Liberia

Republic of Liberia

republicIndependence 26 July 1847

Liberia as the 1995 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 77 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 sq km

LocationWestern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between

Populationas each edition published it

3.07 million July 1995 est. · 2.64m in 1990

Population growth% a year

3.32% 1995 est. · 3.37% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 18.1 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

58.17 years 1995 est. · 57.28 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

6.3 children per woman 1995 est. · 6.6 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

110.6 deaths per 1,000 live births 1995 est. · 126 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$770 1994 est. · $400 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition 1.5% in 1993

Geography

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between | Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone

13 fields

Land useshare of 111,370 sq km

arable land 1%permanent crops 3%meadows and pastures 2%forest and woodland 39%other 55%irrigated 20 sq km (1989 est.)

Area

111,370sq km

land area: 96,320 sq kmcomparative area: slightly larger than Tennessee

Coastline

579km

territorial sea: 200 nm

Land boundaries

1,585km

total · Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km

Location

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone

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

Environment

current issues:: tropical rain forest subject to deforestation;
soil erosion;
loss of biodiversity;
pollution of rivers from the dumping of iron ore tailings and of coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage
natural hazards:: dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March)
international agreements:: party to - Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94;
signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation

People

15 fields

Population

3,073,245

(July 1995 est.)growth rate: 3.32% (1995 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1995 est.)

Birth

43.08Death

12.05

Male · female(1995 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years58.17

55.67 · 60.75

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy40%

50% · 29%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Religions

traditional 70%Muslim 20%Christian 10%

Age structure

0-14 years:: 44% (female 674,155; male 680,952)
15-64 years:: 52% (female 768,147; male 844,326)
65 years and over:: 4% (female 55,575; male 50,090) (July 1995 est.)

Net migration rate

NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.) note: if the Ghanaian-led peace negotiations, under way in 1995, are successful, many Liberian refugees may return from exile

Infant mortality rate

110.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Liberian(s)
adjective:: Liberian

Ethnic divisions

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)

Languages

English 20% (official), Niger-Congo language group about 20 local languages come from this group

510,000 including 220,000 in the monetary economy; by occupation: agriculture 70.5%, services 10.8%, industry and commerce 4.5%, other 14.2% note: non-African foreigners hold about 95% of the top-level management and engineering jobs

Government

Republic

19 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

50.9%

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

Names

conventional long form:: Republic of Liberia
conventional short form:: Liberia

Digraph

Type

republic

Capital

Monrovia

Administrative divisions

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

Independence

26 July 1847

National holiday

Independence Day, 26 July (1847)

Constitution

6 January 1986

Legal system

dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American common law for the modern sector and customary law based on unwritten tribal practices for indigenous sector

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state and head of government:: Chairman of the Council of State David KPOMAKPOR (since March 1994); election last held on 15 October 1985; results - Gen. Dr. Samuel Kanyon DOE (NDPL) 50.9%, Jackson DOE (LAP) 26.4%, other 22.7%

note: constitutional government ended in September 1990 when President Samuel Kanyon DOE was killed by rebel forces; civil war ensued and in July 1993 the Cotonou Peace Treaty was negotiated by the major warring factions under UN auspices; a transitional coalition government under David KROMAKPOR was formed in March 1994 but has been largely ineffective and unable to implement the provisions of the peace treaty; Ghanaian-led negotiations are now underway to seat a new interim government that would oversee elections proposed for late 1995

cabinet:: Cabinet; selected by the leaders of the major factions in the civil war

Legislative branch

unicameral Transitional Legislative Assembly, the members of which are appointed by the leaders of the major factions in the civil war note: the former bicameral legislature no longer exists and there is no assurance that it will be reconstituted very soon

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

National Democratic Party of Liberia (NDPL), Augustus CAINE, chairman;
Liberian Action Party (LAP), Emmanuel KOROMAH, chairman;
Unity Party (UP), Joseph KOFA, chairman;
United People's Party (UPP), Gabriel Baccus MATTHEWS, chairman;
National Patriotic Party (NPP), Charles TAYLOR, chairman;
Liberian Peoples Party (LPP), Dusty WOLOKOLLIE, chairman

Member of

ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:: (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Konah K. BLACKETT
chancery:: 5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011
telephone:: [1] (202) 723-0437
consulate(s) general:: New York

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:: (vacant); Charge d' Affaires William P. TWADDELL
embassy:: 111 United Nations Drive, Monrovia
mailing address:: P. O. Box 100098, Mamba Point, Monrovia
telephone:: [231] 222991 through 222994

FAX

[231] 223710

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 since 1990 has destroyed much of Liberia's | economy, especially the infrastructure in and around Monrovia. | Businessmen have fled the country, taking capital and expertise with | them.

19 fields

GDP per capita, PPP

$770

(1994 est.)

External debt

$2.1billion

(September 1993 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$242.1 millionExpenditures

$435.4 million (1989 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $29.5 million

Installed generating capacity, 330,000 kW

Electricity production

440 millionElectricity consumption per capita

143 (1993)

Overview

Civil war since 1990 has destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around Monrovia. Businessmen have 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 have fled to neighboring countries. The political impasse between the interim government and rebel leader Charles TAYLOR has prevented restoration of normal economic life, including the re-establishment of a strong central government with effective economic development programs. The economy deteriorated further in 1994.

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $2.3 billion (1994 est.)

National product real growth rate

NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

NA%

Unemployment rate

NA%

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

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, goats;
not self-sufficient in food, imports 25% of rice consumption

Illicit drugs

increasingly a transshipment point for heroin and cocaine

Economic aid

recipient:: 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

1 Liberian dollar (L$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates

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

Fiscal year

calendar year

Transportation

5 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 59 in all

over 3,047 m

1,524 to 2,437 m

under 914 m

1,524 to 2,438 m

914 to 1,523 m

PavedUnpaved

Railroads

total:: 490 km (single track);
note - three rail systems owned and operated by foreign steel and financial interests in conjunction with Liberian Government;
one of these, the Lamco Railroad, closed in 1989 after iron ore production ceased;
the other two have been shut down by the civil war
standard gauge:: 345 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge:: 145 km 1.067-m gauge

Highways

total:: 10,087 km
paved:: 603 km
unpaved:: gravel 5,171 km (includes 2,323 km of private roads of rubber and timber firms, open to the public); earth 4,313 km

Ports

Buchanan, Greenville, Harper, Monrovia

Merchant marine

total:: 1,549 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 56,709,634 GRT/97,038,680 DWT
ships by type:: barge carrier 3, bulk 392, cargo 121, chemical tanker 114, combination bulk 33, combination ore/oil 57, container 124, liquefied gas tanker 75, oil tanker 459, passenger 32, passenger-cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 58, roll-on/roll-off cargo 18, short-sea passenger 1, specialized tanker 7, vehicle carrier 54

note: a flag of convenience registry; includes 53 countries; the 10

major fleet flags are:: United States 232 ships, Japan 190, Norway 166, Greece 125, Germany 125, United Kingdom 102, Hong Kong 95, China 45, Russia 41, and the Netherlands 34