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| Geography |
| Facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars; the inland grassy plateau supports limited agriculture |
| Location: | Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone |
| Geographic coordinates: | 6 30 N, 9 30 W |
| Area: | total: 111,369 sq km land: 96,320 sq km water: 15,049 sq km
Size comparison: slightly larger than Tennessee |
| Land Boundaries: | total: 1,585 km border countries: Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km |
| Coastline: | 579 km |
| Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 200 nm |
| Climate: | tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers |
| Terrain: | mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Wuteve 1,380 m |
| Natural resources: | iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower |
| Land use: | arable land: 3.43% permanent crops: 1.98% other: 94.59% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | 30 sq km (2003) |
| Natural hazards: | dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March) |
| Current Environment Issues: | tropical rain forest deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage |
| International Environment Agreements: | 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 |
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| People |
| Population: | 3,441,790 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 132 |
| Age structure: | 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) (2009 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 18 years male: 17.9 years female: 18.2 years (2009 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 2.665% (2009 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 42.25 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) |
| Death rate: | 20.73 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 5.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2009 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 138.24 deaths/1,000 live births male: 153.55 deaths/1,000 live births female: 122.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 41.84 years male: 40.71 years female: 43 years (2009 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 5.79 children born/woman (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 1.7% (2007 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 35,000 (2007 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 2,300 (2007 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Liberian(s) adjective: Liberian |
| Ethnic groups: | indigenous African 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, Dei, Bella, Mandingo, and Mende), Americo-Liberians 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the US who had been slaves), Congo People 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean who had been slaves) |
| Religions: | Christian 40%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 40% |
| Languages: | English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages few of which can be written or used in correspondence |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 57.5% male: 73.3% female: 41.6% (2003 est.) |
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| Government |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of Liberia conventional short form: Liberia |
| Government type: | republic |
| Capital: | name: Monrovia geographic coordinates: 6 18 N, 10 48 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions: | 15 counties; Bomi, Bong, Gbarpolu, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, River Gee, Sinoe |
| Independence: | 26 July 1847 |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 26 July (1847) |
| Constitution: | 6 January 1986 |
| Legal system: | 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 |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | 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 elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 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% |
| Legislative branch: | 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 11 October 2005 (next to be held in October 2011); House of Representatives - last held 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 |
| Judicial branch: | Supreme Court |
| Political parties and leaders: | 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] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | other: demobilized former military officers |
| International organization participation: | 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, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Milton Nathaniel BARNES chancery: 5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 723-0437 FAX: [1] (202) 723-0436 consulate(s) general: New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | 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 |
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| Economy |
| 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. 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. The reconstruction of infrastructure and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economy will largely depend on generous financial and technical assistance from donor countries and foreign investment in key sectors, such as infrastructure and power generation. |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.627 billion (2009 est.) $1.549 billion (2008 est.) $1.447 billion (2007 est.) note: data are in 2009 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate): $868 million (2009 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 5% (2009 est.) 7.1% (2008 est.) 9.5% (2007 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP): $500 (2009 est.) $500 (2008 est.) $500 (2007 est.) note: data are in 2009 US dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 76.9% industry: 5.4% services: 17.7% (2002 est.) |
| Labor force: | 1.372 million |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 70% industry: 8% services: 22% (2000 est.) |
| Unemployment rate: | 85% (2003 est.) est.) |
| Population below poverty line: | 80% (2000 est.) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 2.4% highest 10%: 30.1% |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | Inflation rate (consumer prices): 11.2% (2007 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: NA expenditures: NA |
| Agriculture - products: | rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, sugarcane, bananas; sheep, goats; timber |
| Industries: | rubber processing, palm oil processing, timber, diamonds |
| Industrial production growth rate: | NA% |
| Electricity - production: | 350 million kWh (2007 est.) |
| Electricity - consumption: | 325.5 million kWh (2007 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2008 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2008 est.) |
| Oil - production: | 0 bbl/day (2008 est.) |
| Oil - consumption: | 4,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) |
| Oil - exports: | 23 bbl/day (2007 est.) |
| Oil - imports: | 4,263 bbl/day (2007 est.) |
| Oil - proved reserves: | 0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2008 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 0 cu m (2008 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2008 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2008 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) |
| Current account balance: | $-224 million (2007 est.) |
| Exports: | $1.197 billion (2006 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | rubber, timber, iron, diamonds, cocoa, coffee |
| Exports - partners: | India 26.5%, US 17.9%, Poland 13.9%, Germany 10.1%, Belgium 6.8% (2008) |
| Imports: | $7.143 billion (2006 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods; foodstuffs |
| Imports - partners: | South Korea 27.2%, Singapore 25.5%, Japan 11.8%, China 11% (2008) |
| Debt - external: | $3.2 billion (2005 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: | $NA (31 December 2009 est.) $124.2 billion (31 December 2008 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: | $NA |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $NA |
| Exchange rates: | Liberian dollars (LRD) per US dollar - NA (2007), 59.43 (2006), 53.098 (2005), 54.906 (2004), 59.379 (2003) |
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| Communications |
| Telephones in use: | 2,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 224 |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 732,000 (2008) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: the limited services available are found almost exclusively in the capital Monrovia; coverage extended to a number of other towns and rural areas by four mobile-cellular network operators domestic: fixed line service stagnant and extremely limited; mobile-cellular subscription base growing and teledensity exceeding 20 per 100 persons international: country code - 231; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2008) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 0, FM 10, shortwave 2 (2007) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 4 (plus 4 repeaters) (2007) |
| Internet country code: | .lr |
| Internet hosts: | 5 (2009) |
| Internet users: | 20,000 (2008) |
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| Transportation |
| Airports: | 33 (2009) country comparison to the world: 112 |
| Airports (paved runways): | total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009) |
| Airports (unpaved runways): | total: 31 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 18 (2009) |
| Railways: | total: 429 km 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) |
| Roadways: | total: 10,600 km paved: 657 km unpaved: 9,943 km (2000) |
| Merchant marine: | total: 2,204 by type: barge carrier 3, bulk carrier 390, cargo 107, chemical tanker 241, combination ore/oil 7, container 750, liquefied gas 84, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 460, refrigerated cargo 103, roll on/roll off 7, specialized tanker 12, vehicle carrier 36 foreign-owned: 2,109 (Argentina 3, Belgium 4, Brazil 3, Canada 7, China 11, Croatia 2, Cyprus 63, Denmark 12, Estonia 1, France 5, Germany 849, Gibraltar 5, Greece 358, Hong Kong 44, India 2, Indonesia 2, Isle of Man 5, Israel 23, Italy 41, Japan 116, South Korea 3, Latvia 21, Lebanon 2, Mexico 2, Monaco 8, Netherlands 6, Nigeria 2, Norway 40, Poland 13, Qatar 4, Romania 2, Russia 94, Saudi Arabia 27, Singapore 32, Slovenia 3, Sweden 10, Switzerland 13, Taiwan 91, Turkey 7, Ukraine 25, UAE 23, UK 20, US 98, Uruguay 3, Vietnam 4) (2008) |
| Ports and terminals: | Buchanan, Monrovia |
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| Military |
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| Military branches: | Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL): Army, Navy, Air Force |
| Military service age and obligation: | 16 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 729,813 females age 16-49: 741,223 (2008 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 387,417 females age 16-49: 382,334 (2009 est.) |
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