Liberia
Geography - People - Economy - Government - Communications - Transportation - Military - Transnational IssuesCountry name - conventional long form : Republic of Liberia
Country name - conventional short form : Liberia
Government type : republic
Capital - name : Monrovia
Capital - time difference : UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
National holiday : Independence Day, 26 July (1847)
Population : 3,334,587 (July 2008 est.)
Nationality - noun : Liberian(s)
Nationality - adjective : Liberian
Languages : English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages, of which a few can be written and are used in correspondence
Currency (code) : Liberian dollar (LRD)
Currency code : LRD
Major infectious diseases - degree of risk : very high
Liberia is located Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone. The climate is tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers. The terrain is mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast.
Background
This entry usually highlights major historic events and current issues and may include a statement about one or two key future trends.Background : 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 will take many years.
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