1989 Edition

Climate

tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers

Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior

continental; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow or rain; cool to moderately warm, cloudy, humid summers

Coastline

579 km

1,770 km

none — landlocked

Comparative area

slightly larger than Tennessee

slightly larger than Alaska

about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC

Continental shelf

200 meters or to depth of exploitation

Disputes

claims and occupies a small portion of the Aozou Strip in northern Chad; maritime boundary dispute with Tunisia; Libya claims about 19,400 km2 in northern Niger; Libya claims about 19,400 km2 in southeastern Algeria

Environment

West Africa's largest tropical rain forest, subject to deforestation

hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; desertification; sparse natural surface-water resources

variety of microclimatic variations based on elevation

GulfofSidra closing line

32° 30' N

Land boundaries

1,585 km total; Guinea 563 km, Ivory Coast 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km

4,383 km total; Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,150 km, Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459km

78 km total; Austria 37 km, Switzerland 41 km

Land use

1% arable land; 3% permanent crops; 2% meadows and pastures; 39% forest and woodland; 55% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

1% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 8% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 91% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

25% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 38% meadows and pastures; 19% forest and woodland; 18% other

Maritime claims

none — landlocked

Natural resources

iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold

crude oil, natural gas, gypsum

hydroelectric potential

Note

the Great Manmade River Project, the largest water development scheme in the world, is being built to bring water from large aquifers under the Sahara to coastal cities

landlocked

Terrain

mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast

mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions

mostly mountainous (Alps) with Rhine Valley in western third

Territorial sea

200 nm

1 2 nm

Total area

1 1 1,370 km2; land area: 96,320 km2

1,759,540 km2; land area: 1,759,540km2

160 km2; land area: 160 km2

Total area

10O km North Atlantic Ocean S« regional map VII Harper

Birth rate

45 births/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

37 births/ 1,000 population (1990)

13 births/ 1,000 population (1990)

Death rate

14 deaths/ 1,000 population (1990)

7 deaths/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

7 deaths/ 1,000 population (1990)

Ethnic divisions

95% indigenous African tribes, including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, and Bella; 5% descendants of repatriated slaves known as Americo-Liberians

97% Berber and Arab; some Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, and Tunisians

95% Alemannic, 5% Italian and other

Infant mortality rate

126 deaths/ 1,000 live births (1990)

64 deaths/ 1,000 live births (1990)

5 deaths/ 1,000 live births (1990)

Labor force

510,000, including 220,000 in the monetary economy; 70.5% agriculture, 10.8% services, 4.5% industry and commerce, 14.2% other; nonAfrican foreigners hold about 95% of the top-level management and engineering jobs; 52% of population of working age

1,000,000; includes about 280,000 resident foreigners; 31% industry, 27% services, 24% government, 1 8% agriculture

12,258; 5,078 foreign workers (mostly from Switzerland and Austria); 54.4% industry, trade, and building; 41.6% services; 4.0% agriculture, fishing, forestry, and horticulture

Language

English (official); more than 20 local languages of the Niger-Congo language group; English used by about 20%

Arabic; Italian and English widely understood in major cities

German (official), Alemannic dialect

Life expectancy at birth

54 years male, 58 years female (1990)

65 years male, 70 years female (1990)

73 years male, 81 years female (1990)

Literacy

35%

50-60%

100%

Nationality

noun — Liberian(s); adjective — Liberian

noun — Libyan(s); adjective — Libyan

noun — Liechtensteiner(s); adjective— Liechtenstein

Net migration rate

2 migrants/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

0 migrants/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

1 migrant/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

Organized labor

2% of labor force

National Trade Unions' Federation, 275,000 members; General Union for Oil and Petrochemicals; PanAfrica Federation of Petroleum Energy and Allied Workers

NA

Population

2,639,809 (July 1990), growth rate 3.4% (1990)

4,221,141 (July 1990), growth rate 3.1% (1990)

28,292 (July 1990), growth rate 0.7% (1990)

Religion

70% traditional, 20% Muslim, 10% Christian

97% Sunni Muslim

82.7% Roman Catholic, 7.1% Protestant, 10.2% other

Total fertility rate

6.6 children born/ woman (1990)

5.2 children born/ woman (1990)

1.5 children born/ woman (1990)

Administrative divisions

1 3 counties; Bomi, Bong, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Jide, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, Rivercess, Sino

46 municipalities (baladlyat, singular — baladtyah); Ajdabiya, Al Aby5r, Al 'Azlzlyah, Al Bayda', Al Jufrah, Al Jumayl, Al Khums, Al Kufrah, Al Marj, Al QarabQllI, Al Qubbah, Al 'Ujaylat, Ash Shati', Awbarl, Az Zahra', Az Zawiyah, BanghazI, BanI WalTd, Bin Jawwad, Darnah, Ghadamis, Gharyan, Ghat, JadQ, Jala, Janzdr, Masallatah, Misratah, Mizdah, Murzuq, NalQt, Qamlnis, Qasr Bin Ghashlr, Sabha, Sabratah, Shahhat, Surm3n, Surt, TajflrS', Tarabulus, Tarhunah, Tubruq, TQkrah, Yafran, Zlltan, Zuwarah; note— the number of municipalities may have been reduced to 1 3 named Al Jabal alAkhdar, Al Jabal al-Gharbi, Al Jabal alKhums, Al Batnam, Al Kufrah, Al Marqab, Al Marzuq, Az Zawiyah, BanghazI, Khalij Surt, Sabha, Tripoli, Wadi al-Hayat

1 1 communes (gemeinden, singular — gemeinde); Balzers, Eschen, Gamprin, Mauren, Planken, Ruggell, Schaan, Schellenberg, Triesen, Triesenberg, Vaduz

Capital

Monrovia

Tripoli

Vaduz

Communists

none

Constitution

6 January 1986

11 December 1969, amended 2 March 1977

5 October 1921

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Eugenia A. WORDSWORTHSTEVENSON; Chancery at 5201 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20011; telephone (202) 723-0437 through 0440; there is a Liberian Consulate General in New York; US — Ambassador James K. BISHOP; Embassy at 1 1 1 United Nations Drive, Monrovia (mailing address is P. O. Box 98, Monrovia, or APO New York 09155); telephone [231] 222991 through

in routine diplomatic matters, Liechtenstein is represented in the US by the Swiss Embassy; US — the US has no diplomatic or consular mission in Liechtenstein, but the US Consul General at Zurich (Switzerland) has consular accreditation at Vaduz

Elections

President — last held on 1 5 October 1985 (next to be held October 1991); results— Samuel Kanyon Doe (NDPL) 50.9%, Jackson Doe (LAP) 26.4%, others 22.7%; Senate— last held on 15 October 1985 (next to be held 15 October 1991); results — percent of vote by party NA; seats— (26 total) NDPL 21, LAP 3, UP 1, LUP I; House of Representatives — last held on 1 5 October 1985 (next to be held October 1 99 1 ); results — percent of vote by party NA; seats— (64 total) NDPL 51, LAP 8, UP 3, LUP 2

national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of revolutionary committees

Diet — last held on 5 March 1989 (next to be held by March 1993); results — percent of vote by party NA; seats— (25 total) VU 13, FBP 12

Executive branch

president, vice president, Cabinet

revolutionary leader, chairman of the General People's Committee, General People's Committee (cabinet)

reigning prince, hereditary prince, prime minister, deputy prime minister

Flag

1 1 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

plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam (the state religion)

Independence

26 July 1847

24 December 1951 (from Italy)

23 January 1719, Imperial Principality of Liechtenstein established

Judicial branch

People's Supreme Court

Supreme Court

Supreme Court (Oberster Gerichtshof) for criminal cases and Superior Court (Obergericht) for civil cases

Leaders

Chief of State and Head of Government— President Gen. Dr. Samuel Kanyon DOE (since 12 April 1980); Vice President Harry F. MONIBA (since 6 January 1986) 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

Chief of State — Revolutionary Leader Col. Mu'ammar Abu Minyar alQADHAFI (since 1 September 1969); Head of Government — Chairman of the General People's Committee (Premier) 'Umar Mustafa al-MUNTASIR (since 1 March 1987) Political parties and leaders: none

Chief of State— Prince HANS ADAM von und zu Liechtenstein (since 13 November 1989; assumed executive powers 26 August 1984); Head of Government — Prime Minister Hans BRUNHART (since 26 April 1978); Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Herbert WILLE (since 2 February 1986) Political parties and leaders: Fatherland Union (VU), Dr. Otto Hasler; Progressive Citizens' Party (FBP), Dr. Herbert Batliner; Christian Social Party, Fritz Kaiser

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

based on Italian civil law system and Islamic law; separate religious courts; no constitutional provision for judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

local civil and penal codes; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Legislative branch

bicameral National Assembly consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives

unicameral General People's Congress

unicameral Diet (Landtag)

Long-form name

Republic of Liberia

Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

Principality of Liechtenstein

Member of

ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, 1MO, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITU, Mano River Union, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

Council of Europe, EFTA, IAEA, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, UNCTAD, UNIDO, UNICEF, UPU, WIPO; considering UN membership; has consultative status in the EC

National holiday

Independence Day, 26 July (1847)

Revolution Day, 1 September (1969)

St. Joseph's Day, 19 March

Suffrage

universal at age 18

universal and compulsory at age

universal at age 18

Type

republic

Jamahiriya (a state of the masses); in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in fact, a military dictatorship

hereditary constitutional monarchy

Agriculture

accounts for about 40% of GDP (including fishing and forestry); principal products — rubber, timber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava, palm oil, sugarcane, bananas, sheep, and goats; not self-sufficient in food, imports 25% of rice consumption

5% of GNP; cash crops — wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus fruits, peanuts; 75% of food is imported

Aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $634 million; Western (nonUS) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $793 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $25 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $77 million

Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (197087), $242 million

Budget

revenues $242.1 million; expenditures $435.4 million, including capital expenditures of $29.5 million (1989) Liberia (continued) Libya

revenues $6.4 billion; expenditures $11.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.6 billion (1986 est.)

Currency

Liberian dollar (plural — dollars); 1 Liberian dollar (L$) = 100 cents

Libyan dinar (plural — dinars); 1 Libyan dinar (LD) = 1,000 dirhams

Electricity

400,000 kW capacity; 730 million kWh produced, 290 kWh per capita (1989)

4,580,000 kW capacity; 13,360 million kWh produced, 3,270 kWh per capita (1989)

Exchange rates

Liberian dollars (L$) per US$1 — 1.00 (fixed rate since 1940); unofficial parallel exchange rate of L$2.5 = US$1, January 1989

Libyan dinars (LD) per US$1— 0.2896 (January 1990), 0.2922 (1989), 0.2853 (1988), 0.2706 (1987), 0.3139(1986), 0.2961 (1985)

Exports

$550 million (f.o.b., 1989); commodities— iron ore 61%, rubber 20%, timber 11%, coffee; partners— US, EC, Netherlands

$6.1 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities — petroleum, peanuts, hides; partners— Italy, USSR, FRG, Spain, France, Belgium/Luxembourg, Turkey

External debt

$1.7 billion (December 1989est.)

$2.1 billion, excluding military debt (December 1988)

Fiscal year

calendar year

calendar year

GDP

$988 million, per capita $395; real growth rate 1.5% (1988)

GNP

$20 billion, per capita $5,410; real growth rate 0% (1988 est.)

Imports

$335 million (c.i.f., 1989); commodities— rice, mineral fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, other foodstuffs; partners — US, EC, Japan, China, Netherlands, ECOWAS

$5.0 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities — machinery, transport equipment, food, manufactured goods; partners— Italy, USSR, FRG, UK, Japan

Industrial production

growth rate 1.5% in manufacturing (1987)

growth rate NA%

Industries

rubber processing, food processing, construction materials, furniture, palm oil processing, mining (iron ore, diamonds)

petroleum, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

1 2% (1989)

20% (1988 est.)

Overview

In 1988 and 1989 the Liberian economy posted its best two years in a decade, thanks to a resurgence of the rubber industry and rapid growth in exports of forest products. Richly endowed with water, mineral resources, forests, and a climate favorable to agriculture, Liberia is a producer and exporter of basic products. Local manufacturing, mainly foreign owned, is small in scope. Liberia imports primarily machinery and parts, transportation equipment, petroleum products, and foodstuffs. Persistent budget deficits, the flight of capital, and deterioration of transport and other infrastructure continue to hold back economic progress.

The socialist-oriented economy depends primarily upon revenues from the oil sector, which contributes virtually all export earnings and over 50% to GNP. Since 1980, however, the sharp drop in oil prices and resulting decline in export revenues has adversely affected economic development. In 1986 per capita GNP was the highest in Africa at $5,410, but it had been $2,000 higher in 1982. Severe cutbacks in imports over the past five years have led to shortages of basic goods and foodstuffs, although the reopening of the Libyan-Tunisian border in April 1988 and the Libyan-Egyptian border in December 1989 have somewhat eased shortages. Austerity budgets and a lack of trained technicians have undermined the government's ability to implement a number of planned infrastructure development projects. The nonoil industrial and construction sectors, which account for about 15% of GNP, have expanded from processing mostly agricultural products to include petrochemicals, iron, steel, and aluminum. Although agriculture accounts for less than 5% of GNP, it employs 20% of the labor force. Climatic conditions and poor soils severely limit farm output, requiring Libya to import about 75% of its food requirements.

Unemployment rate

43% urban (1988)

2% (1988 est.)

Airports

76 total, 60 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 4 with runways 1, 220-2,439 m

1 30 total, 1 22 usable; 53 with permanent-surface runways; 7 with runways over 3,659 m; 30 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 44 with runways 1,2202,439 m

Branches

Armed Forces of Liberia, Liberia National Coast Guard

Armed Forces of the Libyan Arab Jamahariya includes People's Defense (Army), Arab Air Force and Air Defense Command, Arab Navy Military manpower males 15-49, 991,368; 584,512 fit for military service; 50,379 reach military age (17) annually; conscription now being implemented

Civil air

3 major transport aircraft

59 major transport aircraft

Defense expenditures

2.4% of GDP (1987) JRIPOLI Mediterranean Sea

1 1 . 1 % of GNP (1987) Ruggel 5 km

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

32,500 km total; 24,000 km bituminous and bituminous treated, 8,500 km gravel, crushed stone and earth

Merchant marine

1,379 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 48,655,666 DWT/ 90,005,898 DWT; includes 1 1 passenger, 148 cargo, 26 refrigerated cargo, 18 rollon/roll-off cargo, 42 vehicle carrier, 42 container, 4 barge carrier, 436 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 100 chemical, 63 combination ore/oil, 41 liquefied gas, 6 specialized tanker, 413 bulk, 2 multifunction large-load carrier, 26 combination bulk; note — a flag of convenience registry; all ships are foreign owned; the top four owning flags are US 17%, Hong Kong 13%, Japan 10%, and Greece 10%; China owns at least 20 ships and Vietnam owns 1

30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 816,546 GRT/ 1,454,874 DWT; includes 3 short-sea passenger, 1 1 cargo, 4 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker

Military manpower

males 15-49, 627,519; 335,063 fit for military service; no conscription

Pipelines

crude oil 4,383 km; natural gas 1 ,947 km; refined products 443 km (includes 256 km liquid petroleum gas)

Ports

Monrovia, Buchanan, Greenville, Harper (or Cape Palmas)

Tobruk, Tripoli, Banghazi, Misratah, Marsa el Brega

Railroads

480 km total; 328 km 1.435meter standard gauge, 1 52 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

Telecommunications

telephone and telegraph service via radio relay network; main center is Monrovia; 8,500 telephones; stations — 3 AM, 4 FM, 5 TV; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations Defense Forces

modern telecommunications system using radio relay, coaxial cable, tropospheric scatter, and domestic satellite stations; 370,000 telephones; stations—18 AM, 3 FM, 13 TV; satellite earth stations — 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, and 14 domestic; submarine cables to France and Italy; radio relay to Liechtenstein Tunisia; tropospheric scatter to Greece; planned ARABSAT and Intersputnik satellite stations