Liberia

Republic of Liberia

republicIndependence 26 July 1847

Liberia as the 1996 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 83 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

Position6 30 N, 9 30 W

Area111,370 sq km

LocationWestern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,

Populationas each edition published it

2.11 million July 1996 est. · 2.64m in 1990

Population growth% a year

2.13% 1996 est. · 3.37% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 18.1 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

58.59 years 1996 est. · 57.28 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

6.23 children per woman 1996 est. · 6.6 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

108.1 deaths per 1,000 live births 1996 est. · 126 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$770 1994 est. · $400 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

0% 1994 est. · 1.5% in 1993

Geography

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

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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

border countries: 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

lowest point:: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point:: Mount Wuteve 1,380 m

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

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Population

2,109,789

(July 1996 est.)growth rate: 2.13% (1996 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1996 est.)

Birth

42.72Death

11.95Net migration

-9.48

Net migration: note: until the Ghanaian-led peace negotiations are successful, many Liberian refugees will be unable to return from exile

Male · female(1996 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years58.59

56.05 · 61.22

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy38.3%

53.9% · 22.4%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)

Religions

traditional 70%Muslim 20%Christian 10%

Age structure

0-14 years:: 45% (male 475,138; female 470,970)
15-64 years:: 52% (male 557,855; female 532,143)
65 years and over:: 3% (male 35,544; female 38,139) (July 1996 est.)

Net migration rate

-9.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.) note: until the Ghanaian-led peace negotiations are successful, many Liberian refugees will be unable to return from exile

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.93 male(s)/female
all ages:: 1.03 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate

108.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 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

Government

Republic

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Presidential electionpercent of vote

50.9%

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

Name of country

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

Administrative divisions

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

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

Executive branch

chief of state and head of government:: Chairman of the Council of State Wilton SANKAWULO (since NA September 1995);
president was to be elected for a six-year term by universal suffrage at the end of 1995;
election last held 15 October 1985 (next to be held NA August 1996);
results - 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 August 1995 the Abuja peace accord was signed by the major warring factions;

a transitional coalition government under Wilton SANKAWULO was formed in September 1995; presidential elections are scheduled for August 1996

cabinet:: Cabinet was 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 is unlikely to be reconstituted 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

International organization participation

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, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:: Ambassador (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:: Ambassador (vacant); Chief of Mission William MILAM
embassy:: 111 United Nations Drive, Monrovia
mailing address:: P. O. Box 100098, Mamba Point, Monrovia
telephone:: [231] 226-370

FAX

[231] 226-148

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.

21 fields

GDP per capita, PPP

$770

(1994 est.)

Real growth rate

(1994 est.)industrial production growth: NA% (1993-94)

Inflation, consumer prices

50%

(1994 est.)

External debt

$1.9billion

(1993 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$225 millionExpenditures

$285 million (1994 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

Installed generating capacity, 330,000 kW

Electricity production

440 millionElectricity consumption per capita

143 (1993)

Economic 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 continued political turmoil 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 1995.

GDP

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

GDP composition by sector

agriculture:: NA%
industry:: NA%
services:: NA%

Labor force

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

Unemployment rate

NA%

Industries

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

Agriculture

rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, sugarcane, bananas;
sheep, goats;
timber

Illicit drugs

increasingly a transshipment point for heroin and cocaine

Exports

$530 million (f.o.b., 1994 est.)

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

Imports

NA (c.i.f., 1994 est.)

commodities:: mineral fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods; rice and other foodstuffs
partners:: US, EC, Japan, China, Netherlands, ECOWAS, South Korea

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $NA

Currency

1 Liberian dollar (L$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates

Liberian dollars (L$) per US$1 - 1.0000 (officially fixed rate since 1940);
market exchange rate of US$1 - L$50 (October 1995), L$7 (January 1992), market rate floats against the US dollar

Fiscal year

calendar year

Transportation

5 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 39 in all

over 3 047 m

1 524 to 2 437 m

under 914 m

914 to 1 523 m

PavedUnpaved

Railways

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:: 10,029 km
paved:: 600 km
unpaved:: 9,429 km (1987 est.)

Ports

Buchanan, Greenville, Harper, Monrovia

Merchant marine

total:: 1,601 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 59,449,296 GRT/98,819,081 DWT
ships by type:: barge carrier 2, bulk 411, cargo 121, chemical tanker 108, combination bulk 28, combination ore/oil 56, container 143, liquefied gas tanker 77, multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 463, passenger 42, passenger-cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 64, roll-on/roll-off cargo 23, short-sea passenger 4, specialized tanker 9, vehicle carrier 48

note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships from 59 countries among which are US 253, Japan 172, Norway 165, Germany 149, Greece 137, Hong Kong 114, UK 78, China 49, Monaco 41, and Cyprus 34 (1995 est.)