Liberia is a geographic location. Liberia: Population, Economy and Political System. See what "Liberia" is in other dictionaries

Geographical location and nature

State in West Africa. In the east it borders on Cote d'Ivoire (border length 716 km), in the north - with Guinea (563 km) and Sierra Leone (306 km). In the south and west, the country is washed by the Atlantic Ocean. The total length of the border is 1,585 km. , the length of the coastline is 579 km The total area of \u200b\u200bthe country is 111 370 km 2 (land area - 96 320 km 2) The country is dominated by low-lying plains In the north is the Leono-Liberian Upland with the highest point of the country - Mount Nimba (1,752 m The main rivers are Mano, Loffa, St. Paul, St. John Natural resources - iron ore, diamonds, gold, timber About a quarter of the country's territory is covered with evergreen tropical forests with valuable species of wood.

Population

The population is 3 073 245 people (1995), the average population density is about 28 people per km 2. The main ethnic groups are Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Mano, about 5% of the population are Liberians, descendants of African slaves from the United States. The official language is English; local dialects are also common among residents. The majority of the population adheres to traditional pagan beliefs, 16% are Muslims, 14% are Christians. Birth rate - 43.08 newborns per 1,000 people (1995). Mortality - 12.05 deaths per 1,000 people (infant mortality rate - 110.6 deaths per 1,000 newborns). Average life expectancy: men - 55 years, women - 61 years (1995).

The country's climate is subequatorial, hot and humid. On the coast, up to 5,000 mm of precipitation falls, in the interior regions - 1,500 - 2,000 mm; the winter months are usually relatively dry. Average temperatures throughout the country are no lower than 24 ° C.

Vegetable world

About 1/3 of the territory is occupied by humid tropical forests with valuable tree species: mahogany and rosewood, hevea, wine and oil palms. In the savannah there is a dense grass cover, umbrella acacias and baobabs.

Animal world

The fauna is widely represented by monkeys and snakes, buffaloes, antelopes, wild boars, leopards are found. The coastal waters are rich in fish.

State structure, political parties

Full name - Republic of Liberia. The state structure is a republic. The country includes 13 counties. The capital is Monrovia. Liberia achieved its independence on July 26, 1847 (national holiday - Independence Day). The country has a dual system of legislation: based on American common law and common law based on tribal laws. All executive and legislative power belongs to the State Council, headed by its chairman. Major political parties: National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL), United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy (YULIMO).

Economy, transport communications

Until the outbreak of civil war in 1990, the country's economy was mainly associated with the production of rubber and wood processing (the main export items), and agriculture developed successfully due to favorable climatic conditions. As a result of the interethnic conflict, many residents left the country, and with them there was an outflow of capital. GNP amounted to $ 2.3 billion in 1994 (GNP per capita - $ 770). The currency is the Liberian dollar (1 Liberian Dollar (LS) equals 100 cents). Major trading partners: USA, Netherlands, other EU countries.

The total length of railways is 490 km, motor roads - 10,087 km. The main ports of the country are Buchanan, Greenville, Monrovia, Harper.

Opened in the 15th century. Portuguese, the territory of modern Liberia soon became one of the centers of the slave trade. Those who returned in the 20s. 19th century In 1847, freed slaves created the independent republic of Liberia in Africa, the constitution of which was practically copied from the US constitution. A military coup in 1985 divided the country into supporters of the ruling regime and the rebels of the Patriotic National Front of Liberia, and led to civil war in the country in 1990.

Participation in international organizations

AfDB, TKK, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, MAP, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, ITU, NAP, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO.

Population of the country (about 4.5 million people) is diverse in ethnic composition and includes more than 20 nationalities. In the north, the peoples of the Mande language subgroup live - kpelle, loma, mano, etc., in the south - the peoples of the Guinean subgroup (cru, row, malinke, crane, gere)... Descendants of the founders of Liberia - immigrants from the United States - now account for less than 1%. The majority of the population adheres to traditional local beliefs and traditional way of life. The main occupations are agriculture, cultivation and procurement of rubber, valuable species of wood, fishing. There is also an industry, mainly mining (iron ores)... Low taxes and an open-door economic policy lead to the world's largest merchant fleet flying the Liberian flag (owned, of course, by shipowners from other countries).

The largest city and capital of Liberia - Monrovia (about 1 million inhabitants), founded in 1822. Another major city is Buchanan, a major port and center of rubber plantations.

Since 1821, settlements of liberated blacks from the United States, who united in 1839 and founded the state of Liberia, began to appear on the territory of Liberia. (1847) ... American-Liberians dominated the government and economy of Liberia until 1980, when a coup d'état took place in the country and representatives of other ethnic political groups came to power. 1986 saw the end of Liberia's transition to civilian rule. In 1989, the National Patriotic Front began an armed struggle against government troops. With the help of the Inter-African Peacekeeping Force in 1990, a transitional government was created in Liberia, but the struggle of the opposing factions continued. In 1993, they signed an agreement on a ceasefire, the creation of a three-party transitional government and the holding of free elections.

Climate, flora and fauna

The climate of Liberia is subequatorial, hot and humid: average monthly temperatures do not fall below 23 ° C, precipitation falls mainly in summer (up to 5000 mm on the coast and 1500-2000 mm in the interior).

About a third of the country's territory is covered with dense evergreen tropical rainforests, in which, among others, grow red and rosewood trees, hevea, wine and oil palms. Closer to the border with Guinea, the forests turn into a tall-grass savanna with groves of umbrella acacias and baobabs. Mangrove forests grow on the coast.

Liberia's forests are home to many different insects (from termites to tsetse flies), snakes, monkeys. The savannah is home to buffaloes, antelopes, wild boars, leopards. The coastal waters are rich in fish.

History

The history of Liberia as a political entity begins with the arrival of the first black American settlers - American-Liberians, as they called themselves, in Africa - on the coast of which they founded in 1822 a colony of "free people of color" (free men of color) under the auspices of the American Colonization Society. By agreement with the leaders of local tribes, the settlers acquired territories of more than 13 thousand square meters. km - for goods worth 50 US dollars.

In 1824 this colony was named Liberia, and its constitution was adopted. By 1828, settlers captured the entire coast of modern Liberia (about 500 km long), and then also occupied parts of the coast of modern Sierra Leone and Cotdivuar.

On July 26, 1847, American settlers declared the independence of the Republic of Liberia. The settlers perceived the continent from which their ancestors were taken into slavery as "the promised land", but they did not seek to join the African community. Arriving in Africa, they called themselves Americans and, both the indigenous people and the British colonial authorities of neighboring Sierra Leone, were considered exactly Americans. Symbols of their state (flag, motto and seal)and the chosen form of government reflected the American past of the American-Liberians.

Religion, customs, and sociocultural standards of the American-Liberians were based on the traditions of the pre-war American South. Mutual mistrust and hostility between "Americans" from the coast and "indigenous" from the hinterland gave rise to attempts that continued throughout the country's history. (quite successful) the American-Liberian minority to dominate the local blacks, whom they considered barbarians and people of the lowest class.

The founding of Liberia was sponsored by private American groups, mainly the American Colonization Society, but the country received unofficial support from the US government. Liberia's government was modeled after the American government, and was democratic in structure, but not always in essence. After 1877, the Party of the True Whigs monopolized power in the country, and all important positions belonged to members of this party.

Three problems faced by the Liberian authorities - territorial conflicts with neighboring colonial powers, Britain and France, hostilities between settlers and local residents, and the threat of financial insolvency - called into question the country's sovereignty. Liberia retained its independence during the colonial division of Africa, but in the late 19th - early 20th centuries lost a significant part of the territory it had previously occupied, which was annexed by Britain and France. In 1911, Liberia's borders with the British and French colonies were officially established along the Mano and Cavalli rivers. Economic development in the late 19th century was held back by a lack of markets for Liberian goods and debt obligations on a range of loans, the payment of which drained the economy.

At the beginning of World War I, Liberia declared its neutrality, hoping to preserve trade relations with Germany, which by 1914 accounted for more than half of Liberia's foreign trade turnover. However, the blockade of sea trade routes imposed by the Entente countries deprived Liberia of this most important trading partner. The import of manufactured goods almost completely stopped, and serious difficulties arose with food.

In 1926, American corporations provided Liberia with a large loan of $ 5 million.

In the 1930s, Liberia was accused of complicity in the slave trade, as such was the allowance for the recruitment of labor in Liberia for plantations in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon; the recruited workers were mistreated and were practically slaves. The then President Charles King was forced to resign, and Britain even raised the issue of establishing custody of Liberia. The League of Nations Commission confirmed the main points of the charges.

After the outbreak of World War II, Liberia again proclaimed neutrality, but its territory was used for the transfer of American troops to North Africa. In 1944, Liberia officially declared war on Germany.

After World War II, the United States provided loans to Liberia, and soon Liberia became a major exporter of rubber and iron ore. In 1971, President Tubman, who had served in this post for five terms, died; his place was taken by William Tolbert, who had been in the status of vice president for 19 years. Continuing the domestic politics of his predecessor, Tolbert maintained close ties with the United States, but at the same time sought to enhance Liberia's role in African affairs, opposed apartheid and improved relations with socialist countries. His economic reforms led to some positive consequences, but corruption and poor governance neutralized them. In the 1970s, political opposition to Tolbert developed, and the deteriorating economic situation led to an increase in social tension. Prices rose and this led to numerous "rice riots", the largest in April 1979, when Tolbert ordered open fire on the rioting crowd, which eventually led to riots and a general strike.

On April 12, 1980, a coup took place in Liberia. Tolbert was killed, his associates were executed, the country was led by Sergeant Samuel Doe, a representative of the Crane tribe, and assumed the rank of general. If at first the change of power was perceived positively by citizens, then Dow's constant efforts to consolidate his power and the ongoing economic downturn led to a decline in his popularity and a series of unsuccessful military coups. In 1985, Liberia returned to civilian rule, with Dow winning the election, who had previously assigned himself one year to meet the stated minimum age of 35 for a president, and who carried out widespread fraud; according to independent polls, the opposition candidate won with about 80% of the vote.

In 1989, a civil war broke out in the country. Forces of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia, led by Charles Taylor, crossed the border from Côte d'Ivoire and in a year and a half of hostilities captured 90% of the country's territory. An anarchist group led by Yedu Johnson, who fought against both government forces and Taylor, broke away from him. The Economic Community of West African countries has sent a contingent of 3,000 people to Liberia. Johnson, under the pretext of negotiations, invited Doe to the UN mission, on the way the dictator was kidnapped and then brutally killed - his arms were broken, his legs were amputated, he was castrated, his ear was cut off and he was forced to eat, and then he was killed.

In the early 90s, a large-scale conflict took place in the country, in which several factions participated, divided along ethnic lines. Neighboring states were involved in the conflict, supporting different groups for various reasons; in particular, at the first stage of the war, Taylor was supported from among the countries of the Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire region, and from states located at a considerable distance from the theater of operations, Togo and Libya. As a result, the countries-opponents of these states supported the opponents of Taylor. For neighboring Sierra Leone, this resulted in the outbreak of civil war on its territory, to which Taylor made significant efforts, de facto becoming the founding father of the United Revolutionary Front. Military operations were conducted with great cruelty, torture was used en masse. By the most conservative estimates, the war caused more than half a million refugees to move to neighboring countries. The result of the first round was the signing of a peace agreement and a presidential election in 1997, which Taylor won. The international community chose to ignore the election fraud and massive violence against the opposition.

After the elections, Taylor's opponents organized a small-scale rebel war, several times conducted incursions into the territory of Liberia from neighboring countries. In 2002, with the active help and support of Guinean President Lansana Conte, a large opposition movement LURD was created, which, after a year and a half military campaign, managed to depose Taylor and expel him from the country.

In the 2005 presidential election, famous football player George Weah was considered the favorite, who won the first round by a slight margin, but the victory in the second round was won by Harvard graduate, former employee of the World Bank and many other international financial institutions, Helen Johnson-Sirleaf.

On August 6, 2014, a state of emergency was declared in Liberia due to Ebola. As of September 16, 2407 were infected with the virus, and 1296 people died.

Economy

The main sectors of the Liberian economy are the cultivation of food crops, mainly rice and cassava, on small-scale indigenous Liberian farms, and the mining of iron ore and the production of natural rubber for export by foreign companies. Foreign-owned companies control almost all foreign trade, most of the wholesale trade and, together with Lebanese entrepreneurs, a significant portion of the retail trade. Foreigners own the banking system and construction, railways and part of the highways. The country is forced to import almost all manufactured goods, fuel and a significant portion of food.

Before the outbreak of the civil war in 1989, Liberia's national income per capita was estimated at $ 500. According to UN experts, in 1995 this figure rose to $ 1,124.

Liberia has a wide range of types of agricultural production, from the cultivation of rice on rain-fed land to consumer-type farms of indigenous Liberians (3/4 of the population is engaged in this) before the production of export crops on plantations owned by foreigners, where hired workers work. The advantages of wage employment led to the outflow of peasants from the subsistence sector to plantations, which led to a significant decrease in rice production, the shortage of which necessitated a sharp increase in its imports. Rice cultivation on irrigated land has not yielded the desired results. Cassava, cultivated throughout Liberia, plays an important role in the diet of the people on the southern coast. Cereals, fruits and vegetables are grown for domestic consumption. The oil palm produces a thick orange oil used for cooking. Livestock raising is very poorly developed due to the abundance of tsetse flies and limited pastures.

The basis of export agriculture is rubber production. In the mid-1980s, its collection averaged 75 thousand tons per year. The production of rubber for export was established thanks to the agreement of 1926, according to which the government of Liberia granted the American company Firestone a concession for a period of 99 years. Until the end of World War II, the company generated the largest income for the country. In the 1980s, the Firestone and BF Goodrich plantations were sold to Japanese and British companies, respectively. Until now, almost all rubber production in Liberia is concentrated there.

Oil palm, coffee tree, chocolate tree and piassava also provide export products. Timber of valuable tropical species is of great export value.

The official name is the Republic of Liberia.

Located in western Africa. The area is 111.4 thousand km2, the population is 3.3 million people. (2002). The state language is English. The capital is Monrovia (1.3 million people, 2000). State holiday - Independence Day on July 26 (since 1847). The monetary unit is the Liberian dollar (equal to 100 cents).

Member approx. 40 international organizations, incl. UN (since 1945), a number of its specialized organizations, the AU, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Group of African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, etc.

Liberia landmarks

Geography of Liberia

Located between 10 ° 50 'and 13 ° 18' east longitude and 6 ° 50 'and 10 ° north latitude. In the north, it borders on Sierra Leone and Guinea, in the east - on Côte d'Ivoire. In the southwest it is washed by the Atlantic Ocean. The coastline is flat (579 km), in some places it is cut by lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river estuaries. The coastal plain gradually rises and becomes the Leono-Liberian Upland. Peaks: Nimba (1752 m) at the junction of the borders with Guinea and Cote d'Ivoire and Vuteve (1380 m) - in the north. The bowels are rich in iron ore, diamonds and gold.

Red-yellow lateritic soils predominate. The climate is tropical, hot and humid. Average annual rainfall on the coast reaches 5000 mm, in the interior - 1500-2000 mm.

The maximum precipitation occurs in the "rainy season" (May-October) and the minimum in the "dry season" (November-April). The average monthly temperature does not drop below + 23 ° C.

OK. 1/3 of the country's territory is occupied by humid evergreen tropical forests (mahogany, rosewood, hevea, various types of palms, pandaus), which, towards the border with Guinea, turn into tall grass savanna (umbrella acacia, baobab).

Liberia is home to many different animals (elephants, antelopes, monkeys, buffaloes, leopards, wild pigs, snakes, crocodiles). A significant area is covered by the habitat of the tsetse fly.

An extensive network of rivers. The largest of them are: Mano, Loffa, Saint Paul, Saint John, Sess and Cavalli.

Liberia population

In 2002, the population growth rate was 2.54%, the birth rate was 45.95%, the mortality rate was 16.05%, and the infant mortality rate was 130.21. per 1000 newborns. Life expectancy 51.8 years, incl. women 53.33 and men 50.33 years. The age structure of the population: 0-14 years old 43.3%, 15-64 years old 53.2%, 65 years old and over 3.5%. Liberians are somewhat dominated by women, 2% more than men. 45% of the population lives in cities.

In terms of ethnic composition, 95% are indigenous Africans representing the Mande, Kwa and Mel language groups and belonging to 16-20 local tribes (Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gban-Di, Loma, Kissi, Vai , dei, bella, mandingo, mende), 2.5% - American-Liberians (descendants of immigrants from the United States), 2.5% - descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean. Languages \u200b\u200b- English, as spoken up to 20 local languages \u200b\u200bare used, many of which are not written.

OK. 40% of the population are adherents of local religious beliefs, 40% are Christians and 20% are Muslims.

History of Liberia

Liberia is a unique state founded by free black US citizens who returned to Africa, former slaves. On January 7, 1822, the first group of settlers landed here; on July 26, 1847, the country was proclaimed a republic. Although for all the years of its existence, only approx. 10 thousand American blacks, for more than 100 years the leading political and economic positions in the country were occupied by American-Liberians.

In the end. 1970s the economic difficulties associated with the decline in the global rubber and iron ore markets brought representatives of indigenous ethnic groups to power. In 1980, Sergeant S. Doe led a military coup and in 1986 became President of Liberia. However, neither the removal of American-Liberians from power nor the transition to civilian rule changed the plight of the population. To the end. 1980s also sharply aggravated and interethnic relations, which resulted in the internecine war of 1989-96, which claimed the lives of more than 10 thousand. Liberians.

The entry into Liberia of the inter-African forces under the auspices of ECOWAS, their peacekeeping activities led to the end in 1996 of active hostilities. In 1997, general elections were held in the country, which brought victory to the rebel leader Ch. Taylor, who became president.

However, sluggish clashes between government forces and the opposition continued. Despite the fact that approx. 1/2 of the population of Liberia continued to maintain refugee status, and the economy, undermined by the hostilities, did not recover, the ruling circles of Liberia continued to escalate tension in the region, supporting with arms and materially separate military-political groups in neighboring Sierra Leone. In March 2003, a special UN Tribunal for Sierra Leone accused Taylor of war crimes. Armed opposition groups entered Monrovia. In June, a cease-fire agreement was signed and entered into force between the government and the rebels.

Government and political system of Liberia

Liberia is a republic. The Constitution of 1986 (as amended in 1988) is in force.
Administratively, Liberia is divided into 15 counties: Bo-me, Bong, Gparbolu, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Cru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Kess, River Ghii , Shino. The largest cities are: Monrovia, Buchanan, Greenville, Ganta, Grand Sess, Duabo, Kakata, Ma-no-River, Marshall, Njebele, Robertsport, Sag-leipie, Tappita, Harper, Chien. Liberia is governed by three branches of government: legislative, executive and judicial. The highest legislative body is the bicameral National Assembly, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The highest executive body is the president, who is the head of state and head of government, the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. Government ministers are appointed by the president and then confirmed by the Senate.

Prominent political leaders in Liberia include:

William Wakanarat Shadrach Tubman - President of Liberia (1944-71), reformer, initiator of the "policy of unification" aimed at uniting American-Liberians and the indigenous people of the country into one people - Liberians, conductor of an "open door" policy that encouraged foreign investment, advocate active inclusion of Liberia in the Commonwealth of African Peoples;

William R. Tolbert - President of Liberia (1971-80), initiator of a number of development programs, incl. “Self-reliance”, liberalization of the economy, reduction of dependence on foreign aid.

There is a multi-party system. In addition to the ruling National Patriotic Party, which has 21 seats in the Senate and 49 in the House of Representatives, the All-Liberian Coalition Party, Liberian National Union, People's Party of Liberia, National Democratic Party of Liberia, People's Democratic Party of Liberia, Party of the True Whigs, Party unity, the United People's Party and a number of other parties.

Trade unions are organized into the Liberian Federation of Trade Unions.

The number of the Armed Forces is 14 thousand soldiers and officers (1999).

Liberia Economy

Liberia is an underdeveloped country with an agrarian and raw materials specialization, which occupies one of the leading places in the world for the production and export of natural rubber and iron ore. A significant source of income for the country is the provision of a flag of convenience to foreign ships. The economy is dominated by foreign capital. The industrial infrastructure was undermined by the 1989-96 civil war, predetermining the outflow of foreign capital from the country.

GDP $ 3.6 billion, i.e. OK. $ 1,100 per capita (2001). Nevertheless approx. 80% of the population lives below the poverty line. The GDP growth rate of 5%, inflation of 8% (2001) testify to the post-war revival of the country's economy.

In the sectoral structure of the economy, agriculture accounts for 60% of GDP (2001) and agricultural production employs the vast majority of the economically active population - 70% (2000). For industry, these figures are 10 and 8%, respectively, for the service sector - 30 and 22%.

Liberia's agriculture has been hit hard by the fighting: harvests of food crops, primarily rice and cassava, have dropped sharply, leaving the population dependent on imports of food, primarily cereals. The war also undermined the production of commercial (export) crops: rubber, cocoa, coffee, oil palm products. Along with the outflow of the capital of foreign companies from the country, there is a redistribution of their investments in the production of export crops, as well as the overflow of foreign capital into the extraction of iron ore, diamonds, etc. Nevertheless, the American company "Firestone", despite the sale at stake. 1980s its Liberian rubber plant, a Japanese company, continues to dominate the industry by retaining control of the Hevea plantation.

Due to the spread of the tsetse fly, animal husbandry is poorly developed - the herd is represented by a small number of cattle, goats and sheep, as well as pigs.

The mining industries associated with the production of iron ore and diamonds are developed. However, the future of the industry depends on the stabilization of the political situation in the country.

The main mode of transport is automobile, the length of highways is 10.6 thousand km, incl. 657 km of paved roads and 9,943 km of unpaved roads (1996).

The total length of railways is 490 km, incl. 328 km single track. 345 km have standard (1435 mm) and 145 km narrow (1067 mm) gauge (2001).

Liberia has ports in Monrovia, Buchanan, Greenville, Harper. In 2002, the country's merchant fleet consisted of 1,513 ships with a displacement of 1,000 tons and above, incl. 1425 foreign vessels using the Liberian flag as "convenient", incl. from Germany - 437, from Greece - 154, from the USA - 113, from Norway - 103, from Japan - 90, from Russia - 66, from Monaco - 56. The total displacement of the fleet is 51,912.2 thous.

There are 47 airfields in the country, two of them have a paved airstrip (2001).

There are 7 VHF and 2 short-wave radio stations, a television station and 4 low-power repeaters (2001), 790 thousand radio receivers and 70 thousand televisions are in use (1997), there are 6.7 thousand telephone lines (2000), 2 Internet providers (2001) and 500 Internet users (2000).

In Liberia, approx. 10 banks. At the head of the banking system is the Central Bank of Liberia. Liberia's external debt $ 3.5 billion (2003).

The state budget was (2000): revenues 85.4 million, expenses 90.5 million US dollars.

Foreign trade is critical to Liberia. Through its channels, in exchange for rubber, valuable timber, iron ore, diamonds, cocoa and coffee, the country receives machinery, equipment and vehicles, fuel, industrial goods, food, primarily rice.

Science and culture of Liberia

38.3% of adult Liberians can read and write, incl. 53.9% men and 22.4% women (1995 estimate). There are three institutions of higher education in Liberia: State University of Liberia, Anglican Cuttington University College and Our Lady of Fatima Catholic College.