Republic of Liberia | |
|---|---|
| Motto: "The Love of Liberty Brought Us Here" | |
| Anthem: "All Hail, Liberia, Hail!" | |
.svg) Location of Liberia (dark green) | |
| Capital and largest city | Monrovia 6°19′N 10°48′W / 6.317°N 10.800°W |
| Official languages | English |
| Ethnic groups (2008[1]) | |
| Religion (2018)[2] |
|
| Demonym(s) | Liberian |
| Government | Unitary presidential republic |
| Joseph Boakai | |
| Jeremiah Koung | |
| Jonathan F. Koffa | |
| Sie-A-Nyene Yuoh | |
| Legislature | Legislature of Liberia |
| Senate | |
| House of Representatives | |
| Formation and Independence from American Colonization Society | |
• American Colonization Society settlement | January 7, 1822 |
| July 26, 1847 | |
• Republic of Maryland annexed | March 18, 1857 |
• Recognition by the United States | February 5, 1862 |
• United Nations membership | November 2, 1945 |
| January 6, 1986 | |
| Area | |
• Total | 43,000[1] sq mi (111,370 km2) (102nd) |
• Water (%) | 13.514 |
| Population | |
• 2024 estimate | 5,437,249[3] (120th) |
• Density | 92.0/sq mi (35.5/km2) (180th) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2023 estimate |
• Total |  $9.718 billion[4] (167th) |
• Per capita | $1,789[4] (184th) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2023 estimate |
• Total | $4.347 billion[4] (171st) |
• Per capita | $800[4] (180th) |
| Gini (2016) | 35.3[5] medium inequality |
| HDI (2022) | 0.487[6] low (177th) |
| Currency | Liberian dollar (LRD) |
| Time zone | UTC (GMT) |
| Date format | mm/dd/yyyy |
| Drives on | right |
| Calling code | +231 |
| ISO 3166 code | LR |
| Internet TLD | .lr |
Website www | |
Liberia (/laɪˈbɪəriə/ ), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and southwest. It has a population of around 5.5 million and covers an area of 43,000 square miles (111,369 km2). The official language is English. Over 20 indigenous languages are spoken, reflecting the country's ethnic and cultural diversity. The capital and largest city is Monrovia.
Liberia began in the early 19th century as a project of the American Colonization Society (ACS), which believed that black people would face better chances for freedom and prosperity in Africa than in the United States.[7] Between 1822 and the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, more than 15,000 freed and free-born African Americans, along with 3,198 Afro-Caribbeans, relocated to Liberia.[8] Gradually developing an Americo-Liberian identity,[9][10] the settlers carried their culture and tradition with them while colonizing the indigenous population. Led by the Americo-Liberians, Liberia declared independence on July 26, 1847, which the U.S. did not recognize until February 5, 1862.
Liberia was the first African republic to proclaim its independence and is Africa's first and oldest modern republic. Along with Ethiopia, it was one of the two African countries to maintain its sovereignty and independence during the European colonial "Scramble for Africa". During World War II, Liberia supported the U.S. war effort against Nazi Germany and in turn received considerable American investment in infrastructure, which aided the country's wealth and development.[11] President William Tubman encouraged economic and political changes that heightened the country's prosperity and international profile; Liberia was a founding member of the League of Nations, United Nations, and the Organisation of African Unity.
The Americo-Liberian settlers did not relate well to the indigenous peoples they encountered. Colonial settlements were raided by the Kru and Grebo from their inland chiefdoms. Americo-Liberians formed into a small elite that held disproportionate political power, while indigenous Africans were excluded from birthright citizenship in their own land until 1904.[12][13]
In 1980, political tensions from the rule of William R. Tolbert resulted in a military coup, marking the end of Americo-Liberian rule and the seizure of power of Liberia's first indigenous leader, Samuel Doe. Establishing a dictatorial regime, Doe was assassinated in 1990 in the context of the First Liberian Civil War which ran from 1989 until 1997 with the election of rebel leader Charles Taylor as president. In 1998, the Second Liberian Civil War erupted against his own dictatorship, and Taylor was overthrown by the end of the war in 2003. The two wars resulted in the deaths of 250,000 people (about 8% of the population) and the displacement of many more, with Liberia's economy shrinking by 90%.[14] A peace agreement in 2003 led to democratic elections in 2005. The country has remained relatively stable since then.
- ^ a b "Liberia". The Central Intelligence Agency side for Liberia. Central Intelligence Agency. 2021. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
- ^ "The Major Religions Practised In Liberia". WorldAtlas. March 26, 2018. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
- ^ "Liberia". The World Factbook (2024 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Liberia)". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. October 10, 2023. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ "GINI index". World Bank. Archived from the original on May 1, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
- ^ "Human Development Report 2023/2024" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. March 13, 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
AFPwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "July 26, 1847 Liberian independence proclaimed" Archived June 14, 2021, at the Wayback Machine, This Day In History, History website.
- ^ Cooper, Helene, The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood (United States: Simon and Schuster, 2008), p. 6
- ^ Liberia: History, Geography, Government, and Culture Archived May 15, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Infoplease.com
- ^ "Global Connections . Liberia . Timeline | PBS". www.pbs.org. Archived from the original on November 29, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
- ^ Nelson, Harold D.; American University (Washington, D. C. ) Foreign Area Studies (January 24, 1984). "Liberia, a country study". Washington, D.C. : The Studies : For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O. – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Constitutional history of Liberia". Constitutionnet.org. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ "Praise for the woman who put Liberia back on its feet". The Economist. October 5, 2017. Archived from the original on May 15, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2017.