Liberia
Republic of Liberia
republicIndependence 26 July 1847
Liberia as the 1998 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 93 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Geography
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between | Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone
17 fieldsLand useshare of 111,370 sq 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
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
Environment-international agreements
- party to:
- Desertification, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, 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 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1998 est.)
Male · female
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 45% (male 622,797; female 616,902)
- 15-64 years:
- 52% (male 734,425; female 700,124)
- 65 years and over:
- 3% (male 47,099; female 50,554) (July 1998 est.)
Net migration rate
27.02 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.) note: until domestic peace is restored, many Liberian refugees will not return from exile
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.93 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Ethnic groups
indigenous African tribes 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, and Bella), Americo-Liberians 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the US who had been slaves)
Languages
English 20% (official), about 20 tribal languages, of which a few can be written and are used in correspondence
Government
Republic; President Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (since 2 August 1997); President Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (since 2 August 1997)
19 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Legislature, 64 seatsone dot, one seat
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:
- President Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (since 2 August 1997); note-the president is both the chief of state and head of government
- head of government:
- President Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (since 2 August 1997); note-the president is both the chief of state and head of government
- cabinet:
- Cabinet appointed by the president
- elections:
- the president is elected by universal adult suffrage for a four-year term (renewable); election last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held NA July 2003)
- election results:
- Charles Ghankay TAYLOR elected president;
- percent of vote-Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (NPP) 75.3%, Ellen Johnson SIRLEAF (UP) 9.6%, Alhaji KROMAH (ALCOP) 4%, other 11.1%
Legislative branch
bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (26 seats; members serve NA-year terms) and the House of Representatives (64 seats; members serve NA-year terms)
- elections:
- Senate-last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held in NA 2003); House of Representatives-last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held in NA 2003)
- election results:
- Senate: percent of vote by party-NA;
- seats by party-NPP 21, UP 3, ALCOP 2;
- House of Representatives: percent of vote by party-NA;
- seats by party-NPP 49, UP 7, ALCOP 3, Alliance of Political Parties 2, UPP 2, LPP 1;
- note-the Alliance of Political Parties was a coalition of Liberian Action Party and Liberian Unification Party
Political parties and leaders
- ruling party:
- National Patriotic Party or NPP [Charles Ghankay TAYLOR, leader]
- opposition party:
- All Liberia Coalition Party or ALCOP [Alhaji KROMAH, chairman];
- Free Democratic Party or FDP [Fayah GBOLLIE, chairman];
- Liberian Action Party or LAP [Cletis WOTORSON];
- Liberian National Union or LINU [Harry MONIBA, chairman];
- Liberian Peoples Party or LPP [Togba-Nah TIPOTEH, chairman];
- Liberian Unification Party or LUP [Laveli SUPUWOOD];
- National Democratic Party of Liberia or NDPL [Dr. George E. Saigbe BOLEY, chairman];
- National Reformation Party or NRP [Martin SHERIF, chairman];
- People's Democratic Party of Liberia or PDPL [George Toe WASHINGTON, chairman];
- People's Progressive Party or PPP [Chea CHEAPOO, chairman];
- Reformation Alliance Party or RAP [Henry Boimah FAHNBULLEH, chairman];
- True Whig Party or TWP [Rudolph SHERMAN, chairman];
- Unity Party or UP [Ellen JOHNSON-SIRLEAF, chairman];
- United People's Party or UPP [Gabriel Baccus MATTHEWS, 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, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador designate Rachel DIGGS; Charge d'Affaires ad interim Konah K. BLACKETT
- chancery:
- 5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 723-0437
- consulate(s) general:
- New York
Diplomatic representation from the US
- 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
Flag description
- 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.
28 fieldsEconomy-overview
Civil war since 1990 has destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around Monrovia. Many businessmen have fled the country, taking capital and expertise with them. Some returned during 1997. 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.
The democratically elected government, installed in August 1997, inherited massive international debts and currently relies on revenues from its maritime registry to provide the bulk of its foreign exchange earnings. The restoration of the infrastructure and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economy depends on continued disarmament of factions and the implementation of sound macro- and micro-economic policies of the new government.
Industries
rubber processing, food processing, construction materials, furniture, palm oil processing, iron ore, diamonds
Agriculture-products
- rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, sugarcane, bananas;
- sheep, goats;
- timber
Exports
- total value:
- $667 million (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
- commodities:
- diamonds, iron ore, rubber, timber, coffee
- partners:
- US, EU, Netherlands, Singapore
Imports
- total value:
- $5.8 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
- commodities:
- mineral fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods; rice and other foodstuffs
- partners:
- US, EU, Japan, China, Netherlands, ECOWAS, South Korea
Exchange rates
- Liberian dollars (L$) per US$1-1.0000 (officially fixed rate since 1940);
- market exchange rate: Liberian dollars (L$) per US$1-50 (October 1995), 7 (January 1992);
- market rate floats against the US dollar
Telephone system
telephone and telegraph service via microwave radio relay network; main center is Monrovia
- domestic:
- NA
- international:
- satellite earth station-1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Transportation
7 fieldsMerchant marine, 1,620 ships by typeships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 59,521,524 GRT/97,187,450 DWT
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 were shut down by the civil war
- standard gauge:
- 345 km 1.435-m gauge
- narrow gauge:
- 145 km 1.067-m gauge
Military
5 fieldsMilitary branches
note: The new government of Liberia has developed a plan for the armed
- forces:
- total strength 5,000, of which Army 3,400, Navy 1,100, Air Force 500;
- note - the Navy is to have several small coastal patrol vessels and the Air Force is to comprise two air wings
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsIllicit drugs
increasingly a transshipment point for Southeast and Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine for the European and US markets LIBYA
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Liberia.” The World Factbook 1998. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/liberia/1998.