Liberia

3 private TV stations; satellite TV service is available; 1 state-owned radio station; about 15 independent radio stations broadcasting in Monrovia, with another 25 local stations operating in other areas; transmissions of 2 international broadcasters are available (2007)

.lr

8 (2010) country comparison to the world: 224

20,000 (2009) country comparison to the world: 193

general assessment: the limited services available are found almost exclusively in the capital Monrovia; fixed-line service stagnant and extremely limited; telephone coverage extended to a number of other towns and rural areas by four mobile-cellular network operators domestic: mobile-cellular subscription base growing and teledensity reached 25 per 100 persons in 2009 international: country code - 231; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2009)

2,000 (2009) country comparison to the world: 224

842,000 (2009) country comparison to the world: 148

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

14.4% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 45 15.05% (31 December 2007)

-$224 million (2007) country comparison to the world: 92

$3.2 billion (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 125

Liberia is a low income country heavily reliant on foreign assistance for revenue. 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 has the distinction of having the highest ratio of direct foreign investment to GDP in the world. Richly endowed with water, mineral resources, forests, and a climate favorable to agriculture, Liberia had been a producer and exporter of basic products, primarily raw timber and rubber and is reviving those sectors. Local manufacturing, mainly foreign owned, had been small in scope. President JOHNSON SIRLEAF, a Harvard-trained banker and administrator, has taken steps to reduce corruption, build support from international donors, and encourage private investment. Embargos on timber and diamond exports have been lifted, opening new sources of revenue for the government and Liberia shipped its first major timber exports to Europe in 2010. The country reached its Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative completion point in 2010 and nearly $5 billion of international debt was permanently eliminated. This new status will enable Liberia to estabilish a sovereign credit rating and issue bonds. Liberia's Paris Club creditors agreed to cancel Liberia's debt as well. Rebuilding infrastructure and raising incomes will depend on generous financial and technical assistance from donor countries and foreign investment in key sectors, such as infrastructure and power generation.

325.5 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 165

0 kWh (2008 est.)

0 kWh (2008 est.)

350 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 164

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

$1.197 billion (2006) country comparison to the world: 148

rubber, timber, iron, diamonds, cocoa, coffee

Germany 27.92%, Poland 17.12%, South Africa 15.83%, India 10.48%, Greece 7.09%, US 6.23%, Norway 5.24% (2009)

$977 million (2010 est.)

$1.76 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 190 $1.66 billion (2009 est.) $1.587 billion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

agriculture: 76.9% industry: 5.4% services: 17.7% (2002 est.)

$500 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 226 $500 (2009 est.) $500 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

6% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 40 4.6% (2009 est.) 8.6% (2008 est.)

lowest 10%: 2.4% highest 10%: 30.1% (2007)

$7.143 billion (2006) country comparison to the world: 102

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

South Korea 28.29%, Singapore 19.06%, Japan 17.06%, China 14.58%, Taiwan 4.02% (2009)

NA%

rubber processing, palm oil processing, timber, diamonds

11.2% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 202

1.372 million (2007) country comparison to the world: 134

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

$NA

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 119

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 161

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 163

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 164

0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 150

4,000 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 174

23 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 136

4,263 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 163

0 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 153

0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 158

80% (2000 est.)

$NA (31 December 2009) $NA (31 December 2008)

$NA

$NA

$1.202 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 145 $1.157 billion (31 December 2007)

$206.9 million (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 174 $145.6 million (31 December 2007)

85% (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 198

total: 111,369 sq km country comparison to the world: 103 land: 96,320 sq km water: 15,049 sq km

slightly larger than Tennessee

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

579 km

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

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

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation

total: 0.11 cu km/yr (27%/18%/55%) per capita: 34 cu m/yr (2000)

6 30 N, 9 30 W

facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars; the inland grassy plateau supports limited agriculture

30 sq km (2003)

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

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

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

Africa

territorial sea: 200 nm

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

iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower

mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast

232 cu km (1987)

15 counties; Bomi, Bong, Gbarpolu, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, River Gee, Sinoe

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

6 January 1986

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

chief of mission: Ambassador Linda THOMAS-GREENFIELD embassy: 111 United Nations Drive, P. O. Box 98, Mamba Point, 1000 Monrovia, 10 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [231] 7-705-4826 FAX: [231] 7-701-0370

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Edwin F. SELE chancery: 5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 723-0437 FAX: [1] (202) 723-0436 consulate(s) general: New York

chief of state: President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF (since 16 January 2006); note - the President is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF (since 16 January 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website) elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 8 November 2005 (next to be held in October 2011) election results: Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF elected president; percent of vote, second round - Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF 59.6%, George WEAH 40.4%

11 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; a white five-pointed star appears on a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner; the stripes symbolize the signatories of the Liberian Declaration of Independence; the blue square represents the African mainland, and the star represents the freedom granted to the ex-slaves; according to the constitution, the blue color signifies liberty, justice, and fidelity, the white color purity, cleanliness, and guilelessness, and the red color steadfastness, valor, and fervor note: the design is based on the US flag

republic

26 July 1847

ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Supreme Court

dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American common law for the modern sector and customary law based on unwritten tribal practices for indigenous sector; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (30 seats; note - number of seats changed in 11 October 2005 elections; members elected by popular vote to serve nine-year terms) and the House of Representatives (64 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) elections: Senate - last held on 11 October 2005 (next to be held in October 2011); House of Representatives - last held on 11 October 2005 (next to be held in October 2011) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - COTOL 7, NPP 4, CDC 3, LP 3, UP 3, APD 3, other 7; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CDC 15, LP 9, COTOL 8, UP 8, APD 5, NPP 4, other 15; note - the UP now holds 13 out of 30 senate seats and 16 out of 64 house seats following a merger with several smaller parties in 2009 note: junior senators - those who received the second most votes in each county in the 11 October 2005 election - will only serve a six-year first term because the Liberian constitution mandates staggered Senate elections to ensure continuity of government; all senators will be eligible for nine-year terms thereafter

name: "All Hail, Liberia Hail!" lyrics/music: Daniel Bashiel WARNER/Olmstead LUCA note: lyrics adopted 1847, music adopted 1860; the anthem's author would become the third president of Liberia

Independence Day, 26 July (1847)

Alliance for Peace and Democracy or APD [Togba-na TIPOTEH]; Coalition for the Transformation of Liberia or COTOL [H. Varney SHERMAN]; Congress for Democratic Change or CDC [George WEAH]; Liberty Party or LP [Charles BRUMSKINE]; National Patriotic Party or NPP [Roland MASSAQUOI]; Unity Party or UP [Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF]

other: demobilized former military officers

18 years of age; universal

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 descendents 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 himself 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. The UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) maintains a strong presence throughout the country, but the security situation is still fragile and the process of rebuilding the social and economic structure of this war-torn country continues.

males age 16-49: 797,084 females age 16-49: 808,017 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49: 510,337 females age 16-49: 527,737 (2010 est.)

male: 33,411 female: 35,264 (2010 est.)

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

1.3% of GDP (2006 est.) country comparison to the world: 116

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2010)

0-14 years: 44.1% (male 760,989/female 758,554) 15-64 years: 53% (male 904,770/female 920,704) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 47,013/female 49,760) (2010 est.)

38.14 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 18

10.88 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 41

2.7% of GDP (2008) country comparison to the world: 157

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% (2008 Census)

1.7% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 35

2,300 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 59

35,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 68

total: 76.43 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 18 male: 80.92 deaths/1,000 live births female: 71.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

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

total population: 56.58 years country comparison to the world: 194 male: 55.05 years female: 58.14 years (2010 est.)

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

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever water contact disease: schistosomiasis aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever animal contact disease: rabies (2009)

total: 18.4 years male: 18.3 years female: 18.4 years (2010 est.)

noun: Liberian(s) adjective: Liberian

0.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 61

3,685,076 (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 129

2.782% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 19

Christian 85.6%, Muslim 12.2%, Traditional 0.6%, other 0.2%, none 1.4% (2008 Census)

total: 11 years male: 13 years female: 9 years (2000)

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

5.24 children born/woman (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 16

urban population: 60% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 5.6% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

although civil unrest continues to abate with the assistance of 18,000 UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) peacekeepers, as of January 2007, 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 (UNOCI) 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

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

refugees (country of origin): 12,600 (Cote d'Ivoire) IDPs: 13,000 (civil war from 1990-2004; IDP resettlement began in November 2004) (2007)

29 (2010) country comparison to the world: 115

total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2010)

total: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 14 (2010)

total: 2,512 country comparison to the world: 2 by type: barge carrier 3, bulk carrier 507, cargo 136, carrier 1, chemical tanker 232, combination ore/oil 6, container 875, liquefied gas 93, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 509, refrigerated cargo 109, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 10, vehicle carrier 25 foreign-owned: 2,356 (Angola 1, Argentina 3, Australia 2, Belgium 1, Bermuda 4, Brazil 20, Canada 4, Chile 7, China 10, Croatia 2, Cyprus 7, Denmark 4, Finland 2, Germany 1049, Gibraltar 5, Greece 454, Hong Kong 47, India 1, Indonesia 4, Isle of Man 19, Israel 31, Italy 48, Japan 102, Latvia 9, Lebanon 1, Monaco 10, Netherlands 35, Nigeria 4, Norway 42, Poland 13, Qatar 5, Romania 3, Russia 108, Saudi Arabia 24, Singapore 27, Slovenia 5, South Korea 1, Sweden 10, Switzerland 17, Syria 1, Taiwan 88, Turkey 15, UAE 27, UK 25, Ukraine 16, Uruguay 1, US 39, Vietnam 3) (2010)

Buchanan, Monrovia

total: 429 km country comparison to the world: 117 standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 84 km 1.067-m gauge note: most sections of the railway are inoperable because of damage suffered during the civil wars from 1980 to 2003 (2008)

total: 10,600 km country comparison to the world: 135 paved: 657 km unpaved: 9,943 km (2000)