*Liberia, Geography

Location:
  Western Africa, bordering the North Pacific Ocean between Cote d'Ivoire and
  Sierra Leone
Map references:
  Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:  total area:
  111,370 km2
 land area:
  96,320 km2
 comparative area:
  slightly larger than Tennessee
Land boundaries:
  total 1,585 km, Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km
Coastline:
  579 km
Maritime claims:
 continental shelf:
  200 m depth or to depth of exploitation
 territorial sea:
  200 nm
International disputes:
  none
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
Natural resources:
  iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold
Land use:
 arable land:
  1%
 permanent crops:
  3%
 meadows and pastures:
  2%
 forest and woodland:
  39%
 other:
  55%
Irrigated land:
  20 km2 (1989 est.)
Environment:
  West Africa's largest tropical rain forest, subject to deforestation

*Liberia, People

Population:
  2,874,881 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
  3.37% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
  43.9 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
  12.38 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
  2.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:   115.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
 total population:
  57.28 years
 male:
  54.88 years
 female:
  59.76 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  6.42 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
 noun:
  Liberian(s)
 adjective:
  Liberian
Ethnic divisions:
  indigenous African tribes 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo,
  Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, and Bella), Americo-Liberians
  5% (descendants of repatriated slaves)
Religions:
  traditional 70%, Muslim 20%, Christian 10%
Languages:
  English 20% (official), Niger-Congo language group about 20 local languages
  come from this group
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
 total population:
  40%
 male:
  50%
 female:
  29%
Labor force:
  510,000 including 220,000 in the monetary economy
 by occupation:
  agriculture 70.5%, services 10.8%, industry and commerce 4.5%, other 14.2%
 note:
  non-African foreigners hold about 95% of the top-level management and
  engineering jobs; 52% of population of working age

*Liberia, Government

Names:
 conventional long form:
  Republic of Liberia
 conventional short form:
  Liberia
Digraph:
  LI
Type:
  republic
Capital:
  Monrovia
Administrative divisions:   13 counties; Bomi, Bong, Grand Bassa, Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand
Kru,
  Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, Sinoe
Independence:
  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
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 26 July (1847)
Political parties and leaders:
  National Democratic Party of Liberia (NDPL), Augustus CAINE, chairman;
  Liberian Action Party (LAP), Emmanuel KOROMAH, chairman; Unity Party (UP),
  Carlos SMITH, chairman; United People's Party (UPP), Gabriel Baccus
  MATTHEWS, chairman
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Elections:
 President:
  last held on 15 October 1985 (next to be held NA); results - Gen. Dr. Samuel
  Kanyon DOE (NDPL) 50.9%, Jackson DOE (LAP) 26.4%, other 22.7%; note -
  President Doe was killed by rebel forces on 9 September 1990
 Senate:
  last held on 15 October 1985 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote
  by party NA; seats - (26 total) NDPL 21, LAP 3, UP 1, UPP 1
 House of Representatives:
  last held on 15 October 1985 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote
  by party NA; seats - (64 total) NDPL 51, LAP 8, UP 3, UPP 2
Executive branch:
  president, vice president, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
  bicameral National Assembly consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower
  house or House of Representatives
Judicial branch:
  People's Supreme Court
Leaders:
 Chief of State and Head of Government:
  interim President Dr. Amos SAWYER (since 15 November 1990)
 note:
  this is an interim government appointed by the Economic Community of West
  African States (ECOWAS) that will be replaced after elections are held under
  a West African-brokered peace plan; a rebel faction led by Charles TAYLOR is
  challenging the SAWYER government's legitimacy; former president, Gen. Dr.
  Samuel Kanyon DOE, was killed on 9 September 1990 by Prince Y. JOHNSON

*Liberia, Government

Member of:
  ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD,
  IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN,
  UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:  chief of mission:
  Ambassador James TARPEH
 chancery:
  5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011
 telephone:
  (202) 723-0437 through 0440
 consulate general:
  New York
US diplomatic representation:
 chief of mission:
  Ambassador William H. TWADDELL
 embassy:
  111 United Nations Drive, Monrovia
 mailing address:
  P. O. Box 98, Monrovia, or APO AE 09813
 telephone:
  [231] 222991 through 222994
 FAX:
  (231) 223710
Flag:
  11 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white;
  there is a white five-pointed star on a blue square in the upper hoist-side
  corner; the design was based on the US flag

*Liberia, Economy

Overview:
  Civil war since 1990 has destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the
  infrastructure in and around Monrovia. Businessmen have fled the country,
  taking capital and expertise with them. Many will not return. Richly endowed
  with water, mineral resources, forests, and a climate favorable to
  agriculture, Liberia had been a producer and exporter of basic products,
  while local manufacturing, mainly foreign owned, had been small in scope.
  Political instability threatens prospects for economic reconstruction and
  repatriation of some 750,000 Liberian refugees who have fled to neighboring
  countries. The political impasse between the interim government and rebel
  leader Charles Taylor has prevented restoration of normal economic life,
  including the re-establishment of a strong central government with effective
  economic development programs.
National product:
  GDP - exchange rate conversion - $988 million (1988)
National product real growth rate:
  1.5% (1988)
National product per capita:
  $400 (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  12% (1989)
Unemployment rate:
  43% urban (1988)
Budget:
  revenues $242.1 million; expenditures $435.4 million, including capital
  expenditures of $29.5 million (1989)
Exports:
  $505 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.)
 commodities:
  iron ore 61%, rubber 20%, timber 11%, coffee
 partners:
  US, EC, Netherlands
Imports:
  $394 million (c.i.f., 1989 est.)
 commodities:
  rice, mineral fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, other
  foodstuffs
 partners:
  US, EC, Japan, China, Netherlands, ECOWAS
External debt:
  $1.6 billion (December 1990 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 1.5% in manufacturing (1987); accounts for 22% of GDP
Electricity:
  410,000 kW capacity; 750 million kWh produced, 275 kWh per capita (1991)
Industries:
  rubber processing, food processing, construction materials, furniture, palm
  oil processing, mining (iron ore, diamonds)
Agriculture:
  accounts for about 40% of GDP (including fishing and forestry); principal
  products - rubber, timber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava, palm oil,
  sugarcane, bananas, sheep, goats; not self-sufficient in food, imports 25%
  of rice consumption
Economic aid:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $665 million; Western (non-US)
  countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $870 million; OPEC
  bilateral aid (1979-89), $25 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $77
  million

*Liberia, Economy

Currency:
  1 Liberian dollar (L$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
  Liberian dollars (L$) per US$1 - 1.00 (fixed rate since 1940); unofficial
  parallel exchange rate of L$7 = US$1, January 1992
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

*Liberia, Communications

Railroads:
  480 km total; 328 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 152 km 1.067-meter narrow
  gauge; all lines single track; rail systems owned and operated by foreign
  steel and financial interests in conjunction with Liberian Government
Highways:
  10,087 km total; 603 km bituminous treated, 2,848 km all weather, 4,313 km
  dry weather; there are also 2,323 km of private, laterite-surfaced roads
  open to public use, owned by rubber and timber companies
Ports:   Monrovia, Buchanan, Greenville, Harper (or Cape Palmas)
Merchant marine:
  1,618 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 57,769,476 DWT/ 101,391,576 DWT;
  includes 20 passenger, 1 short-sea passenger, 132 cargo, 56 refrigerated
  cargo, 21 roll-on/roll-off, 58 vehicle carrier, 97 container, 3 barge
  carrier, 499 oil tanker, 108 chemical, 68 combination ore/oil, 62 liquefied
  gas, 6 specialized tanker, 456 bulk, 31 combination bulk; note - a flag of
  convenience registry; all ships are foreign owned; the top 4 owning flags
  are US 16%, Japan 14%, Norway 11%, and Hong Kong 9%
Airports:
 total:
  59
 usable:
  41
 with permanent-surface runways:
  2
 with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
 with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  1
 with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  4
Telecommunications:
  telephone and telegraph service via radio relay network; main center is
  Monrovia; broadcast stations - 3 AM, 4 FM, 5 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT
  earth station; most telecommunications services inoperable due to insurgency
  movement

*Liberia, Defense Forces

Branches:
  the ultimate structure of the Liberian military force will depend on who is
  the victor in the ongoing civil war
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 684,681; fit for military service 365,518 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP