[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. Column - Arts and Culture today is looking at a very important cultural heritage- The Providence Island, which was originally called the Dozoa Island. [114] Following Sirleaf's inauguration in 2006, Liberia signed several multi-billion-dollar concession agreements in the iron ore and palm oil industries with numerous multinational corporations, including ArcelorMittal, BHP and Sime Darby. Coauthor of. 19, [79] The survey was conducted during the last civil war, and bushmeat consumption is now believed to be far higher. Along the coast lie beds of sandstone, with occasional crystalline-rock outcrops. The judiciary is further divided into circuit and speciality courts, magistrate courts and justices of the peace. Name the major rivers of Liberia. One of the most well-known Liberian quilters was Martha Ann Ricks,[203] who presented a quilt featuring the famed Liberian coffee tree to Queen Victoria in 1892. [217][218] In 2018, the Liberian Commerce and Industry Minister announced that the Liberian government is committed to adopting the metric system.[219]. [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. "[29], American and other international interests emphasized resource extraction, with rubber production a major industry in the early 20th century. [53] [148] In 2013, Liberia began importing power from neighboring Ivory Coast and Guinea through the West African Power Pool. km, Nimba is the largest country and Montserrado is the most populous one. km. Updates? Total capacity in 2013 was 20 MW, a sharp decline from a peak of 191 MW in 1989 before the wars. [57] Public schools offer biblical studies, though parents may opt their children out. [57] The 2005 elections marked the first time that the president's party did not gain a majority of seats in the Legislature. The country's capital and largest city is Monrovia. The all-female Sande society practices female circumcision. Liberia is an independent state that is situated in West Africa. [202] Most Americo-Liberian men were members of the Masonic Order of Liberia, which became heavily involved in the nation's politics. [102], Liberia scored a 3.3 on a scale from 10 (highly clean) to 0 (highly corrupt) on the 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index. Bushrod Island is an island near Monrovia, Liberia surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, . This Island, as one of the global areas of human slave . For virtually all of its history, the AFL has received considerable material and training assistance from the United States. 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. [79], Trypanosoma brucei gambiense is endemic in some animal hosts here including both domestic and wild. [90] GDP per capita peaked in 1980 at US$496, when it was comparable to Egypt's (at the time). Congo people, descendants of repatriated Congo and Afro-Caribbean slaves who arrived in 1825, make up an estimated 2.5%. Rainfall is irregular, and the rainy season varies in intensity and begins earlier at the coast than in the interior. [19] Similar state-based organizations established colonies in Mississippi-in-Africa, Kentucky in Africa, and the Republic of Maryland, which Liberia later annexed. [111] Upon the end of the war in 2003, GDP growth began to accelerate, reaching 9.4% in 2007. Professor of Geography, East Carolina College, Greenville, North Carolina. 2 Robin Dunn-Marcos et al., "Liberians: An Introduction to Their History Culture," Culture Profile No. [208], Liberian cuisine heavily incorporates rice, the country's staple food. [18] Formed in 1816, the American Colonization Society (ACS) was made up mostly of Quakers and slaveholders. Five years of military rule by the People's Redemption Council and five years of civilian rule by the National Democratic Party of Liberia were followed by the First and Second Liberian Civil Wars. Subsequent Portuguese explorers named Grand Cape Mount, Cape Mesurado (Montserrado), and Cape Palmas, all . Financial Time's World Desk Reference (2004) Dorling Kindersley Publishing, p. 368. The Liberian national basketball team has reached the AfroBasket twice, in 1983 and 2007. Town of Monrovia 1827 Time zone: Noon = noon GMT. The coastal plains are around 560 km long and 40 km wide and feature sandy beaches, lagoons, mangrove swamps, and some rocky outcrops. B. Jallah to the International Association of Law Schools Conference Learning From Each Other: Enriching the Law School Curriculum in an Interrelated World Held at Soochow University Kenneth Wang School of Law, Suzhou, China, October 1719, 2007. The internal security is characterized by a general lawlessness coupled with the danger that former combatants in the late civil war might reestablish militias to challenge the civil authorities. Includes 99 Liberia mountains. The 1988 Omnibus Foreign Trade and Competitiveness Act designated the metric system as "the preferred system of weights and measures for United States trade and commerce," but in practice the system is in mixed usage, with the population generally preferring customary units and industries either fully metric or mixed. Liberia is situated in West Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean to the country's southwest. [76] In September 2014, Liberia and Norway struck an agreement whereby Liberia ceased all logging in exchange for $150 million in development aid. In Liberia, the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex serves as a multi-purpose stadium. [76] After international protests, many of those logging permits were canceled. Competition for office was usually contained within the party; a party nomination virtually ensured election. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. [86], The fifteen counties are administered by superintendents appointed by the president. Founding of Liberia, 1847 The founding of Liberia in the early 1800s was motivated by the domestic politics of slavery and race in the United States as well as by U.S. foreign policy interests. [120], In 2003, additional UN sanctions were placed on Liberian timber exports, which had risen from US$5 million in 1997 to over US$100 million in 2002 and were believed to be funding rebels in Sierra Leone. The government does not require businesses or schools to excuse Muslims for Friday prayers. Encounters with tribal Africans in the bush often became violent. What are the major mountains of Liberia and their location? [44] Government repression intensified in response, as Doe's troops retaliated by executing members of the Gio and Mano ethnic groups in Nimba County. [57] Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a US-educated economist, former Minister of Finance and future Nobel Prize for Peace winner, was elected as the first female president in Africa. Liberia imports 90% of its rice, a staple food, and is extremely vulnerable to food shortages. Wikidata ID. [80] The West African pariah dog is also a host for Tbg. [83] A 2004 UN report estimated that 99% of Liberians burned charcoal and fuel wood for cooking and heating, resulting in deforestation. Corrections? "Congos." For much of Liberia's early history, the Congos were classed below the Americo -Liberians. [37] (The loser actually received around 60% of the eligible vote. James Monroe (for whom it was named) by the American Colonization Society as a settlement for freed American slaves. Retrieved October 29, 2013, Marc DuBois and Caitlin Wake, with Scarlett Sturridge and Christina Bennett (2015). King and Vice President Allen N. Yancy resigned. Behind the rolling hills, most of the countrys interior is a dissected plateau with scattered low mountains ranging from 600 to 1,000 feet (180 to 305 metres) in elevation; some mountains rise to 2,000 feet (600 metres). [86] Montserrado is also the most populous county with 1,144,806 residents as of the 2008 census. There are several unique species of bats and birds, and scorpions, lizards, and fish are numerous. [97], Both male and female homosexuality are illegal in Liberia. The Farmington River is a source of hydroelectric power. Taylor resigned in August 2003 and went into exile in Nigeria. Pages in category "Islands of Liberia" The following 2 pages are in this category, out of 2 total. [200], According to an Overseas Development Institute report, private health expenditure accounts for 64.1% of total spending on health. Together with the vice president, the president is elected to a six-year term by majority vote in a two-round system and can serve up to two terms in office. This was because they faced racial discrimination in the form of political disenfranchisement and the denial of civil, religious, and social rights. As the nation's primate city, Monrovia is the country's economic, financial and cultural center; its economy is primarily centered on . Category:Headlands of Liberia . Santa Monica, CA: Rand. [citation needed], In the United States, there was a movement to settle free people of color, both free-born and formerly enslaved, in Africa. [175][176][177], Due to student protests late in October 2018, newly elected president George M. Weah abolished tuition fees for undergraduate students in the public universities in Liberia.[178]. Liberia has been an active participant in international and local policy changes related to climate change. [76], Endangered species are hunted for human consumption as bushmeat in Liberia. [43] A strategic Cold War ally of the West, Doe received significant financial backing from the United States while critics condemned the PRC for corruption and political repression. [111] As a result of bilateral, multilateral and commercial debt relief from 2007 to 2010, the country's external debt fell to $222.9 million by 2011. [139] In 2013, the mineral sector accounted for 11% of GDP in the country and the World Bank projected a further increase in the sector by 2017. [150] The government divided its offshore waters into 17 blocks and began auctioning off exploration licenses for the blocks in 2004, with further auctions in 2007 and 2009. It hosts FIFA World Cup qualifying matches in addition to international concerts and national political events. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. [186][187] A number of highly communicable diseases are widespread, including tuberculosis, diarrheal diseases and malaria. ", "Ellen Describes Tubman University's Opening As PRS Success", "Remarks by H.E. [165] Liberians also speak a variety of creolized dialects collectively known as Liberian English. The Dei, Bassa, Kru, Gola, and Kissi were some of the earliest documented peoples in the area. [140], There are six major newspapers in Liberia, and 65% of the population has a mobile phone service. [43], After Liberia adopted a new constitution in 1985, Doe was elected president in subsequent elections that were internationally condemned as fraudulent. It built the Freeport of Monrovia and Roberts International Airport under the Lend-Lease program before its entry into the Second World War. 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. 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. 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 Monrovia (/ m n r o v i /) is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia.Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents, home to 29% of Liberia's total population. [189], In 2014, an outbreak of Ebola virus in Guinea spread to 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]. Four types of soil are found in Liberia. [76], Pollution is a significant issue in Monrovia. This gave it a ranking 87th of 178 countries worldwide and 11th of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa. During World War II, the United States made major infrastructure improvements to support its military efforts in Africa and Europe against Germany. 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). [91], After the turmoil following the First and Second Liberian Civil Wars, Liberia's internal stabilization in the 21st century brought a return to cordial relations with neighboring countries and much of the Western world. As of 2015, it had more than 8,000 mostly Liberian employees, making it the country's largest private employer. 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. [90] The judicial system is a blend of common law, based on Anglo-American law, and customary law. In 1824 the territory was named Liberia, and its main settlement was named Monrovia, which is the present-day capital. [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. [147] Construction of three new heavy fuel oil power plants is expected to boost electrical capacity by 38 MW. GeoNames ID. It has a population of around 5 million and covers an area of 43,000 square miles (111,369km2). Located on Capitol Hill, the school has approximately 2,000 students. Mortality from tropical diseases was highof the 4,571 emigrants who arrived in Liberia between 1820 and 1843, only 1,819 survived. However, Lincoln in 1862 described Liberia as only "in a certain sensea success", and proposed instead that free people of color be assisted to emigrate to Chiriqu, today part of Panama. In 1980, political tensions from the rule of William R. Tolbert resulted in a military coup during which Tolbert was killed, marking the end of Americo-Liberian rule in the country and beginning over two decades of political instability. [198] As of November17, 2014[update], there were 2,812 confirmed deaths from the ongoing outbreak. A small minority of Liberians who are White Africans of European descent reside in the country. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. 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. [159] The population of Liberia was 1,016,443 in 1962 and increased to 1,503,368 in 1974. The climate is equatorial, with significant rainfall during the MayOctober rainy season and harsh harmattan winds the remainder of the year. The Americo-Liberian settlers did not relate well to the indigenous peoples they encountered. [bettersourceneeded][1], English is the official language and serves as the lingua franca of Liberia. [185] With a fertility rate of 5.9 births per woman, the maternal mortality rate stood at 990 per 100,000 births in 2010, and 1,072 per 100,000 births in 2017. Located on the West African coast, Liberia covers an area of 111,369 sq. [142] With low rates of adult literacy and high poverty rates, television and newspaper use is limited, leaving radio as the predominant means of communicating with the public. [22] These free African Americans and their descendants married within their community and came to identify as Americo-Liberians. [85], Liberia is divided into fifteen counties, which, in turn, are subdivided into a total of 90 districts and further subdivided into clans. The oldest counties are Grand Bassa and Montserrado, both founded in 1839 prior to Liberian independence. "[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". Waterfalls, rapids, rocks, and sandbanks occur frequently in upstream sections of most rivers, inhibiting river traffic, and limiting navigation inland to short distances. Mean annual temperatures range between 65 F (18 C) in the northern highlands to 80 F (27 C) along the coast. [citation needed]. These features may represent social networks or some form of cultural diffusion allied to changing ecological conditions. Liberia forms part of the West African Shield, a rock formation 2.7 to 3.4 billion years old, composed of granite, schist, and gneiss. It is located in the Northern and Western Hemispheres. Other major rivers are the Lofa in the north and, moving southward, the St. Paul, St. John, and Cestos, all of which parallel each other and flow perpendicular to the coast. Liberia possesses about forty percent of the remaining Upper Guinean rainforest. [173], In 2009, Tubman University in Harper, Maryland County was established as the second public university in Liberia. [68] Climate change in Liberia causes many problems as Liberia is particularly vulnerable to climate change. [161] Americo-Liberians, who are descendants of African American and West Indian, mostly Barbadian (Bajan) settlers, make up 2.5%. [83], Illegal logging has increased in Liberia since the end of the Second Civil War in 2003. The outline map represents the West African country of Liberia. At $0.54 per kWh, the cost of electricity in Liberia is among the highest in the world. There are many reptiles, including three types of crocodiles and at least eight poisonous snakes. [214], Liberia has not yet completely adopted the International System of Units (abbreviated as the SI, also called the metric system). [101] When President Sirleaf took office in 2006, she announced that corruption was "the major public enemy. [127][128], Due to its status as a flag of convenience, Liberia has the second-largest maritime registry in the world behind Panama. [124], Liberia has the highest ratio of foreign direct investment to GDP in the world, with US$16 billion in investment since 2006. [103] This score represented a significant improvement since 2007, when the country scored 2.1 and ranked 150th of 180 countries. Omissions? (Nelson) See the Map of Liberia with Monrovia. [30][31][32], The leadership of the new nation consisted largely of the Americo-Liberians, who initially established political and economic dominance in the coastal areas that the ACS had purchased; they maintained relations with U.S. contacts in developing these areas and the resulting trade. [15], The Pepper Coast, also known as the Grain Coast, has been inhabited by indigenous peoples of Africa at least as far back as the 12th century. The 7 Best Small Towns In Nevada To Chill Out, 11 Coolest Small Towns in Washington for a Summer Vacation. Liberia is divided into 15 counties which are subdivided into 90 and further into clans. and an interim government took power the following October. Colonial settlements were raided by the Kru and Grebo from their inland chiefdoms. [15], The record shows that aceramic and ceramic Later Stone Age (LSA) assemblages in West Africa overlap chronologically, and that changing densities of microlithic industries from the coast to the north are geographically structured. 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. [57] Upon her inauguration, Sirleaf requested the extradition of Taylor from Nigeria and transferred him to the SCSL for trial in The Hague. [26], By 1877, the True Whig Party was the country's most powerful political entity. A small number of people were Bah, Hindu, Sikh, or Buddhist. As of 2016, it had approximately 9,118 students. [29] The United States did not recognize Liberia until 1862, after the Southern states, which had strong political power in the American government, declared their secession and the formation of the Confederacy. [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.
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