Liberia
Republic of Liberia
republicIndependence 26 July 1847
Liberia as the 2003 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 114 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
Eight years of civil strife were brought to a close in 1997 when free and open presidential and legislative elections were held. President TAYLOR now holds strong executive power with no real political opposition. 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 arms embargo and a travel ban on government officials, for Liberia's support of the rebel insurgency in Sierra Leone. Renewed rebel activity has further eroded stability and economic activity. A regional peace initiative commenced in the spring of 2003 but was disrupted by the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) indictment of President TAYLOR on war crimes charges.
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
19 fieldsPer 1,000 population
Male · female
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 43.4% (male 724,960; female 716,831)
- 15-64 years:
- 53% (male 858,191; female 898,851)
- 65 years and over:
- 3.6% (male 59,539; female 58,804) (2003 est.)
Net migration rate
-10.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: 200,000 Liberian refugees are in surrounding countries though slowly returning (2003 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:
- 1.01 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 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 Gyude BRYANT (since 14 October 2003); President Gyude BRYANT (since 14 October 2003)
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 Gyude BRYANT (since 14 October 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
- head of government:
- President Gyude BRYANT (since 14 October 2003); 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 2005);
- note:: a UN-brokered cease fire among waring factions and the Liberian government resulted in the August 2003 resignation of former president Charles TAYLOR;
- a jointly agreed upon replacement, President Gyude BRYANT, assumed office as chairman of the National Transitional Government on 14 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%;
- note - Taylor stepped down in August 2003
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)
- 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
- 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 14 October 2003)
Political parties and leaders
- Alliance of Political Parties (a coalition of LAP and LUP) [leader NA];
- All Liberia Coalition Party or ALCOP [Peter KERBAY];
- Liberian Action Party or LAP [C. Gyude BRYANT];
- Liberian People's Party or LPP [Koffa NAGBE];
- Liberia Unification Party or LUP [leader NA];
- National Patriotic Party or NPP [Cyril ALLEN] - governing party;
- United People's Party or UPP [Wesley JOHNSON];
- Unity Party or UP [Charles CLARKE]
International organization participation
ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador (vacant); Charge D'Affaires Aaron B. KOLLIE
- chancery:
- 5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011
- consulate(s) general:
- New York
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 723-0436
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 723-0437
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
Civil war and misgovernment have destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around Monrovia.
35 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2001 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
Civil war and misgovernment have 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 have returned; many will not. Richly endowed with water, mineral resources, forests, and a climate favorable to agriculture, Liberia had been a producer and exporter of basic products - primarily raw timber and rubber.
Local manufacturing, mainly foreign owned, had been small in scope. The restoration of the infrastructure and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economy depend on the settlement of civil warfare, the implementation of sound macro- and micro-economic policies, including the encouragement of foreign investment, and generous support from donor countries.
Agriculture - products
- rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, sugarcane, bananas;
- sheep, goats;
- timber
Imports - commodities
fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods; foodstuffs
Exchange rates
Liberian dollars per US dollar - NA (2002), 48.58 (2001), 40.95 (2000), 41.9 (1999), 41.51 (1998) note: until December 1997, rates were based on a fixed relationship with the US dollar; beginning in January 1998, rates are market determined
Communications
8 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
- standard gauge:
- 345 km 1.435-m gauge
- narrow gauge:
- 145 km 1.067-m gauge
note: none of the railways are in operation (2002)
Merchant marine
- total:
- 1,432 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 48,700,851 GRT/75,408,994 DWT
- ships by type:
- barge carrier 3, bulk 282, cargo 80, chemical tanker 163, combination bulk 12, combination ore/oil 24, container 357, liquefied gas 82, multi-functional large-load carrier 4, passenger 6, petroleum tanker 286, refrigerated cargo 60, roll on/roll off 19, short-sea passenger 4, specialized tanker 13, vehicle carrier 37
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, Isle of Man 5, Monaco 56, Netherlands 12, NZ 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, UAE 12, UK 39, US 113, Uruguay 3, Vietnam 1 (2002 est.)
Military
Army, Navy, Air Force
5 fieldsTransnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes - international
- rebels and refugees contribute to border instabilities with Sierra Leone, Cote d'Ivoire, and Guinea;
- the Ivorian Government accuses Liberia of supporting Ivorian rebels
Illicit 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 2003. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/liberia/2003.