 19short-sea passenger 1cargo 145refrigerated cargo 51roll-on/roll-off 22vehicle carrier 62container 89barge carrier 4petroleum tanker 460chemical 105combination ore/oil 57liquefied gas 50specialized tanker 6bulk 465multifunction large-load carrier 1combination bulk; note - a flag of convenience registry; all ships are foreign owned; the top 4 owning flags are US 18%, Japan 16%, Hong Kong 10%, and Norway 9% 271,564 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 54,049,124 DWT/ 95,338,925 DWT

Airports, 66 total, 49 usable

permanent-surface runways
2runways | over 3,659 m
nonerunways 2,440-3,659 m
1runways 1,220-2,439 m
4

Railroads

  • 480 km total;
  • 328 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 152 km 1.067-meter narrow gauge;
  • all lines single track;
  • rail systems owned and operated by foreign steel and financial interests in conjunction with Liberian Government

Highways

  • 10,087 km total;
  • 603 km bituminous treated, 2,848 km all weather, 4,313 km dry weather;
  • there are also 2,323 km of private, laterite-surfaced roads open to public use, owned by rubber and timber companies

Ports

Monrovia, Buchanan, Greenville, Harper (or Cape Palmas)

Civil air

1 major transport aircraft

Telecommunications

  • telephone and telegraph service via radio relay network;
  • main center is Monrovia;
  • broadcast stations - 3 AM, 4 FM, 5 TV;
  • 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations;
  • most telecommunications services inoperable due to insurgency movement

Defense Forces

Monrovia-based Armed Forces of Liberia (Army only) along with a police | force; rest of country controlled by the army of the National Patriotic | Front of Liberia (NPFL) insurgent group

3 fields

Branches

  • Monrovia-based Armed Forces of Liberia (Army only) along with a police force;
  • rest of country controlled by the army of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) insurgent group

Manpower availability

  • males 15-49, 585,224;
  • 312,420 fit for military service;
  • no conscription

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP

Central Intelligence Agency. “Liberia.” The World Factbook 1992. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/liberia/1992.

How to cite ← 1991 edition 1993 edition →