Global InformationLiberia information
Republic of Liberia | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Coat of arms
| |
| Motto: "The Love of Liberty Brought Us Here" | |
| Anthem: "All Hail, Liberia, Hail!" | |
 Location of Liberia (dark green) | |
| Capital and largest city | Monrovia 6°19′N 10°48′W / 6.317°N 10.800°W |
| Official languages | English |
| Ethnic groups (2008[1]) |
|
| Religion (2018)[2] |
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| Demonym(s) | Liberian |
| Government | Unitary presidential republic |
• President | Joseph Boakai |
• Vice President | Jeremiah Koung |
• House Speaker | Jonathan F. Koffa |
• Chief Justice | Sie-A-Nyene Yuoh |
| Legislature | Legislature of Liberia |
• Upper house | Senate |
• Lower house | House of Representatives |
| Formation and Independence from American Colonization Society | |
• American Colonization Society settlement | January 7, 1822 |
• Independence declared | July 26, 1847 |
• Republic of Maryland annexed | March 18, 1857 |
• Recognition by the United States | February 5, 1862 |
• United Nations membership | November 2, 1945 |
• Current constitution | January 6, 1986 |
| Area | |
• Total | 43,000[1] sq mi (111,370 km2) (102nd) |
• Water (%) | 13.514 |
| Population | |
• 2023 estimate | 5,506,280[3] (120th) |
• Density | 92.0/sq mi (35.5/km2) (180th) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2023 estimate |
• Total |  $9.718 billion[4] (167th) |
• Per capita | $1,789[4] (184th) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2023 estimate |
• Total | $4.347 billion[4] (171st) |
• Per capita | $800[4] (180th) |
| Gini (2016) | 35.3[5] medium |
| HDI (2021) | 0.481[6] low (178th) |
| Currency | Liberian dollar (LRD) |
| Time zone | UTC (GMT) |
| Date format | mm/dd/yyyy |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +231 |
| ISO 3166 code | LR |
| Internet TLD | .lr |
Website www | |
Liberia (/laɪˈbɪəriə/ ⓘ), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and southwest. It has a population of around five and one-half million and covers an area of 43,000 square miles (111,369 km2). The country's official language is English; however, over 20 indigenous languages are spoken, reflecting the country's ethnic and cultural diversity. The capital and largest city is Monrovia.
Liberia began in the early 19th century as a project of the American Colonization Society (ACS), which believed black people would face better chances for freedom and prosperity in Africa than in the United States.[7] Between 1822 and the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, more than 15,000 freed and free-born African Americans, along with 3,198 Afro-Caribbeans, relocated to Liberia.[8] Gradually developing an Americo-Liberian identity,[9][10] the settlers carried their culture and tradition with them. Liberia declared independence on July 26, 1847, which the U.S. did not recognize until February 5, 1862.
Liberia was the first African republic to proclaim its independence and is Africa's first and oldest modern republic. Along with Ethiopia, it was one of the two African countries to maintain its sovereignty and independence during the European colonial "Scramble for Africa". During World War II, Liberia supported the United States war effort against Germany, and in turn received considerable American investment in infrastructure, which aided the country's wealth and development.[11] President William Tubman encouraged economic and political changes that heightened the country's prosperity and international profile; Liberia was a founding member of the League of Nations, United Nations, and the Organisation of African Unity.
The Americo-Liberian settlers did not relate well to the indigenous peoples they encountered. Colonial settlements were raided by the Kru and Grebo from their inland chiefdoms. Americo-Liberians formed into a small elite that held disproportionate political power; indigenous Africans were excluded from birthright citizenship in their own land until 1904.[12][13]
In 1980, political tensions from the rule of William R. Tolbert resulted in a military coup, marking the end of Americo-Liberian rule and the seizure of power of Liberia's first indigenous leader, Samuel Doe. Establishing a dictatorial regime, Doe was assassinated in 1990 in the context of the First Liberian Civil War which ran from 1989 until 1997 with the election of rebel leader Charles Taylor as president. In 1998, the Second Liberian Civil War erupted against his own dictatorship, and Taylor was overthrown by the end of the war in 2003. The two wars resulted in the deaths of 250,000 people (about 8% of the population) and the displacement of many more, with Liberia's economy shrinking by 90%.[14] A peace agreement in 2003 led to democratic elections in 2005. The country has remained relatively stable since then.
- ^ a b "Liberia". The Central Intelligence Agency side for Liberia. Central Intelligence Agency. 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
- ^ "The Major Religions Practised In Liberia". WorldAtlas. March 26, 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
- ^ "Liberia". The World Factbook (2024 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Liberia)". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. October 10, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ "GINI index". World Bank.
- ^ Human Development Report 2020 The Next Frontier: Human Development and the Anthropocene (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 2020. pp. 343–346. ISBN 978-9211264425. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
AFPwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "July 26, 1847 Liberian independence proclaimed", This Day In History, History website.
- ^ Cooper, Helene, The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood (United States: Simon and Schuster, 2008), p. 6
- ^ Liberia: History, Geography, Government, and Culture, Infoplease.com
- ^ "Global Connections . Liberia . Timeline | PBS". www.pbs.org. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
- ^ Nelson, Harold D.; American University (Washington, D. C. ) Foreign Area Studies (January 24, 1984). "Liberia, a country study". Washington, D.C. : The Studies : For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O. – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Constitutional history of Liberia". Constitutionnet.org. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ "Praise for the woman who put Liberia back on its feet". The Economist. October 5, 2017.