Liberia
Republic of Liberia
republicIndependence 26 July 1847
Liberia as the 2002 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 111 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
Seven years of civil strife were brought to a close in 1996 when free and open presidential and legislative elections were held. President TAYLOR now holds strong executive power with no real political opposition. The years of fighting coupled with the flight of most businesses have disrupted formal economic activity. A still unsettled domestic security situation has slowed the process of rebuilding the social and economic structure of this war-torn country. In 2001, the UN imposed sanctions on Liberian diamonds along with an army embargo and a travel ban on government officials for Liberia's support of the rebel insurgency in Sierra Leone.
Geography
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone
18 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 deforestation;
- soil erosion;
- loss of biodiversity;
- pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage
Environment - international agreements
- party to:
- Biodiversity, Desertification, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
- signed, but not ratified:
- Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note
- facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars;
- the inland grassy plateau supports limited agriculture
People
18 fieldsPer 1,000 population
Male · female
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 43.3% (male 714,563; female 709,582)
- 15-64 years:
- 53.2% (male 854,324; female 894,753)
- 65 years and over:
- 3.5% (male 57,925; female 57,051) (2002 est.)
Net migration rate
-10.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: by the end of 1999, all Liberian refugees who had fled the domestic strife were assumed to have returned (2002 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.01 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 0.95 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 1.02 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Languages
English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group 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)
18 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Senate, 64 seats, elected 19 July 1997one dot, one seat
Administrative divisions
15 counties; Bomi, Bong, Gparbolu, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, River Gee, 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 and confirmed by the Senate
- elections:
- president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (renewable); election last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held NA October 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 elected by popular vote to serve nine-year terms) and the House of Representatives (64 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
- elections:
- Senate - last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held NA 2006); House of Representatives - last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held 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 the LAP and the Liberia Unification Party or LUP
Political parties and leaders
- All Liberia Coalition Party or ALCOP [Peter KERBAY];
- Free Democratic Party or FDP [George BORWAH];
- Liberian Action Party or LAP [C. Gyude BRYANT];
- Liberian National Union or LINU [Victor MOMOH];
- Liberian People's Party or LPP [Koffa NAGBE];
- National Democratic Party of Liberia or NDPL [Isaac D. DIKENAH];
- National Patriotic Party or NPP [Cyril ALLEN] - governing party;
- People's Progressive Party or PPP [Weah A. WEAH];
- Reformation Alliance Party or RAP [James THOMAS];
- True Whig Party or TWP [Rudolph SHERMAN];
- United People's Party or UPP [Wesley JOHNSON];
- Unity Party or UP [Charles Clarke]
International organization participation
ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador William V. S. BULL
- consulate(s) general:
- New York
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 723-0436
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 723-0437
- chancery:
- 5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador John William BLANEY III
- embassy:
- 111 United Nations Drive, P. O. Box 10-0098, Mamba Point, 1000 Monrovia, 10 Liberia
- mailing address:
- use embassy street address
- telephone:
- [231] 226-370 through 226-380
- FAX:
- [231] 226-148
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
A civil war in 1989-96 destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around Monrovia.
31 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2001 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
A civil war in 1989-96 destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around Monrovia. Many businessmen fled the country, taking capital and expertise with them. Some returned; 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 and timber industry to provide the bulk of its foreign exchange earnings. The restoration of the infrastructure and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economy depend on the implementation of sound macro- and micro-economic policies of the new government, including the encouragement of foreign investment. Recent growth has been from a low base, and continued growth will require major policy successes and containment of armed rebellion.
Agriculture - products
- rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, sugarcane, bananas;
- sheep, goats;
- timber
Imports - commodities
fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods; rice and other foodstuffs
Exchange rates
- Liberian dollars per US dollar - 46.0400 (December 2001), 48.5833 (2001), 40.9525 (2000), 41.9025 (1999), 41.5075 (1998), 1.0000 (officially fixed rate 1940-97);
- market exchange rate: Liberian dollars per US dollar - 40 (December 1998), 50 (October 1995)
note: until December 1997, rates were based on a fixed relationship with the US dollar; beginning in January 1998, rates are market determined
Communications
10 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- telephone and telegraph service via microwave radio relay network; main center is Monrovia
- domestic:
- NA
- international:
- satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Transportation
8 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Networkskm
Railways
- total:
- 490 km (328 km single-track)
- standard gauge:
- 345 km 1.435-m gauge
note: in 1989, Liberia had three rail systems owned and operated by foreign steel and financial interests in conjunction with the 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; large sections of the rail lines have been dismantled; approximately 60 km of railroad track was exported for scrap (2001)
- narrow gauge:
- 145 km 1.067-m gauge
Highways
- total:
- 10,600 km
- paved:
- 657 km
- unpaved:
- 9,943 km
note: there is major deterioration on all highways due to heavy rains and lack of maintenance (1996 est.)
Merchant marine
- total:
- 1,513 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 51,912,244 GRT/79,297,046 DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Argentina 9, Australia 2, Austria 15, Belgium 9, Brazil 5, Canada 4,
Cayman Islands 1, Chile 7, China 39, Croatia 11, Denmark 4, Ecuador 1, Estonia 1, Germany 437, Greece 154, Hong Kong 69, India 5, Indonesia 1, Israel 1, Italy 5, Japan 90, Latvia 20, Man, Isle of 5, Monaco 56, Netherlands 12, New Zealand 1, Nigeria 1, Norway 103, Pakistan 1, Portugal 5, Russia 66, Saudi Arabia 21, Singapore 20, Slovenia 1, South Africa 1, South Korea 10, Spain 2, Sweden 9, Switzerland 17, Taiwan 29, Turkey 3, Ukraine 4, United Arab Emirates 12, United Kingdom 39, United States 113, Uruguay 3, Vietnam 1 (2002 est.)
- ships by type:
- barge carrier 3, bulk 313, cargo 89, chemical tanker 167, combination bulk 16, combination ore/oil 32, container 318, liquefied gas 99, multi-functional large-load carrier 4, passenger 23, petroleum tanker 302, refrigerated cargo 69, roll on/roll off 20, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 13, vehicle carrier 42
Military
Army, Navy, Air Force
5 fieldsTransnational Issues
2 fieldsIllicit drugs
- transshipment point for Southeast and Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine for the European and US markets;
- corruption, criminal activity, arms-dealing, and diamond trade provide significant potential for money laundering, but the lack of well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a major money-laundering center
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Liberia.” The World Factbook 2002. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/liberia/2002.