About Liberia

Overview

Liberia lies at the southwestern tip of Africa, just north of the equator. Liberia is the only country in Sub-Saharan Africa never to have known colonial rule in the 161 years of its existence as a republic. For most of its history, Liberia has been a stable and productive democracy. The current government of Liberia under President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is determined to move beyond the recent 20+ years of political and military conflict, and has showed promise that its on-going political resolve is commensurate with the urgency of its need.

>> Read about Liberia's history

>> Read about Liberia's economy

>> Read about security

>> Liberia's Mineral Legislation

Facts and Figures

Population c.3.5 million; growth rate 4.9%; unemployment 85%1
2009 GDP US$ 879 million; Growth 4.6% (2009), 8.6% (2008), 11.4% (2007)
No mains electricity, gas or water networks.
No landline phone, fax or internet infrastructure
Limited network of paved roads, mostly in need of significant repair
Rudimentary bridges regularly fail requiring repair by private business
Limited network of suppliers and availability of goods
Working language English
Political, legal and fiscal structures broadly based on American concepts
Liberia ranked 11th (2009: 30th) out of the 47 African countries included in the 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index survey¹ (1st being least corrupt). Globally, Liberia is ranked 87th (2009: 138th). Liberia’s progress is particularly notable because generally across the globe there was little progress compared to prior years.

¹ Source - Transparency International. For more details on the results click here.

Geology

Liberia is underlain by the Guinean Shield of West Africa and is composed mainly of Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks. Other rocks occur locally and are chiefly Paleozoic sandstone, Jurassic diabase dykes, Cretaceous sandstones and Quaternary unconsolidated deposits.

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Climate / Topography

Climate Graph