Liberia

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

2 (2001)

Internet country code

.lr

Internet users

500 (2000)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 0, FM 7, shortwave 2 (2001)

Telephone system

general assessment: 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

6,700 (2000)

Telephones - mobile cellular

0 (1998)

Television broadcast stations

1 (plus four low-power repeaters) (2001)

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues: $85.4 million expenditures: $90.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

Currency

Liberian dollar (LRD)

Currency code

LRD

Debt - external

$2.1 billion (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

$94 million (1999)

Economy - overview

Civil war and misgovernment have destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around Monrovia. Many businessmen have fled the country, taking capital and expertise with them. Some have returned; many will not. Richly endowed with water, mineral resources, forests, and a climate favorable to agriculture, Liberia had been a producer and exporter of basic products - primarily raw timber and rubber. Local manufacturing, mainly foreign owned, had been small in scope. The restoration of the infrastructure and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economy depend on the settlement of civil warfare, the implementation of sound macro- and micro-economic policies, including the encouragement of foreign investment, and generous support from donor countries.

Electricity - consumption

435.9 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

468.8 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% other: 0% (2001) nuclear: 0%

Exchange rates

Liberian dollars per US dollar - NA (2002), 48.58 (2001), 40.95 (2000), 41.9 (1999), 41.51 (1998) note: until December 1997, rates were based on a fixed relationship with the US dollar; beginning in January 1998, rates are market determined

Exports

$110 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities

rubber, timber, iron, diamonds, cocoa, coffee

Exports - partners

Germany 54.8%, Poland 8.9%, France 8.5%, China 4.9%, Italy 4.5%, US 4.2% (2002)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $3.116 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 74% industry: 7% services: 19% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

2% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

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

Imports

$165 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities

fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods; foodstuffs

Imports - partners

South Korea 30.3%, Japan 19.1%, Germany 15.6%, France 9.1%, Singapore 7.9% (2002)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

rubber processing, palm oil processing, timber, diamonds

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

15% (2002 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 70%, industry 8%, services 22% (2000 est.)

Oil - consumption

3,100 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA (2001)

Oil - imports

NA (2001)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line

80%

Unemployment rate

NA

Area

total: 111,370 sq km water: 15,050 sq km land: 96,320 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

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Wuteve 1,380 m

Environment - current issues

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

Environment - international agreements

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

Geographic coordinates

6 30 N, 9 30 W

Geography - note

facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars; the inland grassy plateau supports limited agriculture

Irrigated land

30 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries

total: 1,585 km border countries: Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km

Land use

arable land: 1.97% permanent crops: 2.08% other: 95.95% (1998 est.)

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

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

Monrovia

Constitution

6 January 1986

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of Liberia conventional short form: Liberia

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador John William BLANEY III embassy: 111 United Nations Drive, P. O. Box 10-0098, Mamba Point, 1000 Monrovia, 10 Liberia mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [231] 226-370 through 226-380 FAX: [231] 226-148

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge D'Affaires Aaron B. KOLLIE chancery: 5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 consulate(s) general: New York FAX: [1] (202) 723-0436 telephone: [1] (202) 723-0437

Executive branch

chief of state: President Gyude BRYANT (since 14 October 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Gyude BRYANT (since 14 October 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (renewable); election last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held NA 2005) note:: a UN-brokered cease fire among waring factions and the Liberian government resulted in the August 2003 resignation of former president Charles TAYLOR; a jointly agreed upon replacement, President Gyude BRYANT, assumed office as chairman of the National Transitional Government on 14 October 2003 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%; note - Taylor stepped down in August 2003

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, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, 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 elections: Senate - last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held NA 2006); House of Representatives - last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held 14 October 2003)

National holiday

Independence Day, 26 July (1847)

Political parties and leaders

Alliance of Political Parties (a coalition of LAP and LUP) [leader NA]; All Liberia Coalition Party or ALCOP [Peter KERBAY]; Liberian Action Party or LAP [C. Gyude BRYANT]; Liberian People's Party or LPP [Koffa NAGBE]; Liberia Unification Party or LUP [leader NA]; National Patriotic Party or NPP [Cyril ALLEN] - governing party; United People's Party or UPP [Wesley JOHNSON]; Unity Party or UP [Charles CLARKE]

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

Eight years of civil strife were brought to a close in 1997 when free and open presidential and legislative elections were held. President TAYLOR now holds strong executive power with no real political opposition. Years of fighting, coupled with the flight of most businesses, have 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. In 2001, the UN imposed sanctions on Liberian diamonds, along with an arms embargo and a travel ban on government officials, for Liberia's support of the rebel insurgency in Sierra Leone. Renewed rebel activity has further eroded stability and economic activity. A regional peace initiative commenced in the spring of 2003 but was disrupted by the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) indictment of President TAYLOR on war crimes charges.

Military branches

Army, Navy, Air Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$7.8 million (FY02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.3% (FY02)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 735,481 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 396,725 (2003 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 43.4% (male 724,960; female 716,831) 15-64 years: 53% (male 858,191; female 898,851) 65 years and over: 3.6% (male 59,539; female 58,804) (2003 est.)

Birth rate

45.28 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate

17.84 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Ethnic groups

indigenous African tribes 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, Dei, Bella, Mandingo, and Mende), 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)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

9% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

5,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

125,000 (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 132.18 deaths/1,000 live births female: 125.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) male: 139.03 deaths/1,000 live births

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

total population: 48.15 years male: 47.03 years female: 49.3 years (2003 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 57.5% male: 73.3% female: 41.6% note: (2003 est.)

Median age

total: 18.1 years male: 17.7 years female: 18.4 years (2002)

Nationality

noun: Liberian(s) adjective: Liberian

Net migration rate

-10.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: 200,000 Liberian refugees are in surrounding countries though slowly returning (2003 est.)

Population

3,317,176 (July 2003 est.)

Population growth rate

1.67% (2003 est.)

Religions

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

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 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 (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate

6.23 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Disputes - international

rebels and refugees contribute to border instabilities with Sierra Leone, Cote d'Ivoire, and Guinea; the Ivorian Government accuses Liberia of supporting Ivorian rebels

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for Southeast and Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine for the European and US markets; corruption, criminal activity, arms-dealing, and diamond trade provide significant potential for money laundering, but the lack of well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a major money-laundering center

Airports

47 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 45 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 34 (2002)

Highways

total: 10,600 km paved: 657 km unpaved: 9,943 km (1999 est.)

Merchant marine

total: 1,432 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 48,700,851 GRT/75,408,994 DWT ships by type: barge carrier 3, bulk 282, cargo 80, chemical tanker 163, combination bulk 12, combination ore/oil 24, container 357, liquefied gas 82, multi-functional large-load carrier 4, passenger 6, petroleum tanker 286, refrigerated cargo 60, roll on/roll off 19, short-sea passenger 4, specialized tanker 13, vehicle carrier 37 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Argentina 9, Australia 2, Austria 15, Belgium 9, Brazil 5, Canada 4, Cayman Islands 1, Chile 7, China 39, Croatia 11, Denmark 4, Ecuador 1, Estonia 1, Germany 437, Greece 154, Hong Kong 69, India 5, Indonesia 1, Israel 1, Italy 5, Japan 90, Latvia 20, Isle of Man 5, Monaco 56, Netherlands 12, NZ 1, Nigeria 1, Norway 103, Pakistan 1, Portugal 5, Russia 66, Saudi Arabia 21, Singapore 20, Slovenia 1, South Africa 1, South Korea 10, Spain 2, Sweden 9, Switzerland 17, Taiwan 29, Turkey 3, Ukraine 4, UAE 12, UK 39, US 113, Uruguay 3, Vietnam 1 (2002 est.)

Ports and harbors

Buchanan, Greenville, Harper, Monrovia, Robertsport

Railways

total: 490 km standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 145 km 1.067-m gauge note: none of the railways are in operation (2002)

Waterways

none