1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers
Coastline
579 km
Comparative area
slightly larger than Tennessee
Environment
West Africa's largest tropical rain forest, subject to deforestation
Land boundaries
1,585 km total; Guinea 563 km, Ivory Coast 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km
Land use
arable land 1%; permanent crops 3%; meadows and pastures 2%; forest and woodland 39%; other 55%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Maritime claims
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation; Territorial sea: 200 nm
Natural resources
iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold
Terrain
mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast
Total area
111,370 km2; land area: 96,320 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
45 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
13 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
indigenous African tribes, including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, and Bella 95%; descendants of repatriated slaves known as Americo-Liberians 5%
Infant mortality rate
124 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force
510,000, including 220,000 in the monetary economy; agriculture 70.5%, services 10.8%, industry and commerce 4.5%, other 14.2%; non-African foreigners hold about 95% of the top-level management and engineering jobs; 52% of population of working age
Language
English (official); more than 20 local languages of the Niger-Congo language group; English used by about 20%
Life expectancy at birth
54 years male, 59 years female (1991)
Literacy
40% (male 50%, female 29%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Nationality
noun--Liberian(s); adjective--Liberian
Net migration rate
2 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor
2% of labor force
Population
2,730,446 (July 1991), growth rate 3.4% (1991)
Religion
traditional 70%, Muslim 20%, Christian 10%
Total fertility rate
6.5 children born/woman (1991)
Government
Administrative divisions
13 counties; Bomi, Bong, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Jide, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, Rivercess, Sino
Capital
Monrovia
Constitution
6 January 1986
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Eugenia A. WORDSWORTH-STEVENSON; 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 Peter J. de VOS; Embassy at 111 United Nations Drive, Monrovia (mailing address is P. O. Box 98, Monrovia, or APO New York 09155); telephone [231] 222991 through 222994
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, LUP 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, LUP 2
Executive branch
president, vice president, Cabinet
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
Independence
26 July 1847
Judicial branch
People's Supreme Court
Leaders
Chief of State and Head of Government--interim President Dr. Amos SAWYER (since 15 November 1990); interim Vice President Ronald DIGGS (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; rival rebel factions led by Prince Y. JOHNSON and Charles TAYLOR are challenging the Sawyer government's legitimacy while observing a tenuous cease fire; the former president, Gen. Dr. Samuel Kanyon DOE, was ousted and killed on 9 September 1990 in a coup led by Prince Y. JOHNSON
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
Legislative branch
bicameral National Assembly consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives
Long-form name
Republic of Liberia
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, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO
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
universal at age 18
Type
republic
Economy
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
Budget
revenues $242.1 million; expenditures $435.4 million, including capital expenditures of $29.5 million (1989)
Currency
Liberian dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Liberian dollar (L$) = 100 cents
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $665 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $853 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $25 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $77 million
Electricity
400,000 kW capacity; 730 million kWh produced, 290 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
Liberian dollars (L$) per US$1--1.00 (fixed rate since 1940); unofficial parallel exchange rate of L$2.5 = US$1, January 1989
Exports
$505 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities--iron ore 61%, rubber 20%, timber 11%, coffee; partners--US, EC, Netherlands
External debt
$1.6 billion (December 1990 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
$988 million, per capita $400; real growth rate 1.5% (1988)
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
Industrial production
growth rate 1.5% in manufacturing (1987); accounts for 22% of GDP
Industries
rubber processing, food processing, construction materials, furniture, palm oil processing, mining (iron ore, diamonds)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
12% (1989)
Overview
Civil war during 1990 destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around Monrovia. Expatriate businessmen 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 fled to neighboring countries.
Unemployment rate
43% urban (1988)
Communications
Airports
75 total, 58 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
Civil air
3 major transport aircraft
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
Merchant marine
1,563 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 53,053,254 DWT/94,597,871 DWT; includes 18 passenger, 1 short-sea passenger, 156 cargo, 47 refrigerated cargo, 15 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 67 vehicle carrier, 74 container, 5 barge carrier, 450 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 104 chemical, 60 combination ore/oil, 44 liquefied gas, 6 specialized tanker, 485 bulk, 1 multifunction large-load carrier, 30 combination bulk; note--a flag of convenience registry; all ships are foreign owned; the top four owning flags are US 19%, Japan 17%, Hong Kong 12%, and Norway 10%; China owns at least 28 ships, Bulgaria owns 3, and Poland owns 1
Ports
Monrovia, Buchanan, Greenville, Harper (or Cape Palmas)
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
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
Military and Security
Branches
Armed Forces of Liberia (includes Army, Navy, Air Force), Coast Guard, National Police Force
Defense expenditures
$NA, 2.4% of GDP (1987) _%_
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 648,636; 346,349 fit for military service; no conscription