]! ^! 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 ushered in a decade of authoritarian rule. In December 1989, Charles TAYLOR launched a rebellion against DOE's regime that led to a prolonged civil war in which DOE himself was killed. A period of relative peace in 1997 allowed for elections that brought TAYLOR to power, but major fighting resumed in 2000. An August 2003, peace agreement ended the war 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. 
]" ^" Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone ^# 6 30 N, 9 30 W ^$ Africa ^% `! 111,370 sq km `" 96,320 sq km `# 15,050 sq km ^& slightly larger than Tennessee ^' `! 1,585 km `Y Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km ^( 579 km ^) `$ 200 nm ^* tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers ^+ mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast ^, `% Atlantic Ocean 0 m `& Mount Wuteve 1,380 m ^- iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower ^. `' 3.43% `( 1.98% `) 94.59% (2005) ^/ 30 sq km (2003) ^0 dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March) ^1 tropical rain forest deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage _P `P Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands `Q Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation ^2 facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars; the inland grassy plateau supports limited agriculture 
]# ^3 3,195,931 (July 2007 est.) ^4 `+ 43.6% (male 698,382/female 695,409) `, 53.6% (male 848,951/female 865,380) `- 2.7% (male 42,745/female 45,064) (2007 est.) ^5 `! 18.1 years `. 17.9 years `/ 18.2 years (2007 est.) ^6 4.836% (2007 est.) ^7 43.75 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^8 22.24 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^9 26.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^: `0 1.03 male(s)/female `1 1.004 male(s)/female `, 0.981 male(s)/female `- 0.949 male(s)/female `2 0.99 male(s)/female (2007 est.) ^; `! 149.73 deaths/1,000 live births `. 165.65 deaths/1,000 live births `/ 133.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) ^< `2 40.39 years `. 38.93 years `/ 41.89 years (2007 est.) ^= 5.94 children born/woman (2007 est.) ^> 5.9% (2003 est.) ^? 100,000 (2003 est.) ^@ 7,200 (2003 est.) _` `h very high `i 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 `x Lassa fever (2007) ^A `3 Liberian(s) `4 Liberian ^B 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) ^C Christian 40%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 40% ^D English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages, of which a few can be written and are used in correspondence ^E `5 age 15 and over can read and write `2 57.5% `. 73.3% `/ 41.6% (2003 est.) 
]$ ^F `6 Republic of Liberia `7 Liberia ^H republic ^I `8 Monrovia `9 6 18 N, 10 47 W `: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) ^J 15 counties; Bomi, Bong, Gbarpolu, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, River Gee, Sinoe ^K 26 July 1847 ^L Independence Day, 26 July (1847) ^M 6 January 1986 ^N 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 ^O 18 years of age; universal ^P `; President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF (since 16 January 2006); note - the President is both the chief of state and head of government `< President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF (since 16 January 2006) `= Cabinet appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate `> 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 in 2011) `? Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF elected president; percent of vote, second round - Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF 59.6%, George WEAH 40.4% ^Q 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) `> Senate - last held 11 October 2005 (next to be held in 2011); House of Representatives - last held 11 October 2005 (next to be held in 2011) `? 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, COTOL 8, UP 8, APD 5, NPP 4, other 15 `* junior senators - those who received the second most votes in each county in the 11 October 2005 election - will only serve a six-year first term because the Liberian constitution mandates staggered Senate elections to ensure continuity of government; all senators will be eligible for nine-year terms thereafter ^R Supreme Court ^S 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] ^T Demobilized former military officers ^U ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, ITUC, NAM, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO ^V `R Ambassador Charles A. MINOR `S 5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 `T [1] (202) 723-0437 `U [1] (202) 723-0436 `V New York ^W `R Ambassador Donald E. BOOTH `_ 111 United Nations Drive, P. O. Box 10-0098, Mamba Point, 1000 Monrovia, 10 `` use embassy street address `T [231] 226-370 through 226-380 `U [231] 226-148 ^X 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 
]% ^Y Civil war and government mismanagement have destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around the capital, Monrovia. 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. President JOHNSON SIRLEAF, a Harvard-trained economist, has taken steps to reduce corruption, build support from international donors, and encourage private investment. An embargo on timber exports has been lifted, opening a source of revenue for the government, but diamonds remain under UN sanctions. 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. ^Z $2.911 billion (2006 est.) ^[ $902.9 million (2006 est.) ^\ 6.7% (2006 est.) ^] $1,000 (2006 est.) ^^ `@ 76.9% `A 5.4% `B 17.7% (2002 est.) ^` `@ 70% `A 8% `B 22% (2000 est.) ^a 85% (2003 est.) _! 80% (2000) _" `C NA% `D NA% _# 15% (2003 est.) _$ `E $85.4 million `F $90.5 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) _& rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, sugarcane, bananas; sheep, goats; timber _' rubber processing, palm oil processing, timber, diamonds _( NA% _) 325 million kWh (2004) _* 302.3 million kWh (2004) _+ 0 kWh (2004) _, 0 kWh (2004) _- 0 bbl/day (2004 est.) _. 3,500 bbl/day (2004 est.) _0 NA bbl/day _1 0 cu m (2004 est.) _2 0 cu m (2004 est.) _3 $910 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) _4 rubber, timber, iron, diamonds, cocoa, coffee _5 Belgium 40.7%, Spain 15.2%, US 8.9%, Malaysia 5.4%, Thailand 4.5%, Poland 4.5%, Germany 4.3% (2005) _6 $4.839 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) _7 fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods; foodstuffs _8 South Korea 38.1%, Japan 21.2%, Singapore 14.3%, Croatia 4.7% (2005) _9 $3.2 billion (2005 est.) _: $94 million (1999) _; Liberian dollar (LRD) _< Liberian dollars per US dollar - 59.43 (2006), 53.098 (2005), 54.906 (2004), 59.379 (2003), 61.754 (2002) _= calendar year 
]& _> 6,900 (2002) _? 160,000 (2005) _@ `G the limited services available are found almost exclusively in the capital Monrovia `H fully automatic system with very low density of less than 1 fixed main line per 100 persons; limited wireless service available `I country code - 231; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) _A AM 0, FM 7, shortwave 2 (2001) _B 1 (plus 4 repeaters) (2001) _C .lr _D 8 (2006) _E 1,000 (2002) 
]' _F 53 (2006) _G `! 2 `a 1 `b 1 (2006) _R `! 51 `b 5 `c 8 `W 38 (2006) _e `! 490 km `m 345 km 1.435-m gauge `n 145 km 1.067-m gauge `* railway is inoperable because of damage suffered during the civil war (2005) _H `! 10,600 km `K 657 km `L 9,943 km (1999) _S `! 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 `X 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) _I Buchanan, Monrovia 
]( _J Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL): Army, Navy, Air Force _T 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001) _K 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.) _U 1.3% (2006 est.) 
]) _N although civil unrest continues to abate with the assistance of 18,000 UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) peacekeepers, as of January 2007, Liberian refugees still remain in Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, and Ghana; Liberia, in turn, shelters refugees fleeing turmoil in Cote d'Ivoire; despite the presence of over 9,000 UN forces (UNOCI) in Cote d'Ivoire since 2004, ethnic conflict continues to spread into neighboring states who can no longer send their migrant workers to Ivorian cocoa plantations; UN sanctions ban Liberia from exporting diamonds and timber _c `o 6,592 (Cote d'Ivoire) `k 13,000 (civil war from 1990-2004; IDP resettlement began in November 2004) (2006) _O 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 