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LIBERIA |
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The cities pointed on the map are where SMA works |
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Facts on Liberia |
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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.
The descendants of the freed slaves ruled the country in a way that excluded the indigenous population from access to power and from the benefits of economic growth. Native Liberians (as opposed to Americo-Liberians) gained the right to vote only in 1946. Despite the declared efforts of the Tubman (1944-1971) and Tolbert (1971-1980) presidencies in favor of the recognition of their rights, they remained discriminated against.
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 1999. In August 2003, peace agreement ended the war and prompted the resignation of former president Charles TAYLOR, who was exiled to Nigeria. 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), which maintains a strong presence throughout the country, completed a disarmament program for former combatants in late 2004, but the security situation is still volatile and the process of rebuilding the social and economic structure of this war-torn country remains sluggish. |
Location: |
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone |
Area: |
total: 111,370 sq km
land: 96,320 sq km
water: 15,050 sq km |
Land boundaries: |
total: 1,585 km
border countries: Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, and Sierra Leone. |
Climate: |
tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers |
Natural resources: |
iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower |
Land use: |
arable land: 3.43%
permanent crops: 1.98%
other: 94.59% (2005) |
Population: |
3,042,004 (July 2006 est.) |
Age structure: |
0-14 years: 43.1% (male 656,016/female 653,734)
15-64 years: 54.2% (male 816,443/female 832,152)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 40,591/female 43,068) (2006 est.) |
Median age: |
total: 18.1 years
male: 18 years
female: 18.3 years (2006 est.) |
Population growth rate: |
4.91% (2006 est.) |
Birth rate: |
44.77 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Death rate: |
23.1 deaths/1,000 population (2006 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 (2006 est.) |
Infant mortality rate: |
total: 155.76 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 171.96 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 139.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
Life expectancy at birth: |
total population: 39.65 years
male: 37.99 years
female: 41.35 years (2006 est.) |
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: |
100,000 (2003 est.) |
Major infectious diseases: |
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks in some locations
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever (2007) |
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, of which a few can be written and are 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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