Liberia

Liberia (/laɪˈbɪəriə/ (listen)), 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, Côte d'Ivoire to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean to its south-southwest. It has a population of around 5 million and covers an area of 111,369 square kilometers (43,000 sq mi). English is the official language, but over 20 indigenous languages are spoken, representing the numerous ethnic groups who make up more than 95% of the population. The country's capital and largest city is Monrovia.

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
Official languages	English
Spoken and national languages[1]	Liberian English
Ethnic groups (2008[2])	20.3% Kpelle 13.4% Bassa 10% Grebo 8% Gio 7.9% Mano 6% Kru 5.1% Lorma 4.8% Kissi 4.4% Gola 4% Krahn 4% Vai 3.2% Mandinka 3% Gbandi 1.3% Mende 1.2% Sapo 0.8% Belle 0.3% Dey 0.6% other Liberian 1.4% other African 0.1% non-African
Religion	83.1% Christianity 14.7% Islam 2.1% others[2]
Demonym(s)	Liberian
Government	Unitary presidential constitutional republic
• President	George Weah
• Vice President	Jewel Taylor
• Speaker of the House	Bhofal Chambers
• Chief Justice	Francis Korkpor
Legislature	Legislature of Liberia
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	House of Representatives
Formation and Independence from American Colonization Society
• Settlement by the American Colonization Society	January 7, 1822
• Liberian Declaration of Independence	July 26, 1847
• Annexation of Republic of Maryland	March 18, 1857
• Recognition by the United States	February 5, 1862
• Admitted to the United Nations	November 2, 1945
• Current constitution	January 6, 1986
Area
• Total	111,369 km^2 (43,000 sq mi) (102nd)
• Water (%)	13.514
Population
• 2015 estimate	5,073,296[2] (126th)
• 2008 census	3,476,608
• Density	40.43/km^2 (104.7/sq mi) (180th)
GDP (PPP)	2019 estimate
• Total	$6.468 billion
• Per capita	$1,413[3]
GDP (nominal)	2019 estimate
• Total	$3.221 billion
• Per capita	$704[3]
Gini (2016)	35.3[4] medium
HDI (2019)	0.480[5] low · 175th
Currency	Liberian dollar (LRD)
Time zone	UTC (GMT)
Driving side	right
Calling code	+231
ISO 3166 code	LR
Internet TLD	.lr

Liberia began as a settlement of the American Colonization Society (ACS), who believed black people would face better chances for freedom and prosperity in Africa than in the United States.[6] The country declared its independence on July 26, 1847. The U.S. did not recognize Liberia's independence until February 5, 1862, during the American Civil War. Between January 7, 1822, and the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, more than 15,000 freed and free-born people of color who faced social and legal oppression in the United States, as well as 3,198 Afro-Caribbeans, relocated to the settlement.[7] The settlers carried their culture and tradition with them. The Liberian constitution and flag were modeled after those of the U.S. On January 3, 1848, Joseph Jenkins Roberts, a wealthy, free-born African American from Virginia who settled in Liberia, was elected Liberia's first president after the people proclaimed independence.[7]

Liberia was the first African republic to proclaim its independence, and is Africa's first and oldest modern republic. It retained its independence during the Scramble for Africa. During World War II, Liberia supported the United States war effort against Germany and in turn, the U.S. invested in considerable infrastructure in Liberia to help its war effort, which also aided the country in modernizing and improving its major air transportation facilities. In addition, President William Tubman encouraged economic changes. Internationally, 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, especially those in communities of the more isolated "bush". The colonial settlements were raided by the Kru and Grebo from their inland chiefdoms. Americo-Liberians developed as a small elite that held on to political power,[8] and indigenous tribesmen were excluded from birthright citizenship in their own land until 1904.[9] Americo-Liberians promoted religious organizations to set up missions and schools to educate the indigenous peoples.[8]

In 1980, political tensions from the rule of William R. Tolbert resulted in a military coup during which Tolbert was killed, marking the beginning of years-long political instability. Five years of military rule by the People's Redemption Council and five years of civilian rule by the National Democratic Party of Liberia were followed by the First and Second Liberian Civil Wars. These resulted in the deaths of 250,000 people (about 8% of the population) and the displacement of many more, and shrank Liberia's economy by 90%.[10] A peace agreement in 2003 led to democratic elections in 2005, in which Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was elected president, making history as the first female president in the continent. National infrastructure and basic social services were severely affected by the conflicts as well as by the 2013–2016 outbreak of Ebola virus, with 83% of the population living below the international poverty line as of 2015.[11]

History

Undated Acheulean artifacts are abundant across West Africa, attesting to the presence of ancient humans. The emerging chronometric record of the Middle Stone Age (MSA) indicates that core and flake technologies have been present in West Africa since at least the Middle Pleistocene (~780-126 thousand years ago or ka), and that they persisted until the Terminal Pleistocene/Holocene boundary (~12ka)—the youngest examples of such technology anywhere in Africa. The presence of MSA populations in forests remains an open question, however technological differences may correlate with various ecological zones. Later Stone Age (LSA) populations evidence significant technological diversification, including both microlithic and macrolithic traditions.[12]

The presence of Oldowan Earlier Stone Age (ESA) artefacts in West Africa has been confirmed by Michael Omolewa.[13] Acheulean ESA artefacts are well documented across West Africa. None are currently dated. There are few dated Middle Stone Age (MSA) sites; they range from the Middle Pleistocene in northern, open Sahelian zones to the Late Pleistocene in both northern and southern zones of West Africa. The record shows that aceramic and ceramic Later Stone Age (LSA) assemblages in West Africa are found to overlap chronologically, and that changing densities of microlithic industries from the coast to the north are geographically structured. These features may represent social networks or some form of cultural diffusion allied to changing ecological conditions.[12]

Microlithic industries with ceramics became common by the Mid-Holocene, coupled with an apparent intensification of wild food exploitation. Between ~4–3.5ka, these societies gradually transformed into food producers, possibly through contact with northern pastoralists and agriculturalists, as the environment became more arid. However, hunter-gatherers have survived in the more forested parts of West Africa until much later, attesting to the strength of ecological boundaries in this region.[12]

A European map of West Africa and the Grain Coast, 1736. It has the archaic mapping designation of Negroland.

The Pepper Coast, also known as the Grain Coast, has been inhabited by indigenous peoples of Africa at least as far back as the 12th century. Mande-speaking people expanded westward from the Sudan, forcing many smaller ethnic groups southward toward the Atlantic Ocean. The Dei, Bassa, Kru, Gola, and Kissi were some of the earliest documented peoples in the area.[14]

This influx of these groups was compounded by the decline of the Western Sudanic Mali Empire in 1375 and the Songhai Empire in 1591. As inland regions underwent desertification, inhabitants moved to the wetter coast. These new inhabitants brought skills such as cotton spinning, cloth weaving, iron smelting, rice and sorghum cultivation, and social and political institutions from the Mali and Songhai empires.[14] Shortly after the Mane conquered the region, the Vai people of the former Mali Empire immigrated into the Grand Cape Mount County region. The ethnic Kru opposed the influx of Vai, forming an alliance with the Mane to stop further influx of Vai.[15]

People along the coast built canoes and traded with other West Africans from Cap-Vert to the Gold Coast. Arab traders entered the region from the north, and a long-established slave trade took captives to north and east Africa.

Early colonization

Between 1461 and the late 17th century, Portuguese, Dutch, and British traders had contacts and trading posts in the region. The Portuguese named the area Costa da Pimenta ("Pepper Coast") but it later came to be known as the Grain Coast, due to the abundance of melegueta pepper grains. European traders would barter commodities and goods with local people.

In the United States there was a movement to settle free people of color, both free-born and formerly enslaved, in Africa. This was because they faced racial discrimination in the form of political disenfranchisement and the denial of civil, religious, and social rights.[16] Formed in 1816, the American Colonization Society (ACS) was made up mostly of Quakers and slaveholders. Quakers believed blacks would face better chances for freedom in Africa than in the U.S.[6][17] While slaveholders opposed freedom for enslaved people, they viewed "repatriation" of free people of color as a way to avoid slave rebellions.[6]

In 1822, the American Colonization Society began sending free people of color to the Pepper Coast voluntarily to establish a colony. Although mortality from tropical diseases was horrendous — of the 4,571 emigrants who arrived in Liberia between 1820 and 1843, only 1,819 were alive in 1843[18][19] — by 1867 the ACS (and state-related chapters) had assisted in the migration of more than 13,000 people of color from the United States and the Caribbean to Liberia.[20] These free African Americans and their descendants married within their community and came to identify as Americo-Liberians. Many were of mixed race and educated in American culture; they did not identify with the indigenous natives of the tribes they encountered. They intermarried largely within the colonial community, developing an ethnic group that had a cultural tradition infused with American notions of political republicanism and Protestant Christianity.[21]

Map of Liberia Colony in the 1830s, created by the ACS, and also showing Mississippi Colony and other state-sponsored colonies.

The ACS, supported by prominent American politicians such as Abraham Lincoln, Henry Clay, and James Monroe, believed "repatriation" was preferable to having emancipated slaves remain in the United States.[17] Similar state-based organizations established colonies in Mississippi-in-Africa, Kentucky in Africa, and the Republic of Maryland, which Liberia later annexed. However, Lincoln in 1862 described Liberia as only "in a certain sense...a success", and proposed instead that free people of color be assisted to emigrate to Chiriquí, today part of Panama.[22]

The Americo-Liberian settlers did not relate well to the indigenous peoples they encountered, especially those in communities of the more isolated "bush". They knew nothing of their cultures, languages, or animist religion, and were not interested in learning. The colonial settlements were raided by the Kru and Grebo from their inland chiefdoms. Encounters with tribal Africans in the bush often became violent confrontations.

In Slaves to Racism: An Unbroken Chain from America to Liberia, Benjamin Dennis and Anita Dennis argue that the Americo-Liberians replicated the only society most of them knew: the racist culture of the American South. Believing themselves different from and culturally and educationally superior to the indigenous peoples, the Americo-Liberians developed as an elite minority that held on to political power. They treated the natives the way American whites had treated them: as inferiors. The natives could not vote and could not speak unless spoken to. Just as people of color were prohibited from marrying white people in most of the United States, the indigenous Africans could not by law marry Americo-Liberians. Even when some indigenous Africans became educated in Western ways, they were broadly excluded from government positions.[23] Indigenous tribesmen did not enjoy birthright citizenship in their own land until 1904.[9] Americo-Liberians encouraged religious organizations to set up missions and schools to educate the indigenous peoples.

Government

Residence of Joseph Jenkins Roberts, first President of Liberia, between 1848 and 1852.

On July 26, 1847, the settlers issued a Declaration of Independence and promulgated a constitution. Based on the political principles of the United States Constitution, it established the independent Republic of Liberia.[24][25] The United Kingdom was the first country to recognize Liberia's independence.[26] The United States did not recognize Liberia until 1862, after the Southern states, who had a lot of power in the American government, seceded from the union to form the Confederacy.[27][28][29]

The leadership of the new nation consisted largely of the Americo-Liberians, who initially established political and economic dominance in the coastal areas that the ACS had purchased; they maintained relations with U.S. contacts in developing these areas and the resulting trade. Their passage of the 1865 Ports of Entry Act prohibited foreign commerce with the inland tribes, ostensibly to "encourage the growth of civilized values" before such trade was allowed in the region.[24]

African Americans depart for Liberia, 1896. The ACS sent its last emigrants to Liberia in 1904.

By 1877, the True Whig Party was the country's most powerful political entity.[30] It was made up primarily of Americo-Liberians, who maintained social, economic and political dominance well into the 20th century, repeating patterns of European colonists in other nations in Africa. Competition for office was usually contained within the party; a party nomination virtually ensured election.[30]

Pressure from the United Kingdom, which controlled Sierra Leone to the northwest, and France, with its interests in the north and east, led to a loss of Liberia's claims to extensive territories. Both Sierra Leone and the Ivory Coast annexed territories.[31] Liberia struggled to attract investment to develop infrastructure and a larger, industrial economy.

There was a decline in production of Liberian goods in the late 19th century, and the government struggled financially, resulting in indebtedness on a series of international loans.[32] On July 16, 1892, Martha Ann Erskine Ricks met Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle and presented her a handmade quilt, Liberia's first diplomatic gift. Born into slavery in Tennessee, Ricks said, "I had heard it often, from the time I was a child, how good the Queen had been to my people—to slaves—and how she wanted us to be free."[26]

Early 20th century

Charles D. B. King, 17th President of Liberia (1920–1930), with his entourage on the steps of the Peace Palace, The Hague (the Netherlands), 1927.

American and other international interests emphasized resource extraction, with rubber production a major industry in the early 20th century.[33] In 1914 Imperial Germany accounted for three quarters of the trade of Liberia. This was a cause for concern among the British colonial authorities of Sierra Leone and the French colonial authorities of French Guinea and the Ivory Coast as tensions with Germany increased.[34]

First World War

Liberia remained neutral during World War I until August 4, 1917, when it declared war on Germany. In 1919 Liberia attended the Versailles Peace Conference. Liberia was one of the founding members of the League of Nations when it was founded in January 1920.[35]

Middle 20th century

In 1929 allegations of modern slavery in Liberia led the League of Nations to establish the Christy commission. Findings included government involvement in widespread "Forced or compulsory labour". Minority ethnic groups especially were exploited in a system that enriched well-connected elites.[36] As a result of the report, President Charles D. B. King and Vice President Allen N. Yancy resigned.[37]

In the mid-20th century Liberia gradually began to modernize with American assistance. During World War II the United States made major infrastructure improvements to support its military efforts in Africa and Europe against Germany. It built the Freeport of Monrovia and Roberts International Airport under the Lend-Lease program before its entry into the Second World War.[38]

After the war President William Tubman encouraged foreign investment in the country. Liberia had the second-highest rate of economic growth in the world during the 1950s.[38]

Liberia also began to take a more active role in international affairs. It was a founding member of the United Nations in 1945 and became a vocal critic of the South African apartheid regime.[39] Liberia also served as a proponent both of African independence from European colonial powers and of Pan-Africanism, and helped to fund the Organisation of African Unity.[40]

A technical in Monrovia during the Second Liberian Civil War.

Late 20th-century political instability

On April 12, 1980, a military coup led by Master Sergeant Samuel Doe of the Krahn ethnic group overthrew and killed President William R. Tolbert, Jr. Doe and the other plotters later executed a majority of Tolbert's cabinet and other Americo-Liberian government officials and True Whig Party members.[41] The coup leaders formed the People's Redemption Council (PRC) to govern the country.[41] A strategic Cold War ally of the West, Doe received significant financial backing from the United States while critics condemned the PRC for corruption and political repression.[41]

After Liberia adopted a new constitution in 1985, Doe was elected president in subsequent elections that were internationally condemned as fraudulent.[41] On November 12, 1985, a failed counter-coup was launched by Thomas Quiwonkpa, whose soldiers briefly occupied the national radio station.[42] Government repression intensified in response, as Doe's troops retaliated by executing members of the Gio and Mano ethnic groups in Nimba County.[42]

The National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL), a rebel group led by Charles Taylor, launched an insurrection in December 1989 against Doe's government with the backing of neighboring countries such as Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast. This triggered the First Liberian Civil War.[43] By September 1990, Doe's forces controlled only a small area just outside the capital, and Doe was captured and executed in that month by rebel forces.[44]

The rebels soon split into various factions fighting one another. The Economic Community Monitoring Group under the Economic Community of West African States organized a military task force to intervene in the crisis.[44] From 1989 to 1997 around 60,000 to 80,000 Liberians died, and by 1996 around 700,000 others had been displaced into refugee camps in neighboring countries.[45] A peace deal between warring parties was reached in 1995, leading to Taylor's election as president in 1997.[44]

Under Taylor's leadership, Liberia became internationally known as a pariah state due to its use of blood diamonds and illegal timber exports to fund the Revolutionary United Front in the Sierra Leone Civil War.[46] The Second Liberian Civil War began in 1999 when Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy, a rebel group based in the northwest of the country, launched an armed insurrection against Taylor.[47]

2000s

Ebola virus epidemic in Liberia in February 2015

In March 2003, a second rebel group, Movement for Democracy in Liberia, began launching attacks against Taylor from the southeast.[47] Peace talks between the factions began in Accra in June of that year, and Taylor was indicted by the Special Court for Sierra Leone for crimes against humanity the same month.[46] By July 2003, the rebels had launched an assault on Monrovia.[48] Under heavy pressure from the international community and the domestic Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace movement,[49] Taylor resigned in August 2003 and went into exile in Nigeria.[50]

A peace deal was signed later that month.[51] The United Nations Mission in Liberia began arriving in September 2003 to provide security and monitor the peace accord,[52] and an interim government took power the following October.[53]

The subsequent 2005 elections were internationally regarded as the most free and fair in Liberian history.[54] Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a US-educated economist and former Minister of Finance, was elected as the first female president in Africa.[54] Upon her inauguration, Sirleaf requested the extradition of Taylor from Nigeria and transferred him to the SCSL for trial in The Hague.[55][56]

In 2006, the government established a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to address the causes and crimes of the civil war.[57]

Following the 2017 Liberian general election, former professional football striker George Weah, one of the greatest African players of all time,[58][59] was sworn in as president on 22 January 2018, becoming the 4th youngest serving president in Africa.[60] The inauguration marked Liberia's first fully democratic transition in 74 years.[61] Weah cited fighting corruption, reforming the economy, combating illiteracy and improving life conditions as the main targets of his presidency.[61]

Geography

A map of Liberia

Liberia map of Köppen climate classification.

Liberia is situated in West Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean to the country's southwest. It lies between latitudes 4° and 9°N, and longitudes 7° and 12°W.

The landscape is characterized by mostly flat to rolling coastal plains that contain mangroves and swamps, which rise to a rolling plateau and low mountains in the northeast.[62]

Tropical rainforests cover the hills, while elephant grass and semi-deciduous forests make up the dominant vegetation in the northern sections.[62] The equatorial climate, in the south of the country, is hot year-round with heavy rainfall from May to October with a short interlude in mid-July to August.[62] During the winter months of November to March, dry dust-laden harmattan winds blow inland, causing many problems for residents.[62]

Liberia's watershed tends to move in a southwestern pattern towards the sea as new rains move down the forested plateau off the inland mountain range of Guinée Forestière, in Guinea. Cape Mount near the border with Sierra Leone receives the most precipitation in the nation.[62]

Liberia's main northwestern boundary is traversed by the Mano River while its southeast limits are bounded by the Cavalla River.[62] Liberia's three largest rivers are St. Paul exiting near Monrovia, the river St. John at Buchanan, and the Cestos River, all of which flow into the Atlantic. The Cavalla is the longest river in the nation at 515 kilometers (320 mi).[62]

The highest point wholly within Liberia is Mount Wuteve at 1,440 meters (4,724 ft) above sea level in the northwestern Liberia range of the West Africa Mountains and the Guinea Highlands.[62] However, Mount Nimba near Yekepa, is higher at 1,752 meters (5,748 ft) above sea level but is not wholly within Liberia as Nimba shares a border with Guinea and Ivory Coast and is their tallest mountain as well.[63]

Forests

Forests on the coastline are composed mostly of salt-tolerant mangrove trees, while the more sparsely populated inland has forests opening onto a plateau of drier grasslands. The climate is equatorial, with significant rainfall during the May–October rainy season and harsh harmattan winds the remainder of the year. Liberia possesses about forty percent of the remaining Upper Guinean rainforest. It was an important producer of rubber in the early 20th century. Four terrestrial ecoregions lie within Liberia's borders: Guinean montane forests, Western Guinean lowland forests, Guinean forest-savanna mosaic, and Guinean mangroves.[64] It had a 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 4.79/10, ranking it 116^th globally out of 172 countries.[65]

Administrative divisions

A clickable map of Liberia exhibiting its fifteen counties.

A view of a lake in Bomi County

Liberia is divided into fifteen counties, which, in turn, are subdivided into a total of 90 districts and further subdivided into clans. The oldest counties are Grand Bassa and Montserrado, both founded in 1839 prior to Liberian independence. Gbarpolu is the newest county, created in 2001. Nimba is the largest of the counties in size at 11,551 km² (4,460 sq mi), while Montserrado is the smallest at 1,909 km² (737 sq mi).[66] Montserrado is also the most populous county with 1,144,806 residents as of the 2008 census.[66]

The fifteen counties are administered by superintendents appointed by the president. The Constitution calls for the election of various chiefs at the county and local level, but these elections have not taken place since 1985 due to war and financial constraints.[67]

Parallel to the administrative divisions of the country are the local and municipal divisions. Liberia currently does not have any constitutional framework or uniform statutes which deal with the creation or revocation of local governments.[68] All existing local governments – cities, townships, and a borough – were created by specific acts of the Liberian government, and thus the structure and duties/responsibilities of each local government varies greatly from one to the other.

Map no.	County	Capital	Population (2008 Census)[66]	Area (km^2)[66]	Number of districts	Year created
1	Bomi	Tubmanburg	82,036	1,942 km^2 (750 sq mi)	4	1984
2	Bong	Gbarnga	328,919	8,772 km^2 (3,387 sq mi)	12	1964
3	Gbarpolu	Bopolu	83,758	9,689 km^2 (3,741 sq mi)	6	2001
4	Grand Bassa	Buchanan	224,839	7,936 km^2 (3,064 sq mi)	8	1839
5	Grand Cape Mount	Robertsport	129,055	5,162 km^2 (1,993 sq mi)	5	1844
6	Grand Gedeh	Zwedru	126,146	10,484 km^2 (4,048 sq mi)	3	1964
7	Grand Kru	Barclayville	57,106	3,895 km^2 (1,504 sq mi)	18	1984
8	Lofa	Voinjama	270,114	9,982 km^2 (3,854 sq mi)	6	1964
9	Margibi	Kakata	199,689	2,616 km^2 (1,010 sq mi)	4	1985
10	Maryland	Harper	136,404	2,297 km^2 (887 sq mi)	2	1857
11	Montserrado	Bensonville	1,144,806	1,909 km^2 (737 sq mi)	4	1839
12	Nimba	Sanniquellie	468,088	11,551 km^2 (4,460 sq mi)	6	1964
13	Rivercess	Rivercess	65,862	5,594 km^2 (2,160 sq mi)	6	1985
14	River Gee	Fish Town	67,318	5,113 km^2 (1,974 sq mi)	6	2000
15	Sinoe	Greenville	104,932	10,137 km^2 (3,914 sq mi)	17	1843

Environmental issues

Pygmy hippos are among the species illegally hunted for food in Liberia.[69] The World Conservation Union estimates that there are fewer than 3,000 pygmy hippos remaining in the wild.[70]

Endangered species are hunted for human consumption as bushmeat in Liberia.[69] Species hunted for food in Liberia include elephants, pygmy hippopotamus, chimpanzees, leopards, duikers, and other monkeys.[69] Bushmeat is often exported to neighboring Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast, despite a ban on the cross-border sale of wild animals.[69]

Bushmeat is widely eaten in Liberia, and is considered a delicacy.[71] A 2004 public opinion survey found that bushmeat ranked second behind fish amongst residents of the capital Monrovia as a preferred source of protein.[71] Of households where bushmeat was served, 80% of residents said they cooked it "once in a while," while 13% cooked it once a week and 7% cooked bushmeat daily.[71] The survey was conducted during the last civil war, and bushmeat consumption is now believed to be far higher.[71]

Loggers and logging truck, early 1960s

Liberia is a global biodiversity hotspot—a significant reservoir of biodiversity that is under threat from humans.[72]

Slash-and-burn agriculture is one of the human activities eroding Liberia's natural forests.[73] A 2004 UN report estimated that 99% of Liberians burned charcoal and fuel wood for cooking and heating, resulting in deforestation.[73]

Illegal logging has increased in Liberia since the end of the Second Civil War in 2003.[72] In 2012, President Sirleaf granted licenses to companies to cut down 58% of all the primary rainforest left in Liberia.[72] After international protests, many of those logging permits were canceled.[72] In September 2014, Liberia and Norway struck an agreement whereby Liberia ceased all logging in exchange for $150 million in development aid.[72]

Pollution is a significant issue in Monrovia.[74] Since 2006, the international community has paid for all garbage collection and disposal in Monrovia via the World Bank.[75]

Climate change

Liberia is particularly vulnerable to climate change. Like many other countries in Africa, Liberia both faces existing environmental issues, as well as sustainable development challenges.[76] Because of its location in Africa, it is vulnerable to extreme weather, coastal effects of sea level rise, and changing water systems and water availability.[77]

Climate change is expected to severely impact the Liberian economy, especially agriculture, fisheries, and forestry.[78] Liberia has been an active participant in international and local policy changes related to climate change.

Politics

Former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

The government of Liberia, modeled on the government of the United States, is a unitary constitutional republic and representative democracy as established by the Constitution. The government has three co-equal branches of government: the executive, headed by the president; the legislative, consisting of the bicameral Legislature of Liberia; and the judicial, consisting of the Supreme Court and several lower courts.

The president serves as head of government, head of state, and the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia.[2] Among the president's other duties are to sign or veto legislative bills, grant pardons, and appoint Cabinet members, judges, and other public officials. Together with the vice president, the president is elected to a six-year term by majority vote in a two-round system and can serve up to two terms in office.[2]

The Legislature is composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The House, led by a speaker, has 73 members apportioned among the 15 counties on the basis of the national census, with each county receiving a minimum of two members.[2] Each House member represents an electoral district within a county as drawn by the National Elections Commission and is elected by a plurality of the popular vote of their district into a six-year term. The Senate is made up of two senators from each county for a total of 30 senators.[2] Senators serve nine-year terms and are elected at-large by a plurality of the popular vote.[2] The vice president serves as the President of the Senate, with a President pro tempore serving in their absence.

Liberia's highest judicial authority is the Supreme Court, made up of five members and headed by the Chief Justice of Liberia. Members are nominated to the court by the president and are confirmed by the Senate, serving until the age of 70. The judiciary is further divided into circuit and speciality courts, magistrate courts and justices of the peace.[79] The judicial system is a blend of common law, based on Anglo-American law, and customary law.[2] An informal system of traditional courts still exists within the rural areas of the country, with trial by ordeal remaining common despite being officially outlawed.[79]

From 1877 to 1980 the government was dominated by the True Whig Party.[30] Today over 20 political parties are registered in the country, based largely around personalities and ethnic groups.[54] Most parties suffer from poor organizational capacity.[54] The 2005 elections marked the first time that the president's party did not gain a majority of seats in the Legislature.[54]

Military

The Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) are the country's armed forces. Founded as the Liberian Frontier Force in 1908, the military was renamed in 1956. For virtually all of its history, the AFL has received considerable material and training assistance from the United States. For most of the 1941–89 period, training was largely provided by U.S. advisors, with combat experience in the Second World War also playing a role in training. After UN Security Council Resolution 1509 in September 2003, the United Nations Mission in Liberia arrived to referee the ceasefire with units from Ghana, Nigeria, Pakistan, and China with the view to assist the National Transitional Government of Liberia in forming the new Liberian military.[80]

Foreign relations

President Sirleaf with US Secretary of State John Kerry, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, and British PM David Cameron in September 2015

After the turmoil following the First and Second Liberian Civil Wars, Liberia's internal stabilization in the 21st century brought a return to cordial relations with neighboring countries and much of the Western world. As in other African countries, China is an important part of the post-conflict reconstruction.[81]

In the past, both of Liberia's neighbors, Guinea and Sierra Leone, have accused Liberia of backing rebels in their countries.[82]

Law enforcement

The Liberian National Police is the country's national police force. As of October 2007 it has 844 officers in 33 stations in Montserrado County, which contains Monrovia.[83] The National Police Training Academy is in Paynesville City.[84] A history of corruption among police officers diminishes public trust and operational effectiveness. The internal security is characterized by a general lawlessness coupled with the danger that former combatants in the late civil war might reestablish militias to challenge the civil authorities.[85]

Corruption

Corruption is endemic at every level of the Liberian government.[86] When President Sirleaf took office in 2006, she announced that corruption was "the major public enemy."[82] In 2014 the US ambassador to Liberia said that corruption there was harming people through "unnecessary costs to products and services that are already difficult for many Liberians to afford".[87]

Liberia scored a 3.3 on a scale from 10 (highly clean) to 0 (highly corrupt) on the 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index. This gave it a ranking 87th of 178 countries worldwide and 11th of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa.[88] This score represented a significant improvement since 2007, when the country scored 2.1 and ranked 150th of 180 countries.[89] When dealing with public-facing government functionaries, 89% of Liberians say they have had to pay a bribe, the highest national percentage in the world according to the organization's 2010 Global Corruption Barometer.[90]

Economy

A proportional representation of Liberian exports. The shipping related categories reflect Liberia's status as an international flag of convenience – there are 3,500 vessels registered under Liberia's flag accounting for 11% of ships worldwide.[91][92]

Liberia, trends in the Human Development Index 1970–2010.

The Central Bank of Liberia is responsible for printing and maintaining the Liberian dollar, Liberia's primary currency. Liberia is one of the world's poorest countries, with a formal employment rate of 15%.[79] GDP per capita peaked in 1980 at US$496, when it was comparable to Egypt's (at the time).[93] In 2011 the country's nominal GDP was US$1.154 billion, while nominal GDP per capita stood at US$297, the third-lowest in the world.[94] Historically the Liberian economy has depended heavily on foreign aid, foreign direct investment and exports of natural resources such as iron ore, rubber, and timber.[62]

Economic history

Following a peak in growth in 1979, the Liberian economy began a steady decline due to economic mismanagement after the 1980 coup.[95] This decline was accelerated by the outbreak of civil war in 1989; GDP was reduced by an estimated 90% between 1989 and 1995, one of the fastest declines in history.[95] Upon the end of the war in 2003, GDP growth began to accelerate, reaching 9.4% in 2007.[96] The global financial crisis slowed GDP growth to 4.6% in 2009,[96] though a strengthening agricultural sector led by rubber and timber exports increased growth to 5.1% in 2010 and an expected 7.3% in 2011, making the economy one of the 20 fastest-growing in the world.[97][98]

Current impediments to growth include a small domestic market, lack of adequate infrastructure, high transportation costs, poor trade links with neighboring countries and the high dollarization of the economy.[97] Liberia used the United States dollar as its currency from 1943 until 1982 and continues to use the U.S. dollar alongside the Liberian dollar.[99]

Following a decrease in inflation beginning in 2003, inflation spiked in 2008 as a result of worldwide food and energy crises,[100] reaching 17.5% before declining to 7.4% in 2009.[96] Liberia's external debt was estimated in 2006 at approximately $4.5 billion, 800% of GDP.[95] As a result of bilateral, multilateral and commercial debt relief from 2007 to 2010, the country's external debt fell to $222.9 million by 2011.[101]

While official commodity exports declined during the 1990s as many investors fled the civil war, Liberia's wartime economy featured the exploitation of the region's diamond wealth.[102] The country acted as a major trader in Sierra Leonian blood diamonds, exporting over US$300 million in diamonds in 1999.[103] This led to a United Nations ban on Liberian diamond exports in 2001, which was lifted in 2007 following Liberia's accession to the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme.[104]

In 2003, additional UN sanctions were placed on Liberian timber exports, which had risen from US$5 million in 1997 to over US$100 million in 2002 and were believed to be funding rebels in Sierra Leone.[105][106] These sanctions were lifted in 2006.[107] Due in large part to foreign aid and investment inflow following the end of the war, Liberia maintains a large account deficit, which peaked at nearly 60% in 2008.[97] Liberia gained observer status with the World Trade Organization in 2010 and became an official member in 2016.[108]

Liberia has the highest ratio of foreign direct investment to GDP in the world, with US$16 billion in investment since 2006.[98] Following Sirleaf's inauguration in 2006, Liberia signed several multi-billion-dollar concession agreements in the iron ore and palm oil industries with numerous multinational corporations, including BHP Billiton, ArcelorMittal, and Sime Darby.[109] Palm oil companies like Sime Darby (Malaysia) and Golden Veroleum (USA) have been accused of destroying livelihoods and displacing local communities, enabled by government concessions.[110] Since 1926 The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company has operated the world's largest rubber plantation in Harbel, Margibi County. As of 2015 it had more than 8,000 mostly Liberian employees, making it the country's largest private employer.[111][112]

Shipping flag of convenience

Due to its status as a flag of convenience, Liberia has the second-largest maritime registry in the world behind Panama. It has 3,500 vessels registered under its flag, accounting for 11% of ships worldwide.[91][92]

Agriculture

Young boy grinding sugar cane near Flumpa, Nimba County, 1968.

Agriculture in Liberia is a major sector of the country's economy worth 38.8% of GDP, employing more than 70% of the population and providing a valuable export for one of the world’s least developed countries (as defined by the UN).[113][114][115][116] Liberia has a climate favourable to farming, vast forests, and an abundance of water, yet low yields mean that over half of foodstuffs are imported, with net agricultural trade at -$73.12 million in 2010.[117] This was dismissed as a "misconception" by Liberia’s Minister of Agriculture.[118]

The major crops are natural rubber, rice, cassava, bananas and palm oil.[119] Timber is also a major export at $100 million annually, although much of this is the product of unsustainable habitat destruction, with Asian corporations criticised for their role.[115] Although agricultural activity occurs in most rural locations, it is particularly concentrated in coastal plains (subsistence crops) and tropical forest (cash crops). The sector is very important for women as they are widely employed in it in comparison to the economy as a whole.[120]

Mining

Iron ore mining

The mining industry of Liberia has witnessed a revival after the civil war which ended in 2003.[121] Gold, diamonds, and iron ore form the core minerals of the mining sector with a new Mineral Development Policy and Mining Code being put in place to attract foreign investments.[122] In 2013, the mineral sector accounted for 11% of GDP in the country and the World Bank has projected a further increase in the sector by 2017.[123]

Mining sector is considered the prime mover for the economic growth of the country and its exploitation has to be appropriately balanced with sustainable environmental preservation of its rich biodiversity.[124] Apart from iron ore extractions, cement, diamond, gold, and petroleum resources have also been given due importance to enrich the economy of the country.

Telecommunications

There are six major newspapers in Liberia, and 45% of the population has a mobile phone service. Much of Liberia's communications infrastructure was destroyed or plundered during the two civil wars (1989–1996 and 1999–2003).[125] With low rates of adult literacy and high poverty rates, television and newspaper use is limited, leaving radio as the predominant means of communicating with the public.[126]

Transportation

The streets of downtown Monrovia, March 2009

Transport in Liberia consist of railways, highways, seaports and airports.

Energy

Public electricity services are provided solely by the state-owned Liberia Electricity Corporation, which operates a small grid almost exclusively in the Greater Monrovia District.[127] The vast majority of electric energy services is provided by small, privately owned generators. At $0.54 per kWh, the cost of electricity in Liberia is among the highest in the world. Total capacity in 2013 was 20 MW, a sharp decline from a peak of 191 MW in 1989 before the wars.[127]

Completion of the repair and expansion of the Mount Coffee Hydropower Project, with a maximum capacity of 80 MW, is scheduled to be completed by 2018.[128] Construction of three new heavy fuel oil power plants is expected to boost electrical capacity by 38 MW.[129] In 2013, Liberia began importing power from neighboring Ivory Coast and Guinea through the West African Power Pool.[130]

Liberia has begun exploration for offshore oil; unproven oil reserves may be in excess of one billion barrels.[131] The government divided its offshore waters into 17 blocks and began auctioning off exploration licenses for the blocks in 2004, with further auctions in 2007 and 2009.[132][133][134] An additional 13 ultra-deep offshore blocks were demarcated in 2011 and planned for auction.[135] Among the companies to have won licenses are Repsol YPF, Chevron Corporation, and Woodside Petroleum.[136]

Demographics

Liberia's population from 1961–2013, in millions.[137] Liberia's population tripled in 40 years.[137]

Liberia's population pyramid, 2005. 43.5% of Liberians were below the age of 15 in 2010.[138]

As of the 2017 national census, Liberia was home to 4,694,608 people.[139] Of those, 1,118,241 lived in Montserrado County, the most populous county in the country and home to the capital of Monrovia. The Greater Monrovia District has 970,824 residents.[140] Nimba County is the next most populous county, with 462,026 residents.[140] As revealed in the 2008 census, Monrovia is more than four times more populous than all the county capitals combined.[66]

Prior to the 2008 census, the last census had been taken in 1984 and listed the country's population as 2,101,628.[140] The population of Liberia was 1,016,443 in 1962 and increased to 1,503,368 in 1974.[66] As of 2006, Liberia had the highest population growth rate in the world (4.50% per annum).[141] In 2010 some 43.5% of Liberians were below the age of 15.[138]

Ethnic groups

Ethnic Groups in Liberia
Ethnic Groups			percent
Kpelle			20.3%
Bassa			13.4%
Grebo			10%
Gio			8%
Mano			7.9%
Kru			6%
Lorma			5.1%
Kissi			4.8%
Gola			4.4%
Krahn			4%
Vai			4%
Mandinka			3.2%
Gbandi			3%
Mende			1.3%
Sapo			1.2%
Belle			0.8%
Dey			0.3%
Other Liberian			0.6%
Other African			1.4%
Non African			0.1%

The population includes 16 indigenous ethnic groups and various foreign minorities. Indigenous peoples comprise about 95 percent of the population. The 16 officially recognized ethnic groups include the Kpelle, Bassa, Mano, Gio or Dan, Kru, Grebo, Krahn, Vai, Gola, Mandingo or Mandinka, Mende, Kissi, Gbandi, Loma, Dei or Dewoin, Belleh, and Americo-Liberians or Congo people.

The Kpelle comprise more than 20% of the population and are the largest ethnic group in Liberia, residing mostly in Bong County and adjacent areas in central Liberia.[142] Americo-Liberians, who are descendants of African American and West Indian, mostly Barbadian (Bajan) settlers, make up 2.5%. Congo people, descendants of repatriated Congo and Afro-Caribbean slaves who arrived in 1825, make up an estimated 2.5%.[2][143] These latter two groups established political control in the 19th century which they kept well into the 20th century.

Numerous immigrants have come as merchants and become a major part of the business community, including Lebanese, Indians, and other West African nationals. There is a high percentage of interracial marriage between ethnic Liberians and the Lebanese, resulting in a significant mixed-race population especially in and around Monrovia. A small minority of Liberians who are White Africans of European descent reside in the country.[2] The Liberian constitution exercises jus sanguinis, restricting its citizenship to "Negroes or persons of Negro descent."[144]

Languages

English is the official language and serves as the lingua franca of Liberia.[145] Thirty-one indigenous languages are spoken in Liberia, but each is a first language for only a small percentage of the population.[146] Liberians also speak a variety of creolized dialects collectively known as Liberian English.[145]

Largest cities

Religion

Religion in Liberia (2010)[148]
Religion			percent
Protestantism			76.3%
Islam			12.2%
Roman Catholicism			7.2%
Other Christian			1.6%
Unaffiliated			1.4%
Other faith			1.3%

According to the 2008 National Census, 85.6% of the population practices Christianity, while Muslims represent a minority of 12.2%.[149] A multitude of diverse Protestant confessions such as Lutheran, Baptist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, United Methodist, African Methodist Episcopal (AME) and African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AME Zion) denominations form the bulk of the Christian population, followed by adherents of the Roman Catholic Church and other non-Protestant Christians. Most of these Christian denominations were brought by African American settlers moving from the United States into Liberia via the American Colonization Society, while some are indigenous—especially Pentecostal and evangelical Protestant ones. Protestantism was originally associated with Black American settlers and their Americo-Liberian descendants, while native peoples held to their own animist forms of African traditional religion. Indigenous people were subject to Christian missionary, as well as Americo-Liberian efforts to close the cultural gap by means of education. This proved successful, leaving Christians a majority in the country.

Muslims comprise 12.2% of the population, largely represented by the Mandingo and Vai ethnic groups. Liberian Muslims are divided between Sunnis, Shias, Ahmadiyyas, Sufis, and non-denominational Muslims.[150]

Traditional indigenous religions are practiced by 0.5% of the population, while 1.5% subscribe to no religion. A small number of people are Baháʼí, Hindu, Sikh, or Buddhist. While Christian, many Liberians also participate in traditional, gender-based indigenous religious secret societies, such as Poro for men and Sande for women. The all-female Sande society practices female circumcision.[151]

The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the government generally respects this right.[151] While separation of church and state is mandated by the Constitution, Liberia is considered a Christian state in practice.[54] Public schools offer biblical studies, though parents may opt their children out. Commerce is prohibited by law on Sunday and major Christian holidays. The government does not require businesses or schools to excuse Muslims for Friday prayers.[151]

Education

Students studying by candlelight in Bong County

In 2010, the literacy rate of Liberia was estimated at 60.8% (64.8% for males and 56.8% for females).[152] In some areas primary and secondary education is free and compulsory from the ages of 6 to 16, though enforcement of attendance is lax.[153] In other areas children are required to pay a tuition fee to attend school. On average, children attain 10 years of education (11 for boys and 8 for girls).[2] The country's education sector is hampered by inadequate schools and supplies, as well as a lack of qualified teachers.[154]

Higher education is provided by a number of public and private universities. The University of Liberia is the country's largest and oldest university. Located in Monrovia, the university opened in 1862. Today it has six colleges, including a medical school and the nation's only law school, Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law.[155]

In 2009, Tubman University in Harper, Maryland County was established as the second public university in Liberia.[156] Since 2006, the government has also opened community colleges in Buchanan, Sanniquellie, and Voinjama.[157][158][159]

Due to student protests late in October 2018, newly elected president George M. Weah abolished tuition fees for undergraduate students in the public universities in Liberia.[160]

Private universities

• Cuttington University was established by the Episcopal Church of the USA in 1889 in Suakoko, Bong County, as part of its missionary education work among indigenous peoples. It is the nation's oldest private university.
• Stella Maris Polytechnic, a post-secondary, private institution of higher learning. Founded in 1988, the school is owned and operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Monrovia. Located on Capitol Hill, the school has approximately 2,000 students.[161]
• Adventist University of West Africa, a post-secondary learning environment that is situated in Margibi County, on the Roberts International Airport.[162]
• United Methodist University, a private Christian university located in Liberia, West Africa, it is commonly known amongst locals as UMU. As of 2016, it had approximately 9,118 students. This institution was founded in 1998.[163]
• African Methodist Episcopal University, a private higher education institution that was founded in 1995.[164]
• St. Clements University- University College (Liberia), a private higher education institution that was founded in 2008, Home

Health

Hospitals in Liberia include the John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Monrovia and several others. Life expectancy in Liberia is estimated to be 57.4 years in 2012.[165] With a fertility rate of 5.9 births per woman, the maternal mortality rate stood at 990 per 100,000 births in 2010.[166] A number of highly communicable diseases are widespread, including tuberculosis, diarrheal diseases and malaria. In 2007, the HIV infection rates stood at 2% of the population aged 15–49[167] whereas the incidence of tuberculosis was 420 per 100,000 people in 2008.[168] Approximately 58.2%[169] – 66%[170] of women are estimated to have undergone female genital mutilation.

Liberia imports 90% of its rice, a staple food, and is extremely vulnerable to food shortages.[171] In 2007, 20.4% of children under the age of five were malnourished.[172] In 2008, only 17% of the population had access to adequate sanitation facilities.[173]

Approximately 95% of the country's healthcare facilities had been destroyed by the time civil war ended in 2003.[174] In 2009, government expenditure on health care per capita was US$22,[175] accounting for 10.6% of total GDP.[176] In 2008, Liberia had only one doctor and 27 nurses per 100,000 people.[168]

In 2014, an outbreak of Ebola virus in Guinea spread to Liberia.[177] As of November 17, 2014, there were 2,812 confirmed deaths from the ongoing outbreak.[178] In early August 2014 Guinea closed its borders to Liberia to help contain the spread of the virus, as more new cases were being reported in Liberia than in Guinea. On May 9, 2015, Liberia was declared Ebola free after six weeks with no new cases.[179]

According to an Overseas Development Institute report, private health expenditure accounts for 64.1% of total spending on health.[180]

Crime

Rape and sexual assault are frequent in the post-conflict era in Liberia. Liberia has one of the highest incidences of sexual violence against women in the world. Rape is the most frequently reported crime, accounting for more than one-third of sexual violence cases. Adolescent girls are the most frequently assaulted, and almost 40% of perpetrators are adult men known to victims.[181]

Both male and female homosexuality are illegal in Liberia.[182][183] On July 20, 2012, the Liberian senate voted unanimously to enact legislation to prohibit and criminalize same-sex marriages.[184]

Culture

Bassa culture. Helmet Mask for Sande Society (Ndoli Jowei), Liberia. 20th century. Brooklyn Museum.

The religious practices, social customs and cultural standards of the Americo-Liberians had their roots in the antebellum American South. The settlers wore top hat and tails and modeled their homes on those of Southern slaveowners.[185] Most Americo-Liberian men were members of the Masonic Order of Liberia, which became heavily involved in the nation's politics.[186]

Liberia has a rich history in textile arts and quilting, as the settlers brought with them their sewing and quilting skills. Liberia hosted National Fairs in 1857 and 1858 in which prizes were awarded for various needle arts. One of the most well-known Liberian quilters was Martha Ann Ricks,[187] who presented a quilt featuring the famed Liberian coffee tree to Queen Victoria in 1892. When President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf moved into the Executive Mansion, she reportedly had a Liberian-made quilt installed in her presidential office.[188]

A rich literary tradition has existed in Liberia for over a century. Edward Wilmot Blyden, Bai T. Moore, Roland T. Dempster and Wilton G. S. Sankawulo are among Liberia's more prominent authors.[189] Moore's novella Murder in the Cassava Patch is considered Liberia's most celebrated novel.[190]

Polygamy

One-third of married Liberian women between the ages of 15–49 are in polygamous marriages.[191] Customary law allows men to have up to four wives.[192]

Cuisine

A beachside barbecue at Sinkor, Monrovia, Liberia

Liberian cuisine heavily incorporates rice, the country's staple food. Other ingredients include cassava, fish, bananas, citrus fruit, plantains, coconut, okra and sweet potatoes.[193] Heavy stews spiced with habanero and scotch bonnet chilies are popular and eaten with fufu.[194] Liberia also has a tradition of baking imported from the United States that is unique in West Africa.[195]

Sport

The most popular sport in Liberia is association football, with President George Weah — the only African to be named FIFA World Player of the Year — being the nation's most famous athlete.[196][197] The Liberia national football team has reached the Africa Cup of Nations finals twice, in 1996 and 2002.

The second most popular sport in Liberia is basketball. The Liberian national basketball team has reached the AfroBasket twice, in 1983 and 2007.

In Liberia, the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex serves as a multi-purpose stadium. It hosts FIFA World Cup qualifying matches in addition to international concerts and national political events.[198]

Measurement system

Liberia is one of only three countries that have not officially adopted the International System of Units (abbreviated as the SI, also called the metric system), the others being the United States and Myanmar.

• In the United States, the Omnibus Foreign Trade and Competitiveness Act amended the Metric Conversion Act of 1975 and designated the metric system as "the preferred system of weights and measures for United States trade and commerce", but is mixed in consumer usage, with the population generally preferring customary units and industries either fully metric or mixed.[199]
• Myanmar has made an official decision to metricate and, since 2013, has been transitioning away from Imperial and Burmese units in the past few years. Gasoline sales are now in litres.[200]

The Liberian government has begun transitioning away from use of United States customary units to the metric system.[201] However, this change has been gradual, with government reports concurrently using both United States Customary and metric units.[202][203] In 2018, the Liberian Commerce and Industry Minister announced that the Liberian government is committed to adopting the metric system.[204]

See also

• Outline of Liberia
• Gender inequality in Liberia

References

1. Lewis, M. Paul; Simons, Gary F.; Fennig, Charles D., eds. (2015). "Liberia". Ethnologue (18th ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International.
2. "Liberia". The Central Intelligence Agency side for Liberia. Central Intelligence Agency. 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
3. "Report for Selected Countries and Subjects". www.imf.org. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
4. "GINI index". World Bank.
5. Human Development Report 2020 The Next Frontier: Human Development and the Anthropocene (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. December 15, 2020. pp. 343–346. ISBN 978-92-1-126442-5. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
6. "Background on conflict in Liberia" Archived February 14, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Friends Committee on National Legislation, July 30, 2003
7. "July 26, 1847 Liberian independence proclaimed", This Day In History, History website.
8. 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.
9. "Constitutional history of Liberia". Constitutionnet.org. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
10. "Praise for the woman who put Liberia back on its feet". The Economist. October 5, 2017.
11. "Liberia | World Food Programme". www.wfp.org. Archived from the original on August 12, 2019. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
12. Eleanor, Scerri (1986). "T Certificate history of Nigeria". Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.013.137. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
13. Michael, Omolewa (1986). Certificate history of Nigeria. Longman. ISBN 9780582585188.
14. Dunn-Marcos, Robin; Kollehlon, Konia T.; Ngovo, Bernard; Russ, Emily (April 2005). Ranar, Donald A. (ed.). "Liberians: An Introduction to their History and Culture" (PDF). Culture Profile. Center for Applied Linguistics (19): 5–6. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 25, 2008. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
15. Jesse N. Mongrue M. Ed (2011). Liberia-America's Footprint in Africa: Making the Cultural, Social, and Political Connections. iUniverse. p. 24. ISBN 978-1462021642.
16. Howard Brotz, ed., African American Social & Political Thought 1850–1920 (New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers, 1996), 38–39.
17. Maggie Montesinos Sale (1997). The Slumbering Volcano: American Slave Ship Revolts and the Production of Rebellious Masculinity, Duke University Press, 1997, p. 264. ISBN 0-8223-1992-6
18. Shick, Tom W. (January 1971). "A quantitative analysis of Liberian colonization from 1820 to 1843 with special reference to mortality". The Journal of African History. 12 (1): 45–59. doi:10.1017/S0021853700000062. JSTOR 180566. PMID 11632218.
19. Shick, Tom W. (1980). Behold the Promised Land: A History of Afro-American Settler Society in Nineteenth-century Liberia. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 9780801823091.
20. "The African-American Mosaic". Retrieved March 31, 2015.
21. Wegmann, Andrew N (May 5, 2010). "Christian Community and the Development of an Americo-Liberian Identity, 1824–1878". Louisiana State University. Archived from the original on June 30, 2010.
22. "Address on Colonization to a Deputation of Negroes". Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. Volume 5. August 14, 1862. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
23. Feagin, Joe R. (January 4, 2009). "Global Impacts of White Racism: Americo-Liberians". Racism Review. Archived from the original on August 10, 2019. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
24. Johnston, Harry Hamilton; Stapf, Otto (1906). Liberia, Volume I. Hutchinson & Co. ISBN 1-143-31505-7.
25. Adekeye Adebajo (2002). Liberia's Civil War: Nigeria, ECOMOG, and Regional Security in West Africa. International Peace Academy. p. 21. ISBN 1588260526.
26. "How a former slave gave a quilt to Queen Victoria". BBC. July 11, 2017
27. "The Revolutionary Summer of 1862". National Archives. April 20, 2018. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
28. "FRONTLINE/WORLD . Liberia - No More War . Liberia's Historic Ties to America PBS". www.pbs.org. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
29. "Independent Lens . IRON LADIES OF LIBERIA . Liberian History PBS". www.pbs.org. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
30. Pike, John (1985). "The True Whig Ascendancy". Global Security. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
31. John Pike (1985). "Lost Territories". Global Security. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
32. John Pike (1985). "Lost Markets and Economic Decline". Global Security. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
33. Robert Jefferson Norrell (January 1, 2009). Up from History: The Life of Booker T. Washington. Harvard University Press. pp. 374–375. ISBN 978-0-674-03211-8.
    Rosenberg, Emily S. (June 1, 2007). "The Invisible Protectorate: The United States, Liberia, and the Evolution of Neocolonialism, 1909–40". Diplomatic History. Oxford Journals. 9 (3): 191–214. doi:10.1111/j.1467-7709.1985.tb00532.x.
34. Tucker, Spencer (2005). World War I: Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781851094202. Archived from the original on October 28, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
35. Heffinck, Ariane. "Liberia: A Nation in Recovery". una-gp.org. United Nations Association of Philadelphia. Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
36. Christy, Cuthbert (December 15, 1930). "COMMISSION'S REPORT: INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION OF ENQUIRY IN LIBERIA" (PDF). League of Nations: 127. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 12, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
37. Van der Kraaij, Fred PM. "President Charles D.B. King". Liberia Past and Present. Archived from the original on January 19, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
38. Marinelli, Lawrence (1964). "Liberia's Open Door Policy". The Journal of Modern African Studies. 2 (1): 91–98. doi:10.1017/s0022278x00003694.
39. "Africa: A Vote on Apartheid". Time. July 29, 1966. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
40. Adogamh, Paul G. (July 2008). "Pan-Africanism Revisited: Vision and Reality of African Unity and Development" (PDF). African Review of Integration. 2 (2). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 25, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
41. Anjali Mitter Duva (2002). "Liberia and the United States: A Complex Relationship". PBS. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
42. "LIBERIA Comrades Turned Enemies". Time. November 25, 1985. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
43. Ellis, Stephen (2001). The Mask of Anarchy Updated Edition: The Destruction of Liberia and the Religious Dimension of an African Civil War. NYU Press. p. 75. ISBN 0-8147-2238-5.
44. "Liberia country profile". BBC News. May 4, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
45. World Peace Foundation, Mass Atrocity Endings: Liberia, Medford, Massachusetts, U.S.A.: Tufts University, Aug. 7, 2015. Retrieved Jun. 7, 2020
46. "Arrest warrant for Liberian leader". BBC News. June 4, 2003. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
47. "Indepth: Liberia, Land of the free". CBC News. July 23, 2009. Archived from the original on September 8, 2013.
48. "Liberia's civil war: Fiddling while Monrovia burns". The Economist. July 24, 2003. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
49. "Profile: Leymah Gbowee—Liberia's 'peace warrior'". BBC News. October 7, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
50. Simmons, Ann M. (August 12, 2003). "Taylor resigns as president of Liberia, leaves the country". Baltimore Sune. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
51. "Liberian rebels sign peace deal". The Guardian. August 19, 2003. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
52. "Liberia: UNMIL extends deployment as more troops arrive". IRIN News. December 24, 2003. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
53. "Bryant takes power in Liberia". The Guardian. October 14, 2003. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
54. "Freedom in the World 2011 – Liberia". Freedom House. UNHCR. July 7, 2011. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
55. "LIBERIA-NIGERIA: "Time to bring Taylor issue to closure," says Sirleaf". IRIN News. March 17, 2006. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
56. "Taylor Sent Off to Face War Crimes Charges". AFP. UNMIL. March 29, 2006. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
57. "LIBERIA: War-battered nation launches truth commission". IRIN Africa. Retrieved May 16, 2008.
58. Nkosinathi Shazi (January 23, 2018). "From Football King To Liberian President – George Weah's Journey". Huffington Post. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
59. "Top 10 Greatest African Strikers". Johannesburg Post. Archived from the original on February 20, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
60. "Top 10 youngest serving presidents in Africa, 2018". Listwand. October 3, 2018.
61. "George Weah sworn in as Liberia's president". BBC. March 22, 2018.
62. Bateman, Graham; Victoria Egan; Fiona Gold; Philip Gardner (2000). Encyclopedia of World Geography. New York: Barnes & Noble Books. p. 161. ISBN 1-56619-291-9.
63. Financial Time's World Desk Reference (2004) Dorling Kindersley Publishing, p. 368.
64. Dinerstein, Eric; et al. (2017). "An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm". BioScience. 67 (6): 534–545. doi:10.1093/biosci/bix014. ISSN 0006-3568. PMC 5451287. PMID 28608869.
65. Grantham, H. S.; et al. (2020). "Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity - Supplementary Material". Nature Communications. 11 (1). doi:10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3. ISSN 2041-1723.
66. "2008 National Population and Housing Census: Preliminary Results" (PDF). Government of the Republic of Liberia. 2008. Retrieved October 14, 2008.
67. "Liberia cannot afford local polls". BBC News. January 14, 2008.
68. KIEH, JR., GEORGE KLAY. "THE MODEL CITY STATUTE FOR THE LIBERIAN CITY" (PDF). Governance Commission of Liberia. GOVERNANCE COMMISSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 12, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
69. Anne Look, "Poaching in Liberia's Forests Threatens Rare Animals" Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Voice of America News, May 8, 2012.
70. Lewison, R. & Oliver, W. (IUCN SSC Hippo Specialist Subgroup) (2008). "Hexaprotodon liberiensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved December 17, 2006.old-form url Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of endangered.
71. Wynfred Russell, "Extinction is forever: A crisis that is Liberia's endangered wildlife" Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Front Page Africa, January 15, 2014.
72. McGrath, Matt (September 23, 2014). "Liberia in 'trees for cash' deal" – via www.bbc.com.
73. "Restoring the Battered and Broken Environment of Liberia One of the Keys to a New and Sustainable Future" Archived November 8, 2014, at Archive.today, United Nations Environment Program, February 13, 2014.
74. "Monrovia's 'Never-Ending' Pollution Issues In 2013, Edwin M. Fayia III, The Liberian Observer, December 30, 2014". Archived from the original on December 26, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
75. "IDA – Liberia: Digging Out Monrovia from the Waste of War". web.worldbank.org.
76. "Building effective climate governance in Liberia - Liberia". ReliefWeb. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
77. "Climate Risk Profile: Liberia". Climatelinks. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
78. Blackmore, R.D. Lorna Doone. Ryerson Press. ISBN 0-665-26503-4. OCLC 1084383140.
79. "Background Note: Liberia". Bureau of African Affairs. United States Department of State. March 8, 2011.
80. Moumouni, Guillaume. (April 2014). "China and Liberia: Engagement in a Post-Conflict Country 2003–2013". Global Powers and Africa Programme. Occasional Paper No. 182. Johannesburg, South Africa: The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA). p. 8.
81. Moumouni, Guillaume (2018). "China and Liberia: Engagement in a Post-Conflict Country (2003–2013)". In Alden, C.; Alao, A.; Chun, Z.; Barber, L. (eds.). China and Africa. pp. 225–251. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-52893-9_12. ISBN 978-3-319-52893-9.
82. "Liberia: Police Corruption Harms Rights, Progress", Human Rights Watch, August 22, 2013.
83. "Montserrado County Development Agenda" (PDF). Republic of Liberia. 2008. Retrieved October 14, 2008.
84. "Nine officials commissioned". The Analyst. October 11, 2008.
85. Crane, Keith; Gompert, David C; Oliker, Olga; Riley, Kevin Jack; and Lawson, Brooke Stearns. (2007). Making Liberia safe : transformation of the national security sector. Santa Monica, CA : Rand. pp. 9–11. ISBN 9780833040084. Rand Corp website Archived October 14, 2018, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 7 December 2017.
86. "2010 Human Rights Report: Liberia". US Department of State. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
87. ""Liberia: Corruption Is Liberia's Problem, US Ambassador to Liberia Alarms", Al-Varney Rogers, allAfrica, 21 February 2014". allAfrica.com. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
88. "2010 Corruption Perceptions Index". Transparency International. October 26, 2010. Archived from the original on October 20, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
89. "Corruption Perceptions Index 2007". Transparency International. 2007. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
90. "Global Corruption Barometer 2010". Transparency International. December 9, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
91. Schoenurl, John W. (August 11, 2003). "Liberian shipping draws scrutiny". NBC News.
92. "About the Liberian Registry". Liberian Registry. Archived from the original on November 10, 2014.
93. "GDP per capita (current US$) |Data |Graph". Data.worldbank.org. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
94. "Liberia". International Monetary Fund.
95. "The Challenges of Post-War Reconstruction—the Liberian Experience". Government of Liberia. allAfrica.com. June 13, 2011.
96. "Report for Selected Countries and Subjects: Liberia". International Monetary Fund. June 20, 2011.
97. "IMF Country Report No. 10/37" (PDF). International Monetary Fund. 2010.
98. "Liberian President: Government and People are Partners in Progress". Africa Governance Initiative. January 27, 2011. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016.
99. "Liberia Economic Recovery Assessment". USAID. July 2008.
100. "Quarter Three Fiscal Outturn, Fiscal Year 2010/11" (PDF). Ministry of Finance. May 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 25, 2012.
101. "Second Quarter 2010/2011 Public Debt Management Report" (PDF). Debt Management Unit. Ministry of Finance. March 25, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 10, 2013.
102. "Liberia's diamond links". BBC News. July 18, 2000.
103. "CBC News Indepth: Liberia". CBC News. March 29, 2006. Archived from the original on September 8, 2013.
104. "Liberia restarts diamond industry". USA Today. May 1, 2007.
105. "Bloody timber off the market". Greenpeace. May 7, 2003.
106. Strieker, Gary (January 13, 2002). "U.N. mulls embargo on Liberian timber". CNN.
107. Xu, Chenni (June 20, 2006). "UN Lifts Liberia Timber Sanctions". Voice of America. Archived from the original on January 30, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
108. "Members and Observers". wto.org. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
109. "Government Announces Agreement with Chevron to Explore Liberian Waters". allAfrica.com. August 27, 2010.
110. "Palm oil industry accused of land grabs in Liberia". globalpost.com. December 27, 2012.
111. Fred van der Kraaij, From the love of liberty to paradise lost, p. 144, Leiden, African Studies Centre 2015, pdf
112. "Firestone and Liberia – Company History". Firestone Natural Rubber Company. Archived from the original on June 12, 2011.
113. "The World Factbook - Liberia". www.cia.gov. Central Intelligence Agency. June 24, 2015. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
114. "Liberia | Agriculture and Food Security | U.S. Agency for International Development". www.usaid.gov. 16 June 2015. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
115. "Agriculture - Liberia - export, area, crops, annual, farming, system". www.nationsencyclopedia.com. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
116. Patel, Nitesh (June 2013). "LIBERIA COMPREHENSIVE FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION SURVEY (CFSNS) JUNE 2013". www.moaliberia.org. Liberian Ministry of Agriculture. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
117. Buzanakova, Alina. "Liberia Agriculture Sheet - Open Data for Liberia". Retrieved July 10, 2015.
118. "Rice Production Booms in Southeast Liberia". www.moaliberia.org. Ministry of Agriculture. Archived from the original on July 11, 2015. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
119. "FAOSTAT". faostat3.fao.org. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
120. "Liberia - Agriculture and Food Security". liberia.brac.net. 2013. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
121. "Liberia". Natural Resource Governance Institute. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
122. "Mining in Liberia- Overview". mbendi.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2000. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
123. "Quick-Action Helps Maintain Key Mining Industries during Ebola Outbreak". USGS. April 7, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
124. "Coordinating Mining Conservation Efforts in Liberia". World Bank. April 28, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
125. "PPIAF Supports Telecommunications Reform and Liberalization in Liberia" (PDF). Public-Private Infrastructure Facility (PPIAF). July 2011. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
126. "Introduction to Communication and Development in Liberia" Archived March 7, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, AudienceScapes. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
127. "Options for the Development of Liberia's Energy Sector" (PDF). International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. World Bank Group. 2011.
128. MacDougall, Clair (July 18, 2012). "Liberia: Stepping Back Into The Light?". ThinkPressAfrica.
129. "Liberia: Massive Electrification Boost". allAfrica.com. November 27, 2013.
130. Teh, Joe (July 30, 2013). "Behind The Power Switch in Nimba, An optimism for Vibrant Economy". The News Pinnacle. Archived from the original on June 9, 2014.
131. "Liberia may have over 1 bln barrels in oil resources". Reuters Africa. November 3, 2009.
132. "NOCAL 2004 Liberia Offshore Bid Round Announcement". Business Wire. February 2, 2004.
133. Pearson, Natalie Obiko (December 10, 2007). "Liberia Opens Bidding for 10 Offshore Oil Blocks". RigZone.
134. "Third Liberian Offshore Petroleum Licensing Round 2009". Deloitte Petroleum Services. Deloitte. August 27, 2009. Archived from the original on November 4, 2013.
135. Toweh, Alphonso (July 21, 2011). "Liberia marks out new oil blocks, auction seen soon". Reuters. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
136. Konneh, Ansu (August 30, 2010). "Chevron, Liberia Sign Deepwater Offshore Exploration Agreement". Bloomberg News.
137. Data of FAO, year 2005
138. "World Population Prospects – Population Division – United Nations". population.un.org. Archived from the original on August 16, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
139. Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (May 2009). "2008 National Population and Housing Census Final Results: Population by County" (PDF). 2017 Population and Housing Census. Republic of Liberia. Retrieved June 10, 2009.
140. Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (May 2009). "2008 National Population and Housing Census Final Results: Population by County" (PDF). 2008 Population and Housing Census. Republic of Liberia. Retrieved June 10, 2009.
141. United Nations World Population Prospects: 2006 revision – Table A.8
142. Fiske, Alan. "Kpelle". www.sscnet.ucla.edu. Archived from the original on November 2, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
143. "Liberia's Ugly Past: Re-writing Liberian History". Theperspective.org. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
144. "The Constitution of the Republic of Liberia – Chapter IV: Citizenship". www.liberianlegal.com. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
145. Moore, Jina (October 19, 2009). "Liberia: Ma Ellen talk plenty plenty Liberian English". Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
146. "Languages of Liberia". Ethnologue. 2009. Archived from the original on October 18, 2011. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
147. "Liberia: Counties, Major Cities, Towns & Urban Areas - Population Statistics in Maps and Charts". Citypopulation.de. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
148. "Religions in Liberia – PEW-GRF". www.globalreligiousfutures.org. Archived from the original on November 6, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
149. "2008 Population and Housing Census: Final Results" (PDF). Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services. May 2009. p. A4-84. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
150. Pew Forum on Religious & Public life. August 9, 2012. Retrieved October 29, 2013
151. "International Religious Freedom Report 2010: Liberia". United States Department of State. November 17, 2010. Archived from the original on November 23, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
152. "Education profile – Liberia". Institute for Statistics. UNESCO. 2010. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
153. "LIBERIA: Go to school or go to jail". IRN. UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. September 21, 2007. Retrieved April 8, 2009.
154. Trawally, Sidiki; Reeves, Derek (2009). "Making Quality Education Affordable And Assessable To All—Prez. Sirleaf's Vision With Passion". Lift Liberia. Archived from the original on May 12, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
155. Jallah, David A. B. "Notes, Presented by Professor and Dean of the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law, University of Liberia, David A. B. Jallah to the International Association of Law Schools Conference Learning From Each Other: Enriching the Law School Curriculum in an Interrelated World Held at Soochow University Kenneth Wang School of Law, Suzhou, China, October 17–19, 2007." International Association of Law Schools. Retrieved on September 1, 2008.
156. "Ellen Describes Tubman University's Opening As PRS Success". The New Dawn. March 3, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
157. "Remarks by H.E. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf At Official Launch and Fundraising Program Of the Grand Bassa Community College" (PDF). The Executive Mansion. October 21, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
158. Fahn, Peter A. (July 7, 2011). "Government Moves Ahead With Education Decentralization Plans". Retrieved August 3, 2011.
159. "July 26 Celebrations Kick Off in Lofa As President Sirleaf Arrives". The Executive Mansion. July 25, 2011. Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
160. "Liberia's Weah announces free tuition for undergrads". Mail & Guardian. Agence France-Presse. October 25, 2018. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
161. "Stella Maris Polytechnic". smp>edu. 2013. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
162. "Adventist University of West Africa". auwa,edu. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
163. "United Methodist University". umu'edu. 2019. Archived from the original on March 20, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
164. "African Methodist Episcopal University". ame.edu. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
165. "CIA World Factbook: Life Expectancy ranks". CIA. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
166. "The State of the World's Midwifery 2011: Liberia" (PDF). United Nations Population Fund. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
167. "Data: Prevalence of HIV, total (% of population ages 15–49)". The World Bank. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
168. "Liberia: Health profile" (PDF). World Health Organization. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
169. "Female genital mutilation (FGM)". World Health Organization.
170. UNICEF 2013, p. 27.
171. "Liberia: Nurtitional "crisis" in Monrovia". Integrated Regional Information Networks. UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
172. "Data: Malnutrition prevalence, weight for age (% of children under 5). The". World Bank. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
173. "Data: Improved sanitation facilities (% of population with access)". The World Bank. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
174. "Liberia: Breathing Life into ailing healthcare system". Integrated Regional Information Networks. UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
175. "Data: Health expenditure per capita (current US$)". World Bank. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
176. "Data: Health expenditure, total (% of GDP)". World Bank. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
177. Toweh, Alphonso (March 30, 2014). "Liberian health authorities confirm two cases of Ebola: WHO". Reuters. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
178. "How Liberia (Might Have) Beat Ebola". The Daily Beast. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
179. "Wonderful News Liberia after plague". The Economist. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
180. Marc DuBois and Caitlin Wake, with Scarlett Sturridge and Christina Bennett (2015) The Ebola response in West Africa: Exposing the politics and culture of international aid London: Overseas Development Institute
181. Nicola Jones, Janice Cooper, Elizabeth Presler-Marshall and David Walker, June 2014; "The fallout of rape as a weapon of war", ODI; http://www.odi.org/publications/8464-rape-weapon-war-liberia
182. "State Sponsored Homophobia 2016: A world survey of sexual orientation laws: criminalisation, protection and recognition" (PDF). International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. May 17, 2016.
183. Avery, Daniel (April 4, 2019). "71 Countries Where Homosexuality is Illegal". Newsweek.
184. ""Senate Passes 'No Same Sex Marriage' Bill ", Daily Observer, 21 July 2012". Archived from the original on August 5, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
185. Wiltz, Teresa (December 2, 2010). "Liberia: War-Weary, With Echoes of Old Dixie". The Root. Archived from the original on September 1, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
186. "Monrovia—Masonic Grand Lodge". Global Security. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
187. "Martha Ricks". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
188. "Liberia: It's the Little Things—A Reflection on Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's Journey to the Presidency". allAfrica.com. Retrieved May 16, 2008.
189. Kamara, Varney (July 20, 2010). "Liberia: "Literature Must Be Given Priority"". The Analyst. allAfrica.com. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
190. Doe, J. Kpanneh (October 31, 2000). "Baa Salaka: Sacrificial Lamb – A Book Review & Commentary". The Perspective. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
191. OECD Atlas of Gender and Development: How Social Norms Affect Gender Equality in non-OECD Countries, OECD Publishing, 2010. p 236.
192. Olukoju, Ayodeji. "Gender Roles, Marriage and Family", Culture and Customs of Liberia. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2006, p. 97.
193. "Celtnet Liberian Recipes and Cookery". Celtnet Recipes. Archived from the original on September 3, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
194. "Liberia". Food in Every Country. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
195. "The Baking Recipes of Liberia". Africa Aid. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
196. "Iconic Weah a true great". FIFA.com. Retrieved November 17, 2013
197. "George Weah: Ex-AC Milan, Chelsea & Man City striker elected Liberia president". BBC. June 22, 2018.
198. "Liberia:Chaos Mars Grand Bassa and Nimba Clash". All Africa. January 21, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
199. Metrication in the United States
200. "CIA The World Factbook". Appendix G: Weights and Measures. US Central Intelligence Agency. 2010. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
201. Wilcox, Michael D., Jr. Department of Agricultural Economics University of Tennessee (2008). "Reforming Cocoa and Coffee Marketing in Liberia" (PDF). Presentation and Policy Brief. University of Tennessee. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 24, 2010. Retrieved April 25, 2010.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
202. Government of Liberia (2008). "County Development Agendas". Government of the Republic of Liberia. Archived from the original on January 14, 2010. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
203. Shannon, Eugene H. (December 31, 2009). "Annual report" (PDF). Liberian Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 10, 2011. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
204. Dopoe, Robin (May 25, 2018). "Gov't Pledges Commitment to Adopt Metric System". Retrieved September 1, 2019.

Further reading

• Cooper, Helene, House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood (Simon & Schuster, 2008, ISBN 0-7432-6624-2)
• Gilbert, Erik; Reynolds, Jonathan T (October 2003). Africa in World History, From Prehistory to the Present (Paperback ed.). Prentice Hall. ISBN 978-0-13-092907-5.
• Greene, Barbara (March 5, 1991). Too Late to Turn Back. Penguin. ISBN 0-14-009594-2.
• Greene, Graham (1936). Journey Without Maps. Vintage. ISBN 978-0-09-928223-5.
• Hetherington, Tim (2009). Long Story Bit By Bit: Liberia Retold. New York: Umbrage. ISBN 978-1-884167-73-7.
• Huffman, Alan (2004). Mississippi in Africa: The Saga of the Slaves of Prospect Hill Plantation and Their Legacy in Liberia Today. Gotham Books. ISBN 978-1-59240-044-7.
• Kraaij, Fred; van der (2015). Liberia : From the Love of Liberty to Paradise Lost. African Studies Centre, Leiden. ISBN 978-90-54481447.

• Lang, Victoria, To Liberia: Destiny's Timing (Publish America, Baltimore, 2004, ISBN 1-4137-1829-9). A fast-paced gripping novel of the journey of a young Black couple fleeing America to settle in the African motherland of Liberia.
• Maksik, Alexander, A Marker to Measure Drift (John Murray 2013; Paperback 2014; ISBN 978-1-84854-807-7). A beautifully written, powerful & moving novel about a young woman's experience of and escape from the Liberian civil war.
• Merriam Webster's Geographical Dictionary: 3rd Edition (Paperback ed.). Merriam Webster Inc., Springfield. 1997. ISBN 0-87779-546-0.
• Mwakikagile, Godfrey, Military Coups in West Africa Since The Sixties, Chapter Eight: Liberia: 'The Love of Liberty Brought Us Here,' pp. 85–110, Nova Science Publishers, Inc., Huntington, New York, 2001; Godfrey Mwakikagile, The Modern African State: Quest for Transformation, Chapter One: The Collapse of A Modern African State: Death and Rebirth of Liberia, pp. 1–18, Nova Science Publishers, Inc., 2001.
• Pham, John-Peter (April 4, 2001). Liberia: Portrait of a Failed State. Reed Press. ISBN 1-59429-012-1.
• Sankawulo, Wilton, Great Tales of Liberia. Dr. Sankawulo is the compiler of these tales from Liberia and about Liberian culture. Editura Universitatii "Lucian Blaga", Sibiu, Romania, 2004. ISBN 9789736518386.
• Sankawulo, Wilton, Sundown at Dawn: A Liberian Odyssey. Recommended by the Cultural Resource Center, Center for Applied Linguistics for its content concerning Liberian culture. ISBN 0-9763565-0-3
• Shaw, Elma, Redemption Road: The Quest for Peace and Justice in Liberia (a novel), with a Foreword by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Cotton Tree Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0-9800774-0-7)
• Williams, Gabriel I. H. (July 6, 2006). Liberia: The Heart of Darkness. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 1-55369-294-2.

External links

• Chief of State and Cabinet Members
• Liberia. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.
• Liberia from UCB Libraries GovPubs.
• Liberia at Curlie
• Liberia profile from the BBC News.
• Liberia profile from the African Studies Centre Leiden Country portal.
• "Liberia Maps", Perry–Castañeda Library, University of Texas at Austin.
• Wikimedia Atlas of Liberia

�