Background: Years of civil strife have destroyed much of Liberia's economic infrastructure, made civil administration nearly impossible, and brought economic activity virtually to a halt. The deterioration of economic conditions has been greatly exacerbated by the flight of most business people with their expertise and capital. Civil order ended in 1990 when President Samuel Kenyon DOE was killed by rebel forces.

Map reference: Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area
Total: 111,370 km²
Land: 96,320 km²

Land boundaries:

Coastline: 579 km
Continental shelf: 200 m depth or to depth of exploitation
Territorial sea: 200 nm

Climate: tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers

Terrain: mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast

Natural resources: iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold

Land use
Arable land: 1%
Permanent crops: 3%
Meadows and pastures: 2%
Forest and woodland: 39%
Other: 55%

Irrigated land: 20 km² (1989 est.) deforestation

Population: 2,874,881 (July 1993 est.)
Growth rate: 3.37% (1993 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Liberian(s)
Adjective: Liberian

Ethnic groups:

Languages: English 20% (official), Niger-Congo language group about 20 local languages come from this group

Religions: traditional 70%, Muslim 20%, Christian 10%

Population growth rate: 3.37% (1993 est.)

Birth rate: 43.9 births/1000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate: 12.38 deaths/1000 population (1993 est.)

Net migration rate: 2.15 migrant(s)/1000 population (1993 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 115.9 deaths/1000 live births (1993 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 57.28 years
Male: 54.88 years
Female: 59.76 years (1993 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.42 children born/woman (1993 est.)

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
Total population: 40%
Male: 50%
Female: 29%

Country name: conventional short form: Liberia

Government type: republic

Capital: Monrovia

Administrative divisions:

Independence: 26 July 1847

National holiday: Independence Day, 26 July (1847)

Constitution: 6 January 1986

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet

Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives

Judicial branch: People's Supreme Court

International organization participation:

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador James TARPEH
In the us chancery: 5,201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20,011
In the us telephone: (202) 723-0437 through 0440
In the us consulate general: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador William H. TWADDELL
From the us embassy: 111 United Nations Drive, Monrovia
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 98, Monrovia, or APO AE 9,813
From the us telephone: 231 222,991 through 222,994
From the us fax: (231) 223,710

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

Economy overview: Civil war since 1990 has destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around Monrovia. Businessmen have fled the country, taking capital and expertise with them. Many will not return. Richly endowed with water, mineral resources, forests, and a climate favorable to agriculture, Liberia had been a producer and exporter of basic products, while local manufacturing, mainly foreign owned, had been small in scope. Political instability threatens prospects for economic reconstruction and repatriation of some 750,000 Liberian refugees who have fled to neighboring countries. The political impasse between the interim government and rebel leader Charles Taylor has prevented restoration of normal economic life, including the re-establishment of a strong central government with effective economic development programs.

Real gdp growth rate: 1.5% (1988)

Real gdp per capita: $400 (1988)

Agriculture products: accounts for about 40% of GDP (including fishing and forestry; principal products - rubber, timber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava, palm oil, sugarcane, bananas, sheep, goats; not self-sufficient in food, imports 25% of rice consumption

Industries: rubber processing, food processing, construction materials, furniture, palm oil processing, mining (iron ore, diamonds)

Industrial production growth rate: growth rate 1.5% in manufacturing (1987; accounts for 22% of GDP

Labor force: 510,000 including 220,000 in the monetary economy
By occupation agriculture: 70.5%
By occupation services: 10.8%
By occupation industry and commerce: 4.5%
By occupation other: 14.2%
Note:

Unemployment rate: 43% urban (1988)

Budget: revenues $242.1 million; expenditures $435.4 million, including capital expenditures of $29.5 million (1989)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Exports
Commodoties: iron ore 61%, rubber 20%, timber 11%, coffee
Partners: US, EC, Netherlands

Imports: $394 million (c.i.f., 1989 est.)
Commodoties: rice, mineral fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, other foodstuffs
Partners: US, EC, Japan, China, Netherlands, ECOWAS

Exchange rates: Liberian dollars (L$) per US$1 - 1.00 (fixed rate since 1940; unofficial parallel exchange rate of L$7 = US$1, January 1992

Electricity
Production: 410,000 kW capacity; 750 million kWh produced, 275 kWh per capita (1991)

Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP

Airports: 59
Usable: 41
With permanentsurface runways: 2
With runways over 3659 m: 0
With runways 2440-3659 m: 1
With runways 1220-2439 m: 4

Merchant marine: 1,618 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 57,769,476 DWT/ 101,391,576 DWT; includes 20 passenger, 1 short-sea passenger, 132 cargo, 56 refrigerated cargo, 21 roll-on/roll-off, 58 vehicle carrier, 97 container, 3 barge carrier, 499 oil tanker, 108 chemical, 68 combination ore/oil, 62 liquefied gas, 6 specialized tanker, 456 bulk, 31 combination bulk; note - a

Disputes international: none