2000 Edition

Background

Seven years of civil strife were brought to a close in 1996 when free and open presidential and legislative elections were held. President TAYLOR now holds strong executive power with no real political opposition. The years of fighting coupled with the flight of most businesses has disrupted formal economic activity. A still unsettled domestic security situation has slowed the process of rebuilding the social and economic structure of this war-torn country.

Area

land

96,320 sq km

total

111,370 sq km

water

15,050 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than Tennessee

Climate

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

Coastline

579 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

Mount Wuteve 1,380 m

lowest point

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Environment - current issues

tropical rain forest subject to deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage

Environment - international agreements

party to

Desertification, Endangered Species, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation

Geographic coordinates

6 30 N, 9 30 W

Irrigated land

20 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km

total

1,585 km

Land use

arable land

1%

forests and woodland

18%

other

19% (1993 est.)

permanent crops

3%

permanent pastures

59%

Location

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

territorial sea

200 nm

Natural hazards

dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March)

Natural resources

iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower

Terrain

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 43% (male 681,136; female 680,501) 15-64 years: 54% (male 826,751; female 867,402) 65 years and over: 3% (male 54,334; female 54,032) (2000 est.)

Birth rate

47.22 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

16.58 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Ethnic groups

indigenous African tribes 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, and Bella), Americo-Liberians 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the US who had been slaves), Congo People 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean who had been slaves)

Infant mortality rate

134.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Languages

English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages, of which a few can be written and are used in correspondence

Life expectancy at birth

female

52.49 years (2000 est.)

male

49.6 years

total population

51.02 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

22.4% (1995 est.)

male

53.9%

note

these figures are increasing because of the improving school system

total population

38.3%

Nationality

adjective

Liberian

noun

Liberian(s)

Net migration rate

-11.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

note

by the end of 1999, all Liberian refugees, who had fled the domestic strife, were assumed to have returned

Population

3,164,156 (July 2000 est.)

Population growth rate

1.94% (2000 est.)

Religions

indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%

Sex ratio

at birth

1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female

total population

0.98 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

6.43 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Administrative divisions

13 counties; Bomi, Bong, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, Sinoe

Capital

Monrovia

Constitution

6 January 1986

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Liberia

conventional short form

Liberia

Data code

LI

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Bismarck MYRICK

embassy

111 United Nations Drive, Mamba Point, Monrovia

mailing address

use embassy street address

telephone

226-370 through 226-382

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

5303 Colorado Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20011

chief of mission

Ambassador-designate William BULL

telephone

(202) 723-0437

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate

chief of state

President Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (since 2 August 1997); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

election results

Charles Ghankay TAYLOR elected president; percent of vote - Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (NPP) 75.3%, Ellen Johnson SIRLEAF (UP) 9.6%, Alhaji KROMAH (ALCOP) 4%, other 11.1%

elections

president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (renewable); election last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held NA July 2003)

head of government

President Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (since 2 August 1997); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

FAX

(202) 723-0436

226-148, 226-147

consulate(s) general

New York

Flag description

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

Government type

republic

Independence

26 July 1847

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

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 the Senate (26 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve nine-year terms) and the House of Representatives (64 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)

election results

Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NPP 21, UP 3, ALCOP 2; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NPP 49, UP 7, ALCOP 3, Alliance of Political Parties 2, UPP 2, LPP 1; note - the Alliance of Political Parties was a coalition of the LAP and the Liberia Unification Party or LUP

elections

Senate - last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held in NA 2006); House of Representatives - last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held in NA 2003)

National holiday

Independence Day, 26 July (1847)

Political parties and leaders

All Liberia Coalition Party or ALCOP ; Liberian Action Party or LAP ; Liberian National Union or LINU ; Liberian People's Party or LPP ; National Democratic Party of Liberia or NDPL ; National Patriotic Party or NPP - governing party; People's Progressive Party or PPP ; Reformation Alliance Party or RAP ; True Whig Party or TWP ; United People's Party or UPP ; Unity Party or UP

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, sugarcane, bananas; sheep, goats; timber

Budget

expenditures

$NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

revenues

$NA

Currency

1 Liberian dollar (L$) = 100 cents

Debt - external

$3 billion (1999 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

$200 million pledged (1998)

Economy - overview

A civil war in 1989-96 destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around Monrovia. Many businessmen fled the country, taking capital and expertise with them. Some returned during 1997. 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. The democratically elected government, installed in August 1997, inherited massive international debts and currently relies on revenues from its maritime registry to provide the bulk of its foreign exchange earnings. The restoration of the infrastructure and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economy depend on the implementation of sound macro- and micro-economic policies of the new government, including the encouragement of foreign investment.

Electricity - consumption

456 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - production

490 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

62.24%

hydro

37.76%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (1998)

Exchange rates

Liberian dollars (L$) per US$1 - 1.0000 (officially fixed rate since 1940); market exchange rate: Liberian dollars (L$) per US$1 - 40 (December 1998), 50 (October 1995); market rate floats against the US dollar

Exports

$39 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Exports - commodities

diamonds, iron ore, rubber, timber, coffee, cocoa

Exports - partners

Benelux 36%, Norway 18%, Ukraine 15%, Singapore 9% (1997)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $2.85 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

50%

industry

15%

services

35% (1999 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $1,000 (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

0.5% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$142 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Imports - commodities

fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods; rice and other foodstuffs

Imports - partners

South Korea 38%, Japan 14%, Italy 11%, Singapore 9% (1997)

Industrial production growth rate

0%

Industries

rubber processing, palm oil processing, diamonds

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3% (1998 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 70%, industry 8%, services 22% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line

80%

Unemployment rate

70%

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

NA

Radio broadcast stations

AM 0, FM 6, shortwave 4 (1999)

Radios

790,000 (1997)

Telephone system

telephone and telegraph service via microwave radio relay network; main center is Monrovia

domestic

NA

international

satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Telephones - main lines in use

5,000 (1995)

Telephones - mobile cellular

0 (1995)

Television broadcast stations

2 (plus four low-power repeaters) (2000)

Televisions

70,000 (1997)

Airports

45 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

2 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

43 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 35 (1999 est.)

Highways

paved

657 km

total

10,600 km (there is major deterioration on all highways due to heavy rains and lack of maintenance)

unpaved

9,943 km (1996 est.)

Merchant marine

note

a flag of convenience registry; includes ships from 54 countries among which are Germany 186, US 161, Norway 142, Greece 144, Japan 124, Hong Kong 100, China 53, UK 32, Singapore 39, and Monaco 38 (1998 est.)

ships by type

barge carrier 3, bulk 360, cargo 109, chemical tanker 185, combination bulk 22, combination ore/oil 50, container 225, liquified gas 91, multi-functional large load carrier 1, passenger 40, petroleum tanker 351, refrigerated cargo 76, roll-on/roll-off 16, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 15, vehicle carrier 46 (1999 est.)

total

1,593 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 54,513,479 GRT/85,495,576 DWT

Ports and harbors

Buchanan, Greenville, Harper, Monrovia

Railways

narrow gauge

145 km 1.067-m gauge

standard gauge

345 km 1.435-m gauge

total

490 km (328 km single track); note - three rail systems owned and operated by foreign steel and financial interests in conjunction with the Liberian Government; one of these, the Lamco Railroad, closed in 1989 after iron ore production ceased; the other two were shut down by the civil war; large sections of the rail lines have been dismantled; approximately 60 km of railroad track was exported for scrap

Military branches

Army, Air Force, Navy

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$1 million (FY98)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

2% (FY98)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 703,107 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 378,426 (2000 est.)

Disputes - international

none

Illicit drugs

increasingly a transshipment point for Southeast and Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine for the European and US markets

LIBYA