Liberia

Internet country code

.lr

Internet hosts

8 (2006)

Internet users

1,000 (2002)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 0, FM 7, shortwave 2 (2001)

Telephone system

general assessment: the limited services available are found almost exclusively in the capital Monrovia domestic: fully automatic system with very low density of .23 fixed main lines per 100 persons; limited wireless service available international: country code - 231; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Telephones - main lines in use

6,900 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular

160,000 (2005)

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 (code)

Liberian dollar (LRD)

Debt - external

$3.2 billion (2005 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

$94 million (1999)

Economy - overview

Civil war and government mismanagement have destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around Monrovia, while continued international sanctions on diamonds and timber exports will limit growth prospects for the foreseeable future. Many businessmen have fled the country, taking capital and expertise with them. Some have returned, but 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 departure of the former president, Charles TAYLOR, to Nigeria in August 2003, the establishment of the all-inclusive Transitional Government, and the arrival of a UN mission have helped defuse the political crisis, but have done little to encourage economic development. Wealthy international donors, who are ready to assist reconstruction efforts, are withholding funding until Liberia's National Assembly signs onto a Governance and Economic Management Action Plan (GEMAP). The Plan was created in October 2005 by the International Contact Group for Liberia to help ensure transparent revenue collection and allocation - something that was lacking under the Transitional Government and that has limited Liberia's economic recovery. The reconstruction of infrastructure and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economy will largely depend on generous financial support and technical assistance from donor countries.

Electricity - consumption

473.8 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - production

509.4 million kWh (2003)

Exchange rates

Liberian dollars per US dollar - NA (2005), 54.906 (2004), 59.379 (2003), 61.754 (2002), 48.583 (2001)

Exports

$910 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities

rubber, timber, iron, diamonds, cocoa, coffee

Exports - partners

Belgium 41.4%, Spain 11.6%, US 9.1%, Malaysia 5.5%, Thailand 4.6%, Poland 4.6%, Germany 4.4% (2005)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$902.9 million

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$2.643 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 76.9% industry: 5.4% services: 17.7% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$900 (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

9.8% (2005 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

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

Imports

$4.839 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities

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

Imports - partners

South Korea 37.9%, Japan 21.1%, Singapore 14.2%, Croatia 4.7% (2005)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

rubber processing, palm oil processing, timber, diamonds

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

15% (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

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

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption

3,400 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - imports

NA bbl/day

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Population below poverty line

80%

Unemployment rate

85% (2003 est.)

Area

total: 111,370 sq km land: 96,320 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

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, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, 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 (2003)

Land boundaries

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

Land use

arable land: 3.43% permanent crops: 1.98% other: 94.59% (2005)

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, Gbarpolu, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, River Gee, Sinoe

Capital

name: Monrovia geographic coordinates: 6 18 N, 10 47 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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 Donald E. BOOTH embassy: 111 United Nations Drive, P. O. Box 10-0098, Mamba Point, 1000 Monrovia, 10 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 Charles A. MINOR chancery: 5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 723-0437 FAX: [1] (202) 723-0436 consulate(s) general: New York

Executive branch

chief of state: President Ellen JOHNSON-SIRLEAF (since 16 January 2006); note - the President is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Ellen JOHNSON-SIRLEAF (since 6 January 2006); 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 (eligible for a second term); election last held 8 November 2005 (next to be held NA 2011) election results: Ellen JOHNSON-SIRLEAF elected president; percent of vote, second round - Ellen JOHNSON-SIRLEAF (UP) 59.6%, George WEAH (CDC) 40.4% note: a UN-brokered cease-fire among warring factions and the Liberian Government resulted in the August 2003 resignation of former president, Charles TAYLOR; a jointly agreed upon replacement, Chairman Gyude BRYANT, assumed office as head of the National Transitional Government on 14 October 2003; free elections were held 11 October 2005, with a runoff election between the two leading candidates on 8 November 2005

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, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, NAM, 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; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Legislative branch

bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (30 seats - number of seats changed in 11 October 2005 elections; 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) elections: Senate - last held 11 October 2005 (next to be held in 2014); House of Representatives - last held 11 October 2005 (next to be held NA 2011) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - COTOL 7, NPP 4, CDC 3, LP 3, UP 3, APD 3, other 7; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CDC 15, LP 9, UP 8, COTOL 8, APD 5, NPP 4, other 15 note: the current six-year term for junior senators - those who received the second most votes in the election - is mandated by the Liberian constitution to stagger Senate elections and ensure continuity of government

National holiday

Independence Day, 26 July (1847)

Political parties and leaders

Alliance for Peace and Democracy or APD [Togba-na TIPOTEH]; Coalition for the Transformation of Liberia or COTOL; Congress for Democratic Change or CDC [George WEAH]; Liberian Action Party or LAP [H. Varney SHERMAN]; Liberty Party or LP [Charles BRUMSKINE]; National Patriotic Party or NPP [Cyril ALLEN]; Unity Party or UP [Charles CLARKE]

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

Settlement of freed slaves from the US in what is today Liberia began in 1822; by 1847, the Americo-Liberians were able to establish a republic. William TUBMAN, president from 1944-71, did much to promote foreign investment and to bridge the economic, social, and political gaps between the descendents of the original settlers and the inhabitants of the interior. In 1980, a military coup led by Samuel DOE assassinated President William TOLBERT (1971-80) and ushered in a decade of authoritarian rule followed by a prolonged civil war, in which DOE himself was killed. In August 2003, a comprehensive peace agreement ended 14 years of intermittent fighting and prompted the resignation of former president Charles TAYLOR, who was exiled to Nigeria. After two years of rule by a transitional government, democratic elections in late 2005 brought President Ellen JOHNSON-SIRLEAF to power. The UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), which maintains a strong presence throughout the country, completed a disarmament program for former combatants in late 2004, but the security situation is still volatile and the process of rebuilding the social and economic structure of this war-torn country remains sluggish.

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49: 575,384 females age 18-49: 588,780 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49: 267,430 females age 18-49: 286,231 (2005 est.)

Military branches

Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL): Army, Navy, Air Force

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

7.5% (2005 est.)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001)

Age structure

0-14 years: 43.1% (male 656,016/female 653,734) 15-64 years: 54.2% (male 816,443/female 832,152) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 40,591/female 43,068) (2006 est.)

Birth rate

44.77 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate

23.1 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Ethnic groups

indigenous African 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

5.9% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

7,200 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

100,000 (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 155.76 deaths/1,000 live births male: 171.96 deaths/1,000 live births female: 139.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 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

total population: 39.65 years male: 37.99 years female: 41.35 years (2006 est.)

Literacy

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

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever (2005)

Median age

total: 18.1 years male: 18 years female: 18.3 years (2006 est.)

Nationality

noun: Liberian(s) adjective: Liberian

Net migration rate

27.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: at least 238,500 Liberian refugees are in surrounding countries; the uncertain security situation has hindered their ability to return (2006 est.)

Population

3,042,004 (July 2006 est.)

Population growth rate

4.91% (2006 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: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate

6.02 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Disputes - international

although Liberia's domestic fighting among disparate rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs was declared over in 2003, civil unrest persists, and in 2004, 133,000 Liberian refugees remained in Guinea, 72,000 in Cote d'Ivoire, 67,000 in Sierra Leone, and 43,000 in Ghana; Liberia, in turn, shelters refugees fleeing turmoil in Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone; since 2003, the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) has maintained about 18,000 peacekeepers in Liberia; the Cote d'Ivoire Government accuses Liberia of supporting Ivoirian rebels; UN sanctions ban Liberia from exporting diamonds and timber

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

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 13,941 (Sierra Leone) 12,408 (Cote d'Ivoire) IDPs: 464,000 (civil war from 1990-2004; IDP resettlement began in November 2004) (2005)

Airports

53 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 51 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 38 (2006)

Merchant marine

total: 1,687 ships (1000 GRT or over) 62,522,787 GRT/96,776,521 DWT by type: barge carrier 3, bulk carrier 322, cargo 83, chemical tanker 199, combination ore/oil 2, container 477, liquefied gas 75, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 397, refrigerated cargo 76, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 11, vehicle carrier 35 foreign-owned: 1,611 (Argentina 7, Australia 2, Austria 13, Bahamas, The 1, Bermuda 1, Brazil 3, Canada 2, China 35, Croatia 7, Cyprus 3, Denmark 8, Estonia 1, France 3, Germany 587, Greece 267, Hong Kong 37, India 3, Indonesia 1, Isle of Man 5, Israel 5, Italy 16, Japan 102, South Korea 3, Kuwait 1, Latvia 14, Lebanon 2, Mexico 1, Monaco 10, Netherlands 29, Norway 38, Poland 14, Qatar 2, Russia 77, Saudi Arabia 24, Singapore 28, Slovenia 2, Sweden 8, Switzerland 7, Taiwan 69, Turkey 1, UAE 18, UK 41, Ukraine 16, Uruguay 3, US 93, unknown 1) (2006)

Ports and terminals

Buchanan, Monrovia

Railways

total: 490 km standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 145 km 1.067-m gauge note: railway is inoperable because of damage suffered during the civil war (2005)

Roadways

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