Background
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[ Geography ] [ People ] [ Government ] [ Economy ] [ Communications ] [ Transportation ] [ Military ]

Geography

Background: 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 has 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.

Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone

Geographic coordinates: 6 30 N, 9 30 W

Area:
total: 111,370 sq km
land : 96,320 sq km
water: 15,050 sq km

Land boundaries:
total: 1,585 km
border countries: Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km

Coastline: 579 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 200 nm

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

Elevation extremes:
lowest point : Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Wuteve 1,380 m

Natural resources: iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 3.43%
permanent crops: 1.98%
other: 94.59% (2005)

Irrigated land: 30 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards: dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March)

Environment - current issues: tropical rain forest subject to deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Desertification, Endangered Species, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation

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People

Population: 3,164,156 (July 2000 est.); 3,288,198 (July 2002 est.); 3,334,587 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 44% (male 734,375/female 731,287)
15-64 years: 53.3% (male 879,848/female 896,319)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 45,175/female 47,583) (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.94% (2000 est.); 1.91% (2002 est.); 3.661% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 47.22 births/1,000 population (2000 est.); 45.95 births/1,000 population (2002 est.); 42.92 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 16.58 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.); 16.05 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.); 21.45 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: -11.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.); -10.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population; 15.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 134.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.); 130.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.); 143.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 41.13 years
male: 39.85 years
female: 42.46 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.43 children born/woman (2000 est.); 6.29 children born/woman (2002 est.); 5.87 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Nationality:
noun : Liberian(s)
adjective: Liberian

Ethnic groups: indigenous African tribes 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, and Bella), Americo-Liberians 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the US who had been slaves), Congo People 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean who had been slaves)

Religions: indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%

Languages: English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages, of which a few can be written and are used in correspondence

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 57.5%
male: 73.3%
female: 41.6% (2003 est.)

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Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Liberia
conventional short form: Liberia

Government type: republic

National capital: Monrovia

Administrative divisions: Bomi, Bong, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, Sinoe

Independence: 26 July 1847

National holiday: Independence Day, 26 July (1847)

Constitution: 6 January 1986

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

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: lpresident elected by popular vote for a six-year term (renewable); election last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held NA July 2003)
note : 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 in NA 2006); House of Representatives - last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held in 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

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: All Liberia Coalition Party or ALCOP [David KORTIE]; 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, Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

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

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Economy

Economy - overview: Civil war and government mismanagement destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around the capital, Monrovia. Many businesses fled the country, taking capital and expertise with them, but with the conclusion of fighting and the installation of a democratically-elected government in 2006, some have returned. 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. President JOHNSON SIRLEAF, a Harvard-trained banker and administrator, has taken steps to reduce corruption, build support from international donors, and encourage private investment. Embargos on timber and diamond exports have been lifted, opening new sources of revenue for the government. The reconstruction of infrastructure and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economy will largely depend on generous financial and technical assistance from donor countries and foreign investment in key sectors, such as infrastructure and power generation.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $2.85 billion (1999 est.); $3.6 billion (2001 est.); $1.498 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - 0.5% (1999 est.); 5% (2001 est.); 8.5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,000 (1999 est.); $1,100 (2001 est.); $500 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 76.9%
industry: 5.4%
services: 17.7% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line: 80% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate: 85% (2003 est.)

Inflation rate - consumer prices: 50% (1994 est.); 3% (1998 est.); 8% (2001 est.); 15% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
agriculture: 70%
industry: 8%
services: 22% (2000 est.)

Industries: rubber processing, palm oil processing, diamonds

Industrial production growth rate: 0%

Electricity - production: 1.05 billion kWh (1991); 490 million kWh (1998); 450 million kWh (2000); 319.3 million kWh (2005)

Electricity - consumption: 498 million kWh (1998); 716.1 million kWh (2000); 296.9 million kWh (2005)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2005)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2005)

Agriculture - products: rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, sugarcane, bananas; sheep, goats; timber

Exports:
total value: $667 million (f.o.b., 1995 est.); $39 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.); $55 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.); $1.197 billion f.o.b. (2006)
commodities: diamonds, iron ore, rubber, timber, coffee, cocoa
partners: Germany 40.1%, South Africa 12%, Poland 11.7%, US 8.5%, Spain 8.2% (2006)

Imports:
total value : $5.8 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.); $142 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.); $170 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.); $7.143 billion f.o.b. (2006)
commodities: fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods; rice and other foodstuffs
partners: South Korea 43.2%, Singapore 15%, Japan 12.8%, China 8.2% (2006)

Debt - external: $3 billion (1999 est.); $2.1 billion (2000 est.); $3.2 billion (2005 est.)

Economic aid - recipient: $236.2 million (2005)

Currency: 1 Liberian dollar (L$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: Liberian dollars per US dollar - NA (2007), 59.43 (2006), 53.098 (2005), 54.906 (2004), 59.379 (2003)

Fiscal year: calendar year

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Communications

Telephones: less than 25,000 (1991 est.); 5,000 (1995); 6,700 (2000); 6,900 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (1995); 0 (1998); 160,000 (2005)

Telephone system: the limited services available are found almost exclusively in the capital Monrovia; coverage extended to a number of other towns and rural areas by four mobile-cellular network operators
domestic: combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity only about 5 per 100 persons
international: country code - 231; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 6, shortwave 4 (1999);AM 0, FM 7, shortwave 2 (2001); AM 0, FM 10, shortwave 2 (2007)

Radios: 790,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 4 (plus 4 repeaters) (2007)

Televisions: 70,000 (1997)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA

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Transportation

Railways: total: 490 km
standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 145 km 1.067-m gauge
note: sections of railway are inoperable because of damage suffered during the civil war (2008)

Highways:
total: 10,600 km
paved: 657 km
unpaved: 9,943 km (1999)

Ports and harbors: Buchanan, Greenville, Harper, Monrovia

Merchant marine:
total: 1,948 ships (1000 GRT or over) 71,387,243 GRT/109,450,945 DWT
by type: barge carrier 3, bulk carrier 338, cargo 91, chemical tanker 211, combination ore/oil 9, container 614, liquefied gas 81, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 455, refrigerated cargo 91, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 11, vehicle carrier 35
foreign-owned: 1,904 (Argentina 3, Australia 2, Belgium 1, Brazil 3, Canada 3, China 32, Croatia 5, Cyprus 5, Denmark 12, Estonia 1, France 5, Germany 728, Gibraltar 7, Greece 311, Hong Kong 21, India 2, Indonesia 1, Israel 9, Italy 31, Japan 111, South Korea 4, Kuwait 1, Latvia 15, Lebanon 2, Mexico 1, Monaco 8, Netherlands 28, Norway 42, Poland 14, Qatar 2, Russia 87, Saudi Arabia 24, Singapore 42, Slovenia 1, Sweden 11, Switzerland 11, Taiwan 82, Turkey 7, Ukraine 24, UAE 22, UK 74, US 103, Uruguay 3, Vietnam 3) (2007)

Airports: 45 (1999 est.); 47 (2001); 53 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 51
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 38 (2007)

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Military

Military branches: Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL): Army, Navy, Air Force

Military manpower - availability:
males age 16-49: 729,813
females age 16-49: 741,223 (2008 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 371,287
females age 16-49: 373,265 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2% (FY98); 1.3% (FY01); 1.3% (2006 est.)

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