About Liberia

Geography
Area: 111,369 sq. km. (43,000 sq. mi.). Slightly larger than Ohio.

Cities: Capital--Monrovia (pop. 1,010,970). Principal towns--Ganta (pop. 41,000), Buchanan (pop. 34,000), Gbarnga (pop. 34,000), Kakata (pop. 33,000), Voinjama (pop. 26,000).

Terrain: Three areas--Mangrove swamps and beaches along the coast, wooded hills and semideciduous shrub lands along the immediate interior, and dense tropical forests and plateaus in the interior. Liberia has 40% of West Africa's rain forest.

People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Liberian(s).

Population (2009): 3.955 million.

Annual population growth rate (2008): 2.1%.

Ethnic groups: Kpelle 20%, Bassa 14%, Gio 8%, Kru 6%, 52% spread over 12 other ethnic groups.

Religions: Christian 85%, Muslim 12%, other 1.5%, no religion 1.5%.

Languages: English is the official language. There are 16 indigenous languages.

Education: Literacy (2008)--58%.

Health: Life expectancy (2008)--58 years.

Work force: Agriculture--70%; industry--15%; services--2%. Employment in the formal sector is estimated at 15%.

Government
Type: Republic.

Independence: From American Colonization Society July 26, 1847.

Constitution: January 6, 1986.

Political parties: 20 registered political parties.

Economy
GDP (2009): $876 million.

Real GDP growth rate (2009): 4.9%.

Real per capita GDP (2009): $128.

Average annual inflation (2009): 7.4%.

Natural resources: Iron ore; rubber; timber; diamonds; gold; tin; possible offshore deposits of crude oil.

Agriculture: Products--coffee, cocoa, sugarcane, rice, cassava, palm oil, bananas, plantains, citrus, pineapple, sweet potatoes, corn, and vegetables.
Industry: Agriculture (61% of 2009 GDP); rubber; diamonds; gold; iron ore; forestry; beverages; construction.

Trade (2009): Exports--$148 million (rubber 61%). Major markets--India (26.5%); United States (17.9%); Poland (13.9%). Imports--$551 million (rice 29%; machinery/transport equipment 23%). Major markets--South Korea (27.2%); Singapore (25.5%); Japan (11.8%).

People
There are 16 ethnic groups that make up Liberia's indigenous population. The Kpelle in central and western Liberia is the largest ethnic group. Americo-Liberians who are descendants of freed slaves that arrived in Liberia after 1820 make up less than 5% of the population.

There also are sizable numbers of Lebanese, Indians, and other West African nationals who comprise part of Liberia's business community. The Liberian constitution restricts citizenship to only people of Negro descent, and land ownership is restricted to citizens.