The Liberian national basketball team has reached the AfroBasket twice, in 1983 and 2007. It is located in the Northern and Western Hemispheres. The", "Data: Improved sanitation facilities (% of population with access)", "Liberia: Breathing Life into ailing healthcare system", "Data: Health expenditure per capita (current US$)", "Data: Health expenditure, total (% of GDP)", "Liberian health authorities confirm two cases of Ebola: WHO", The Ebola response in West Africa: Exposing the politics and culture of international aid, "Liberia: War-Weary, With Echoes of Old Dixie", "Liberia: It's the Little Things A Reflection on Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's Journey to the Presidency", "Liberia: "Literature Must Be Given Priority", "Baa Salaka: Sacrificial Lamb A Book Review & Commentary", "George Weah: Ex-AC Milan, Chelsea & Man City striker elected Liberia president", "Liberia:Chaos Mars Grand Bassa and Nimba Clash", "Reforming Cocoa and Coffee Marketing in Liberia", "Gov't Pledges Commitment to Adopt Metric System", Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, List of countries by English-speaking population, List of countries where English is an official language, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Liberia&oldid=1150057700, English-speaking countries and territories, States and territories established in 1847, Articles with dead external links from May 2020, Articles with permanently dead external links, Articles with dead external links from September 2018, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia indefinitely move-protected pages, All Wikipedia articles written in Liberian English, Wikipedia introduction cleanup from January 2023, Articles covered by WikiProject Wikify from January 2023, All articles covered by WikiProject Wikify, Pages using infobox country or infobox former country with the symbol caption or type parameters, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2023, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2023, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2019, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2006, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles lacking reliable references from May 2022, Articles lacking reliable references from November 2015, Articles containing potentially dated statements from November 2014, Articles with MusicBrainz area identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. The first town (1822) was on Providence Island at the mouth of the Mesurado River. In 1824 the territory was named Liberia, and its main settlement was named Monrovia, which is the present-day capital. [173], In 2009, Tubman University in Harper, Maryland County was established as the second public university in Liberia. Americo-Liberians formed into a small elite that held disproportionate political power; indigenous Africans were excluded from birthright citizenship in their own land until 1904.[11][12]. [25], On July 26, 1847, the settlers issued a Declaration of Independence and promulgated a constitution. A small minority of Liberians who are White Africans of European descent reside in the country. 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. [44] Government repression intensified in response, as Doe's troops retaliated by executing members of the Gio and Mano ethnic groups in Nimba County. In alphabetical order, the 15 counties are Bomi, Bong, Gbarpolu, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, River Gee, and Sinoe. [53] The area includes Liberia's highest mountain, Mount Wuteve (Wutuwi) at 1,447 m, as well as several other peaks, including Mount Balagizi (1,100 m). [86] As of 2006[update], Liberia had the highest population growth rate in the world (4.50% per annum). Rape is the most frequently reported crime, accounting for more than one-third of sexual violence cases. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. "[93] 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". [citation needed] Liberia struggled to attract investment to develop infrastructure and a larger, industrial economy. [68], 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 Guine Forestire, in Guinea. [167] 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 Catholic Church and other non-Protestant Christians. [60] In 2011, July 26 was proclaimed by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to be observed as National Independence Day. The Mano and Morro rivers in the northwest and the Cavalla in the east and southeast are major rivers and form sections of Liberias boundaries. (2007). [94] The National Police Training Academy is in Paynesville City. Liberia occupies an area of about 43,000 square miles and has a population of about 4,900,000 people. [68] However, Mount Nimba near Yekepa, is higher at 4,724 feet (1,440m) 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. [71] Climate change is expected to severely impact the economy of Liberia, especially agriculture, fisheries, and forestry. - 13488122 Liberian Muslims are divided between Sunnis, Shias, Ahmadiyyas, Sufis, and non-denominational Muslims.[169]. The climate is equatorial, with significant rainfall during the MayOctober rainy season and harsh harmattan winds the remainder of the year. Life expectancy in Liberia is estimated to be 64.4 years in 2020. Liberia began in the early 19th century as a project of the American Colonization Society (ACS), which believed black people would face better chances for freedom and prosperity in Africa than in the United States. The University of Liberia is the country's largest and oldest university. [118] The country acted as a major trader in Sierra Leonian blood diamonds, exporting over US$300 million in diamonds in 1999. [146] The vast majority of electric energy services is provided by small, privately owned generators. There are many reptiles, including three types of crocodiles and at least eight poisonous snakes. [77], Bushmeat is widely eaten in Liberia, and is considered a delicacy. [79] 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. [40], After the war, President William Tubman encouraged foreign investment, with Liberia achieving the second-highest rate of economic growth in the world during the 1950s. [76], Endangered species are hunted for human consumption as bushmeat in Liberia. The dusty and dry harmattan (desert winds) blow from the Sahara to the coast in December, bringing relief from the high relative humidity. [66] The inauguration marked Liberia's first fully democratic transition in 74 years. [189] Approximately 58.2%[190] 66%[191] of women are estimated to have undergone female genital mutilation. The outline map represents the West African country of Liberia. Outsiders' knowledge of the west of Africa began with a Portuguese sailor, Pedro de Sintra, who reached the Liberian coast in 1461. [1][162][bettersourceneeded] These latter two groups established political control in the 19th century which they kept well into the 20th century. The country's major rivers include the Mano River in the northwest and the Cavalla River in the southeast. 911. These features may represent social networks or some form of cultural diffusion allied to changing ecological conditions. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. [18] Formed in 1816, the American Colonization Society (ACS) was made up mostly of Quakers and slaveholders. Overview: Map: Directions: Satellite: Photo Map: Overview: Map: . The population is composed . For a treatment of earlier periods and of the country in its regional context, see western Africa. Members are nominated to the court by the president and are confirmed by the Senate, serving until the age of 70. Additional rivers of note are the Lofa, St. Paul, St. John and Cestos River, all of which flow into theAtlantic. Liberia possesses about forty percent of the remaining Upper Guinean rainforest. [92], In the past, both of Liberia's neighbors, Guinea and Sierra Leone, have accused Liberia of backing rebels in their countries. The interior has hot but pleasant days and cool nights during the dry season. [113][114], 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. B Bushrod Island P Providence Island, Liberia Islands by country Islands of Africa by country Landforms of Liberia Hidden category: Commons category link is on Wikidata Crane, Keith; Gompert, David C; Oliker, Olga; Riley, Kevin Jack; and Lawson, Brooke Stearns. [19] Similar state-based organizations established colonies in Mississippi-in-Africa, Kentucky in Africa, and the Republic of Maryland, which Liberia later annexed. A peace deal was signed later that month. [16], This influx of these groups was compounded by the decline of the Mali Empire in 1375 and the Songhai Empire in 1591. Liberia (/labri/ (listen)), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. [172], Higher education is provided by a number of public and private universities. [160] In 2010 some 43.5% of Liberians were below the age of 15.[157]. The second most popular sport in Liberia is basketball. [199] 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. [198] As of November17, 2014[update], there were 2,812 confirmed deaths from the ongoing outbreak. [174] Since 2006, the government has also opened community colleges in Buchanan, Sanniquellie, and Voinjama. [119] 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. Quakers believed black people would face better chances for freedom in Africa than in the U.S.[7][19] While slaveholders opposed freedom for enslaved people, some viewed "repatriation" of free people of color as a way to avoid slave rebellions. This article is about the country in Africa. [151][152][153] An additional 13 ultra-deep offshore blocks were demarcated in 2011 and planned for auction. [57], The Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) are the country's armed forces. Hemispheres: Northern and Eastern. [113] 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. 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. Please select which sections you would like to print: Professor and Chairman, Department of History, University of Liberia, Monrovia. [90], From 1877 to 1980, the government was dominated by the True Whig Party. Omissions? The greatest amount of rainfall, 205 inches (5,200 mm), occurs at Cape Mount and diminishes inland to about 70 inches (1,800 mm) on the central plateau. [57] Public schools offer biblical studies, though parents may opt their children out. As inland regions underwent desertification, inhabitants moved to the wetter coast. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. [1] 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. 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. [8] Gradually developing an Americo-Liberian identity, [9] [10] the settlers carried their culture and tradition with them. Liberia is an independent state that is situated in West Africa. The oldest counties are Grand Bassa and Montserrado, both founded in 1839 prior to Liberian independence. Professor of Geography, East Carolina College, Greenville, North Carolina. [88] All existing local governmentscities, townships, and a boroughwere 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. The Americo-Liberian settlers did not relate well to the indigenous peoples they encountered. Rainfall is irregular, and the rainy season varies in intensity and begins earlier at the coast than in the interior. 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. 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. [69], 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. 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 Chibanian (~780126 thousand years ago or ka) in northern, open Sahelian zones, and that they persisted until the Terminal Pleistocene/Holocene boundary (~12ka) in both northern and southern zones of West Africa.