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Liberia

Liberia A tropical country on the Atlantic coast of West Africa, flanked by Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Côte d'Ivoire.

Physical

The climate is hot and very wet. Rainforest and swamp cover the coastal plain, which is traversed by several rivers flowing down from savannah-covered uplands.

Economy

There are links with Guinea and Sierra Leone through the Mano River Union. Iron ore is Liberia's chief export. Rubber, diamonds, timber, and coffee are the other main exports. Bauxite and manganese are mined. Cassava, rice, and sugar cane are important crops. Industry is limited to food-processing. Shipping registration fees contribute substantial revenues; ships are registered in Liberia because of its low taxation and lenient inspection policies. Monrovia is a free port. The civil war and low world commodity prices have contributed to economic decline.

History

Liberia is the oldest independent republic in Africa (1847). It owes its origin to the philanthropic American Colonization Society. US negotiations with local rulers for a settlement for the repatriation of freed slaves began in 1816. The first settlements were made in 1822, and the name Liberia was adopted in 1824. Independence was proclaimed by Joseph Jenkins Roberts, first President, in 1847. The real beginning of prosperity was in the 1920s, when the Firestone Rubber Company provided a permanent and stable market for rubber. W. V. S. TUBMAN was President from 1944 until his death in 1971. With a decline in world rubber prices, the economy suffered in the 1970s and a bloody revolution in 1980 brought in the People's Redemption Council, a military government, under Master-Sergeant Samuel Doe. The latter was named President and Commander-in-Chief, and his ten-year autocratic rule was one of deep corruption, ending in 1990 with civil war. Two rebel groups, one led by Charles Taylor and a second by Prince Yormie Johnson, assailed the capital Monrovia, and some 150,000 refugees fled the country. A peacekeeping force from ECOWAS intervened, Doe was murdered, and a ceasefire arranged in 1990. Fighting between rival factions continued, while ECOWAS negotiators tried to restore peace. A peace agreement made in 1991 was not upheld, but in 1993 a further agreement was signed, which included provisions for the implementation of multiparty democracy. A transitional legislature was set up in 1994 but the peace process has remained fragile and violence has continued. A peace accord was formulated in 1995. Factional, fighting broke out again in April 1996, but a ceasefire was agreed in July 1996. Charles Taylor was elected President in 1997.

Related newspaper, magazine, and trade journal articles from HighBeam Research

(Including press releases, facts, information, and biographies)

	Liberia's 'Iron Lady': Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is Africa's first elected female Head of State. Magazine article from: Current Events, a Weekly Reader publication; 12/16/2005; 700+ words ; MONROVIA, Liberia -- As they lined up to cast their ballots...signs that read Ellen--she's our man. Liberian women came out in throngs to vote for...November 8, Johnson-Sirleaf even beat out Liberia's most famous citizen, George Weah, a... Read more
	UN peace-keepers to monitor cease-fire, elections; coordinate humanitarian aid. (Liberia) Magazine article from: UN Chronicle; 12/1/1993; 700+ words ; ...established the UN Observer Mission in Liberia (UNOMIL) to monitor the cease-fire established...agreement between the three parties to the Liberian conflict: the interim Government of National Unity of Liberia (IGNU), the National Patriotic Front of... Read more
	Peace agreement concluded: UNOMIL mandate extended. (UN Observer Mission in Liberia) Magazine article from: UN Chronicle; 3/1/1995; 700+ words ; All the warring factions in Liberia concluded on 21 December in Accra...reconciliation among the people of Liberia, an indispensable prerequisite for...The Secretary-General hoped that all Liberian parties would abide by their commitments... Read more
	History and hope: Liberia's battle. Magazine article from: The Christian Century; 10/9/1996; ; 700+ words ; ...evening news. Those images and reports of Liberia's horrific war have since disappeared...people and refugees. The population of Liberia has dropped almost in half since the war...soldiers in the ECOWAS peacekeeping force in Liberia. Although factions have agreed to total... Read more
	UNOMIL fully deployed, elections delayed. (UN Observer Mission in Liberia) Magazine article from: UN Chronicle; 3/1/1994; 627 words ; The UN Observer Mission in Liberia (UNOMIL) was fully deployed by the...implementing a peace agreement between warring Liberian factions. Secretary-General Boutros...major violations of the cease-fire in Liberia; there was every indication that disarmament... Read more
	Remarks following a meeting with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia.(Week Ending Friday, October 19, 2007)(Speech) Newspaper article from: Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents; 10/22/2007; 700+ words ; ...Office the President of our friend and ally Liberia. Madam President, thanks for coming. Thanks...and improve the lives of your people in Liberia. We had a good discussion. I want to emphasize...to recognize that debt relief is--for Liberia is a part of our agenda, and I would hope... Read more
	Development helps peace take root in Liberia. Magazine article from: UN Chronicle; 9/1/2006; ; 700+ words ; LIBERIA IS AT THE ONSET of what can be considered a rebirth, a new beginning for its people. In the last half-century Liberians have attained what once seemed so elusive: peace. This...disarmament operations led by the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). Today there are minor squabbles, but no ... Read more
	Priest in killing fields of Liberia defies the odds.(Fr. John Kilcoyne) Magazine article from: National Catholic Reporter; 3/21/1997; ; 700+ words ; BUCHANAN., Liberia -- I spent just one night in Buchanan...day's work ahead. I'd come to Buchanan, Liberia's second largest city, to see Catholic...town, to small communities of resettled Liberians and to clinics. Kilcoyne, assisted by... Read more
	Kiss and make-up. (Liberia's national reconciliation policy) Magazine article from: African Business; 12/1/1997; ; 652 words ; ...seven years of a devastating civil war, Liberia is beginning to pick up the pieces. The...side by side. The time, was 9.15 pm and Liberia s finance minister Mr Elie S. Saleeby...and sounds like the fight man to haul Liberia's economy, devastated by seven years of... Read more
	Stories from Liberia.(delegation of women visit Liberia) Magazine article from: Women Magazine; 12/1/2000; ; 700+ words ; ...international ecumenical delegation of women to Liberia, from 26 July to 2 August 2000. It is...African country. The five women went to Liberia to find out about the situation of women...26, 2000 marks the 153rd anniversary of Liberia's independence. It is a national holiday... Read more

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	Liberia Encyclopedia entry from: Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of Physical Geography Liberia Official name: Republic of Liberia Area: 111,370 square kilometers (43,000 square miles) Highest...limits: 22 kilometers (12 nautical miles) 1 LOCATION AND SIZE Liberia, Africa's oldest reh2blic, is located at the western edge of the... Read more
	Liberia, Relations with Dictionary entry from: Dictionary of American History LIBERIA, RELATIONS WITH LIBERIA, RELATIONS WITH. Liberia lies on the western coast of Africa and is the continent's oldest republic. The area is approximately 43,000 square miles, mostly dense tropical rain forest. Nearly the entire population is... Read more
	LIBERIA Book article from: Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language LIBERIA. A country in West Africa. Languages: English (official...President Monroe, was founded in 1822. The governors of Liberia were white Americans until Joseph Jenkins Roberts, a black...1841. He declared the Free and Independent Republic of Liberia in 1847. Freed slaves migrated from the US until the ... Read more
	Liberia-Peters, Maria 1941 — Book article from: Contemporary Black Biography Maria Liberia-Peters 1941 — Politician, author...help make ends meet for the family. Mrs. Liberia-Peters remembers working in the store...spiritual values. ” When she was 14, Liberia-Peters recalls that she began At a Glance... Read more
	Sawyer, Amos 1945 – Book article from: Contemporary Black Biography ...x2013; President of interim government of Liberia At a Glance … Amos Sawyer has been trying to run the tiny African nation of Liberia in the midst of a bloody civil war. Sawyer...that is attempting to restore peace in Liberia in the wake of a military coup and widespread... Read more

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