Liberia

• tropical;
• hot, humid;
• dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights;
• wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers

total:

0.13 cu km/yr (55%/37%/8%)

per capita:

43.66 cu m/yr (2005)

• tropical rain forest deforestation;
• soil erosion;
• loss of biodiversity;
• pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation

• facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars;
• the inland grassy plateau supports limited agriculture

noun:

Liberian(s)

adjective:

Liberian

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

0.95 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

1.01 male(s)/female

total population:

1 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

degree of risk:

very high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever

water contact disease:

schistosomiasis

aerosolized dust or soil contact disease:

Lassa fever

animal contact disease:

rabies (2013)

total number:

177,160

percentage:

21 % (2007 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of Liberia

conventional short form:

Liberia

name:

Monrovia

geographic coordinates:

6 18 N, 10 48 W

time difference:

UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

• previous 1847 (at independence);
• latest drafted 19 October 1983, revised version adopted by referendum 3 July 1984, effective 6 January 1986;
• amended 2011 (2011)

chief of state:

• President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF (since 16 January 2006);
• Vice President Joseph BOAKAI (since 16 January 2006);
• note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government:

President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF (since 16 January 2006); Vice President Joseph BOAKAI (since 16 January 2006)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

• president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term);
• elections last held on 11 October and 8 November 2011 (next to be held in 2017)

election results:

Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF reelected president; percent of vote, second round - Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF 90.7%, Winston TUBMAN 9.3%

highest court(s):

Supreme Court (consists of a chief Justice and 4 associate justices); note - the Supreme Court has jurisdiction for all constitutional cases

judge selection and term of office:

chief justice and associate justices appointed by the president of Liberia with consent of the Senate; judges can serve until age 70

subordinate courts:

• judicial circuit courts;
• special courts including criminal, civil, labor, traffic;
• magistrate and traditional or customary courts

• Alliance for Peace and Democracy or APD [Marcus S. G. DAHN]
• Congress for Democratic Change or CDC [Geraldine DOE-SHERIFF]
• Liberia Destiny Party or LDP [Nathaniel BARNES]
• Liberty Party or LP [Isreal ARKINSAYAN]
• Liberia Transformation Party or LTP [Julius SUKU]
• Movement for Progressive Change or MPC [Simeon FREEMAN]
• National Democratic Coalition or NDC [Dew MAYSON]
• National Democratic Party of Liberia or NDPL [D. Nyandeh SIEH]
• National Patriotic Party or NPP [Theophilus C. GOULD]
• National Reformist Party or NRP [Maximillian T. W. DIABE]
• National Union for Democratic Progress or NUDP [Emmanuel LOMAX]
• Unity Party or UP [Varney SHERMAN]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Jeremiah Congbeh SULUNTEH (since 25 April 2012)

chancery:

5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011

telephone:

[1] (202) 723-0437

FAX:

[1] (202) 723-0436

consulate(s) general:

New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Deborah R. MALAC (since 20 July 2012)

embassy:

U.S. Embassy, P.O. Box 98, 502 Benson Street, Monrovia

mailing address:

P.O. Box 98, Monrovia

telephone:

[231] 77-677-7000

FAX:

[231] 77-677-7370

• 11 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white;
• a white five-pointed star appears on a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner;
• the stripes symbolize the signatories of the Liberian Declaration of Independence;
• the blue square represents the African mainland, and the star represents the freedom granted to the ex-slaves;
• according to the constitution, the blue color signifies liberty, justice, and fidelity, the white color purity, cleanliness, and guilelessness, and the red color steadfastness, valor, and fervor

note: the design is based on the US flag

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

agriculture:

70%

industry:

8%

services:

22% (2000 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.4%

highest 10%:

30.1% (2007)

general assessment:

• the limited services available are found almost exclusively in the capital Monrovia;
• fixed-line service stagnant and extremely limited;
• telephone coverage extended to a number of other towns and rural areas by four mobile-cellular network operators

domestic:

mobile-cellular subscription base growing and teledensity reached 50 per 100 persons in 2011

international:

country code - 231; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2010)

• 3 private TV stations;
• satellite TV service available;
• 1 state-owned radio station;
• about 15 independent radio stations broadcasting in Monrovia, with another 25 local stations operating in other areas;
• transmissions of 2 international broadcasters are available (2007)

total:

429 km

country comparison to the world: 115

standard gauge:

345 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge:

84 km 1.067-m gauge

note: most sections of the railways were inoperable because of damage suffered during the civil wars from 1980 to 2003, but many are being rebuilt (2008)

total:

10,600 km

country comparison to the world: 134

paved:

657 km

unpaved:

9,943 km (2000)

males age 16-49:

815,826

females age 16-49:

828,484 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

524,243

females age 16-49:

544,349 (2010 est.)

male:

36,585

female:

38,516 (2010 est.)

• although civil unrest continues to abate with the assistance of 18,000 UN Mission in Liberia peacekeepers, as of January 2007, Liberian refugees still remain in Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, and Ghana;
• Liberia, in turn, shelters refugees fleeing turmoil in Cote d'Ivoire;
• despite the presence of over 9,000 UN forces in Cote d'Ivoire since 2004, ethnic conflict continues to spread into neighboring states who can no longer send their migrant workers to Ivorian cocoa plantations;
• UN sanctions ban Liberia from exporting diamonds and timber

refugees (country of origin):

54,621 (Cote d'Ivoire) (2013)

IDPs:

undetermined (civil war from 1990-2004; post-election violence in March and April 2011; unclear how many have found durable solutions; many dwell in slums in Monrovia) (2012)

current situation:

• Liberia is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking;
• most victims are Liberian and are exploited within the country, where they are forced into domestic servitude, begging, prostitution, street vending, agricultural work, and diamond mining;
• a small number of Liberian men, women, and children are trafficked to Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and the US, while trafficking victims are brought to Liberia from neighboring West African countries, including
  • Sierra Leone,
  • Guinea,
  • Cote d'Ivoire,
  • and Nigeria

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List - Liberia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking;
• however, it is making significant efforts to do so;
• the government has increased its anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts and achieved its first conviction under its 2005 anti-trafficking law;
• the government has failed to make adequate efforts to identify and protect trafficking victims and has not adopted or implemented the standard operating procedures for assisting victims finalized by the anti-trafficking secretariat in 2012;
• the referral of victims to NGOs for protective services is inconsistent (2013)

• 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