Background: Seven years of civil strife were brought to a close in 1996 when free and open presidential and legislative elections were held. President TAYLOR now holds strong executive power with no real political opposition. The 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 army embargo and a travel ban on government officials for Liberia's support of the rebel insurgency in Sierra Leone.

Geographic coordinates: 6 30 N 9 30 W

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 111,370 km²
Water: 15,050 km²
Land: 96,320 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Tennessee

Land boundaries
Total: 1,585 km
Border countries: (3) Guinea 563 km; , Cote d'Ivoire 716 km; , Sierra Leone 306 km

Coastline: 579 km

Maritime claims
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

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

Natural resources: iron ore timber diamonds gold hydropower

Land use
Arable land: 1.97%
Permanent crops: 2.08%
Other: 95.95% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 30 km² (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March)

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

Population: 3,288,198 (July 2002 est.)
Growth rate: 1.91% (2002 est.)
Below poverty line: 80%

Nationality
Noun: Liberian
Adjective: Liberian

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)

Languages: English 20% (official) some 20 ethnic group languages of which a few can be written and are used in correspondence

Religions: indigenous beliefs 40% Christian 40% Muslim 20%

Age structure
0-14 years: 43.3% (male 714,563; female 709,582)
15-64 years: 53.2% (male 854,324; female 894,753)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 57,925; female 57,051) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.91% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 45.95 births/1000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 16.05 deaths/1000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate
Note: by the end of 1999, all Liberian refugees who had fled the domestic strife were assumed to have returned (2002 est.)

Environment
Current issues: tropical rain forest deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Desertification, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
International agreements signed but not ratified: Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.01 male/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male/female
65 years and over: 1.02 male/female
Total population: 0.98 male/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 130.21 deaths/1000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 51.8 years
Female: 53.33 years (2002 est.)
Male: 50.33 years

Total fertility rate: 6.29 children born/woman (2002 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 9% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: 125,000 (2001 est.)
Deaths: 13,000 (2001 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 38.3%
Male: 53.9%
Female: 22.4% (1995 est.)
Note: these figures are increasing because of the improving school system

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Liberia
Conventional short form: Liberia

Government type: republic

Capital: Monrovia

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

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
Chief of state: President Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (since 2 August 1997); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (since 2 August 1997); 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 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%

Legislative branch
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 NA 2003)
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; note - the Alliance of Political Parties was a coalition of the LAP and the Liberia Unification Party or LUP

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: All Liberia Coalition Party or ALCOP [Peter KERBAY]; Free Democratic Party or FDP [George BORWAH]; Liberian Action Party or LAP [C. Gyude BRYANT]; Liberian National Union or LINU [Victor MOMOH]; Liberian People's Party or LPP [Koffa NAGBE]; National Democratic Party of Liberia or NDPL [Isaac D. DIKENAH]; National Patriotic Party or NPP [Cyril ALLEN] - governing party; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Weah A. WEAH]; Reformation Alliance Party or RAP [James THOMAS]; True Whig Party or TWP [Rudolph SHERMAN]; United People's Party or UPP [Wesley JOHNSON]; Unity Party or UP [Charles Clarke]

International organization participation: ACP AfDB CCC ECA ECOWAS FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICFTU ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM ITU NAM OAU OPCW (signatory) UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WCL WFTU WHO WIPO WMO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador William V. S. BULL
In the us consulates general: New York
In the us fax: [1] (202) 723-0436
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 723-0437
In the us chancery: 5,201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20,011
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador John William BLANEY III
From the us embassy: 111 United Nations Drive, P. O. Box 10-0098, Mamba Point, 1000 Monrovia, 10 Liberia
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [231] 226-370 through 226-380
From the us fax: [231] 226-148

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: A civil war in 1989-96 destroyed much of Liberia's economy especially the infrastructure in and around Monrovia. Many businessmen fled the country taking capital and expertise with them. Some returned; 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. The democratically elected government installed in August 1997 inherited massive international debts and currently relies on revenues from its maritime registry and timber industry to provide the bulk of its foreign exchange earnings. The restoration of the infrastructure and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economy depend on the implementation of sound macro- and micro-economic policies of the new government including the encouragement of foreign investment. Recent growth has been from a low base and continued growth will require major policy successes and containment of armed rebellion.

Real gdp growth rate: 5% (2001 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $1100 (2001 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 60%
Industry: 10%
Services: 30% (2001 est.)

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

Industries: rubber processing palm oil processing timber diamonds

Industrial production growth rate: NA

Labor force
By occupation agriculture: 70%
By occupation industry: 8%
By occupation services: 22% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate: 70%

Population below poverty line: 80%

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

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

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 8% (2001 est.)

Exports: $55 million f.o.b. (2000 est.)
Commodities: rubber timber iron diamonds cocoa coffee
Partners: Belgium 38.5% Germany 17.6% Italy 6.0% US 5.8% (2000)

Imports: $170 million f.o.b. (2000 est.)
Commodities: fuels chemicals machinery transportation equipment manufactured goods; rice and other foodstuffs
Partners: France 29.1% South Korea 20.6% Japan 15.8% Singapore 8.4% (2000)

Debt external: $2.1 billion (2000 est.)

Exchange rates
Note: until December 1997, rates were based on a fixed relationship with the US dollar; beginning in January 1998, rates are market determined

Electricity
Production: 450 million kWh (2000)
Production by source fossil fuel: 100%
Production by source hydro: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (2000)
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Consumption: 418.5 million kWh (2000)
Exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Imports: 0 kWh (2000)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 6,700 (2000)
Mobile cellular: 0 (1998)

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)

Internet
Country code: .lr
Service providers isps: 2 (2001)
Users: 500 (2000)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $7.8 million (FY01)
Percent of gdp: 1.3% (FY01)

Airports: 47 (2001)
With paved runways total: 2
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2002)
With unpaved runways total: 45
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 7
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 34 (2002)

Railways
Total: 490 km (328 km single-track)
Standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge
Note: in 1989, Liberia had three rail systems owned and operated by foreign steel and financial interests in conjunction with the Liberian Government; one of these, the Lamco Railroad, closed in 1989 after iron ore production ceased; the other two were shut down by the civil war; large sections of the rail lines have been dismantled; approximately 60 km of railroad track was exported for scrap (2001)
Narrow gauge: 145 km 1.067-m gauge

Waterways: none

Merchant marine
Total: 1,513 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 51,912,244 GRT/79,297,046 DWT
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, Man, Isle of 5, Monaco 56, Netherlands 12, New Zealand 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, United Arab Emirates 12, United Kingdom 39, United States 113, Uruguay 3, Vietnam 1 (2002 est.)
Ships by type: barge carrier 3, bulk 313, cargo 89, chemical tanker 167, combination bulk 16, combination ore/oil 32, container 318, liquefied gas 99, multi-functional large-load carrier 4, passenger 23, petroleum tanker 302, refrigerated cargo 69, roll on/roll off 20, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 13, vehicle carrier 42

Disputes international: rebels and refugees contribute to border instabilities with Sierra Leone

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