Settlement of freed slaves from the US in what is today Liberia began in 1822; by 1847, the Americo-Liberians were able to establish a republic. William Tubman, president from 1944-71, did much to promote foreign investment and to bridge the economic, social, and political gaps between the descendants of the original settlers and the inhabitants of the interior. In 1980, a military coup led by Samuel Doe ushered in a decade of authoritarian rule. In December 1989, Charles Taylor launched a rebellion against Doe's regime that led to a prolonged civil war in which Doe was killed. A period of relative peace in 1997 allowed for elections that brought Taylor to power, but major fighting resumed in 2000. An August 2003 peace agreement ended the war and prompted the resignation of former president Charles Taylor, who faces war crimes charges in The Hague related to his involvement in Sierra Leone's civil war. After two years of rule by a transitional government, democratic elections in late 2005 brought President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to power. She subsequently won reelection in 2011 in a second round vote that was boycotted by the opposition and remains challenged to build Liberia's economy and reconcile a nation still recovering from 14 years of fighting. The United Nations Security Council in September 2012 passed Resolution 2066 which calls for a reduction of UN troops in Liberia by half by 2015, bringing the troop total down to fewer than 4000, and challenging Liberia's security sector to fill the gaps.

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Country Name:

• conventional long form: Republic of Liberia
• conventional short form: Liberia

Capital:

• name: Monrovia
• geographic coordinates: 6 18 N, 10 48 W
• time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Independence:

• 26 July 1847

Government Type:

• republic

Executive Branch:

• chief of state: President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (since 16 January 2006); Vice President Joseph Boakai (since 16 January 2006)
  
• head of government: President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (since 16 January 2006)
• cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate
• elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); elections last held on 11 October and 8 November 2011 (next to be held in 2017)

Legislative Branch:

• structure: bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives

Judicial Branch:

• structure: Supreme Court

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Population:

• 4,092,310 (global rank: 128)
• growth rate: 2.52% (global rank: 29)

Nationality:

• noun: Liberian(s)
• adjective: Liberian

Major Cities:

• Monrovia (capital): 750,000

Ethnic Groups:

• Kpelle 20.3%, Bassa 13.4%, Grebo 10%, Gio 8%, Mano 7.9%, Kru 6%, Lorma 5.1%, Kissi 4.8%, Gola 4.4%, other 20.1%

Religions:

• Christian 85.6%, Muslim 12.2%, Traditional 0.6%, other 0.2%, none 1.4%

Languages:

• English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages few of which can be written or used in correspondence

Life Expectancy at Birth:

• total population: 58.21 years (global rank: 199)
• male: 56.56 years
• female: 59.9 years

Infant Mortality:

• total population: 69.19 deaths/1,000 live births (global rank: 15)
• male: 73.46 deaths/1,000 live births
• female: 64.79 deaths/1,000 live births

HIV/AIDS:

• adult prevalence rate: 0.9% (2012 est.) (global rank: 51)
• people living with AIDS: 21,800 (2012 est.) (global rank: 80)

Literacy:

• definition: age 15 and over can read and write
• total population: 60.8%
• male: 64.8%
• female: 56.8%

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Overview: Liberia is a low income country that relies heavily on foreign assistance. Civil war and government mismanagement destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around the capital, Monrovia. Many businesses fled the country, taking capital and expertise with them, but with the conclusion of fighting and the installation of a democratically elected government in 2006, several have returned. Liberia is richly endowed with water, mineral resources, forests, and a climate favorable to agriculture, and iron ore and rubber have driven growth in recent years. Liberia is also reviving its raw timber sector and is encouraging oil exploration. President Johnson Sirleaf, a Harvard-educated banker and administrator, has taken steps to reduce corruption, build support from international donors, and encourage private investment. Rebuilding infrastructure and raising incomes will depend on financial and technical assistance from donor countries and foreign investment in key sectors, such as infrastructure and power generation. The country achieved high growth during 2010-13 due to favorable world prices for its commodities. In the future, growth will depend on global commodity prices, on sustained foreign aid, trade, investment, and remittances, on the development of infrastructure and institutions, but mostly on maintaining political stability and security.

Gross Domestic Product:

• GDP (PPP): $2.898 billion (global rank: 184)
• GDP per capita (PPP): $700 (global rank: 223)
• real growth rate: 8.1% (global rank: 11)
• composition by sector: agriculture: 76.9%, industry: 5.4%, services: 17.7%

Currency:

• currency: Liberian Dollar (LRD)
• exchange rate (per US Dollar): 77.63

Poverty:

• population below poverty line: 80%
• unemployment rate: 85%

Agricultural Products:

• rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, sugarcane, bananas; sheep, goats; timber

Industries:

• rubber processing, palm oil processing, timber, diamonds

Exports Commodities:

• rubber, timber, iron, diamonds, cocoa, coffee

Imports Commodities:

• fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods; foodstuffs

Location:

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

Area:

• total: 111,369 sq km (global rank: 104)
• land: 96,320 sq km
• water: 15,049 sq km
• comparative: slightly larger than Tennessee

Climate:

• tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers

Land Use:

• arable land: 4.04%
• permanent crops: 1.62%
• other: 94.34%

Natural Resources:

• iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower

Current Environmental Issues:

• tropical rain forest deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage

• international disputes: although civil unrest continues to abate with the assistance of 6,500 UN Mission in Liberia peacekeepers, as of January 2013, Liberian refugees still remain in Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, and Ghana; Liberia, in turn, shelters refugees fleeing turmoil in Cote d'Ivoire; despite the presence of over 9,000 UN forces in Cote d'Ivoire since 2004, ethnic conflict continues to spread into neighboring states who can no longer send their migrant workers to Ivorian cocoa plantations; UN sanctions ban Liberia from exporting diamonds and timber
• refugees (country of origin): 42,026 (Cote d'Ivoire)
• internally displaced peoples: up to 23,000 (civil war from 1990-2004; post-election violence in March and April 2011; unclear how many have found durable solutions; many dwell in slums in Monrovia)
  
• human traficking: Liberia is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; most victims are Liberian and are exploited within the country, where they are forced into domestic servitude, begging, prostitution, street vending, agricultural work, and diamond mining; a small number of Liberian men, women, and children are trafficked to Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and the US, while trafficking victims are brought to Liberia from neighboring West African countries, including Sierra Leone, Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, and Nigeria
• illicit drugs: transshipment point for Southeast and Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine for the European and US markets; corruption, criminal activity, arms-dealing, and diamond trade provide significant potential for money laundering, but the lack of well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a major money-laundering center