Liberia

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

agricultural land:

28.1%;

• arable land 5.2%;
• permanent crops 2.1%;
• permanent pasture 20.8%

forest:

44.6%

other:

27.3% (2011 est.)

• 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:

1.02 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

0.97 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.99 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.93 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.97 male(s)/female

total population:

0.99 male(s)/female (2016 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 (2016)

total number:

177,160

percentage:

21% (2007 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of Liberia

conventional short form:

Liberia

etymology:

name derives from the Latin word "liber" meaning "free"; so named because the nation was created as a homeland for liberated African-American slaves

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;
• note - a series of amendment proposals approved by the Constitution Review Conference in early 2015 are pending government review (2016)

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Liberia

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

2 years

chief of state:

• President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF (since 16 January 2006);
• Vice President Joseph BOAKAI (since 16 January 2006);
• note - the president is both 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, confirmed by the Senate

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 6-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election 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 in second round - Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF (UP) 90.7%, Winston TUBMAN (NDPL) 9.3%

description:

bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (30 seats; members directly elected in 15 two-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 9-year staggered terms with half the membership renewed at 3- and 6-year intervals; eligible for a second term; and the House of Representatives (73 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 6-year terms; eligible for a second term)

elections:

• Senate - last held on 20 December 2014 (originally scheduled for 14 October 2014, but postponed due to Ebola-virus epidemic; next to be held in fall 2020);
• House of Representatives - last held on 11 October 2011 (next to be held in 2017)

election results:

• Senate - percent of vote by party - CDC 29.8%, LP 11.5%, NPP 6.1%, PUP 4.9%, NDC 1.3%, other parties 11.8%, independent 24.3%;
• seats by party - UP 4, CDC 2, LP 2, ANC 1, NDC 1, NPP 1, PUP 1, independent 3;
• House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - UP 17.8%, CDC 12.8%, LP 9.2%, NDC 5.7%, LTP 4.5%, PUP 3.9%, NPP 3.3%, MPC 2.4%, LDP 1.0%, NRP 0.8%, other parties 16.8% independent 19.7% ;
• seats by party - UP 24, CDC 11, LP 7, PUP 6, NDC 5, APD 3, NPP 3, MPC 2, LDP 1, LTP 1, NRP 1, independent 9

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]
• Alternative National Congress or ANC [Orishil GOULD]
• Congress for Democratic Change or CDC [George WEAH]
• Liberia Destiny Party or LDP [Nathaniel BARNES]
• Liberia Transformation Party or LTP [Julius SUKU]
• Liberty Party or LP [J. Fonati KOFFA]
• 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
• National Reformist Party or NRP [Maximillian T. W. DIABE]
• National Union for Democratic Progress or NUDP [Victor BARNEY]
• People's Unification Party [Isobe GBORKORKOLLIE]
• Unity Party or UP [Varney SHERMAN]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Jeremiah Congbeh SULUNTEH (since 2 May 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 Christine A. ELDER (since 23 June 2016)

embassy:

U.S. Embassy, 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

name:

"All Hail, Liberia Hail!"

lyrics/music:

Daniel Bashiel WARNER/Olmstead LUCA

note: lyrics adopted 1847, music adopted 1860; the anthem's author later became the third president of Liberia

• rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (manioc, tapioca), 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 85 per 100 persons in 2015

international:

country code - 231; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2015)

• 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

standard gauge:

345 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge:

84 km 1.067-m gauge

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

country comparison to the world: 119

total:

10,600 km

paved:

657 km

unpaved:

9,943 km (2000)

country comparison to the world: 134

• although civil unrest continues to abate with the assistance of 6,500 UN Mission in Liberia peacekeepers, as of January 2013, 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):

19,875 (Cote d'Ivoire) (2016)

IDPs:

up to 23,000 (civil war from 1990-2004; post-election violence in March and April 2011; many dwell in slums in Monrovia) (2014)

stateless persons:

1 (2015)

• 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