EntranceLiberia geographical location. Liberia: population, economy and political system
The official name is the Republic of Liberia.
Located in western Africa. Area 111.4 thousand km2, population 3.3 million people. (2002). The official language is English. The capital is Monrovia (1.3 million people, 2000). Public holiday - Independence Day July 26 (since 1847). The monetary unit is the Liberian dollar (equal to 100 cents).
Member approx. 40 international organizations, incl. The UN (since 1945), a number of its specialized organizations, the AU, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Group of African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, etc.
Sights of Liberia
Geography of Liberia
It is located between 10°50′ and 13°18′ east longitude and 6°50′ and 10° north latitude. In the north it borders with Sierra Leone and Guinea, in the east with Cote d’Ivoire. In the southwest it is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The coastline is flat (579 km), in some places indented by lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river estuaries. The coastal plain gradually rises and passes into the Leon-Liberian Upland. Peaks: Mt. Nimba (1752 m) at the junction of the borders with Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire and Mt. Vuteve (1380 m) - in the north. The subsoil is rich in iron ore, diamonds and gold.
Red-yellow lateritic soils predominate. The climate is tropical, hot and humid. The average annual precipitation on the coast reaches 5000 mm, in the interior - 1500-2000 mm.
The maximum precipitation falls in the “rainy season” (May-October) and the minimum in the “dry season” (November-April). The average monthly temperature does not fall 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, pandas), which turn into tall grass savanna (umbrella acacia, baobab) towards the border with Guinea.
Liberia is home to many different animals (elephants, antelopes, monkeys, buffalos, 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, Lofa, St. Paul, St. John, Cess and Cavalli.
Population of Liberia
According to estimates for 2002, population growth is 2.54%, birth rate is 45.95%, mortality is 16.05%, infant mortality is 130.21 people. per 1000 newborns. Life expectancy 51.8 years, incl. women 53.33 and men 50.33 years. Age structure of the population: 0-14 years 43.3%, 15-64 years 53.2%, 65 years and older 3.5%. Liberians are slightly overrepresented by women, who outnumber men by 2%. 45% of the population lives in cities.
By 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, Crahn, Gola, Gban-di, Loma, Kissi, Vai , Dei, Bella, Mandingo, Mende), 2.5% - Americo-Liberians (descendants of immigrants from the United States), 2.5% - descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean. Languages - English, up to 20 local languages are used as spoken languages, many of which have no written language.
OK. 40% of the population are adherents of local religious beliefs, 40% are Christians and 20% profess Islam.
History of Liberia
Liberia is a unique state founded by free black US citizens who returned to Africa and were former slaves. On January 7, 1822, the first group of settlers landed here, and on July 26, 1847, the country was proclaimed a republic. Although over all the years of its existence, only approx. There are 10 thousand American blacks; for more than 100 years, the leading political and economic positions in the country were occupied by Americo-Liberians.
In con. 1970s economic difficulties associated with the decline in world markets for rubber and iron ore 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 the Americo-Liberians from power nor the transition to civilian rule changed the plight of the population. K con. 1980s Interethnic relations also sharply deteriorated, which resulted in the internecine war of 1989-96, which claimed the lives of more than 10 thousand Liberians.
The entry into Liberia of inter-African forces under the auspices of ECOWAS and their peacekeeping activities led to the end of active hostilities in 1996. In 1997, general elections were held in the country, which brought victory to the rebel leader Charles Taylor, who became president.
However, low-intensity military clashes between government forces and the opposition continued. Despite the fact that ok. 1/2 of the population of Liberia continued to maintain the status of refugees, and the economy, undermined by the fighting, was not restored; the ruling circles of Liberia continued to escalate tensions in the region, supporting with weapons and materially separate military-political groups in neighboring Sierra Leone. In March 2003, the special UN Tribunal for Sierra Leone indicted Taylor for war crimes. Armed opposition forces entered Monrovia. In June, a ceasefire agreement between the government and the rebels was signed and came into force.
Government and political system of Liberia
Liberia is a republic. The Constitution of 1986 is in force (as amended in 1988).
Liberia is administratively divided into 15 counties: Bo-mi, Bong, Gparbolu, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Marjibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Kess, River Gui , Sino. The largest cities: Monrovia, Buchanan, Greenville, Ganta, Grand Sess, Duabo, Kakata, Ma-no-River, Marshall, Njebele, Robertsport, Sag-leipie, Tappita, Harper, Chien. Government of Liberia is carried out 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, 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 "unification policy" aimed at uniting Americo-Liberians and the indigenous inhabitants of the country into one people - Liberians, proponent of the "open door" policy that encouraged the influx of foreign investment, advocate the 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”, economic liberalization, reducing dependence on foreign aid.
There is a multi-party system in place. In addition to the ruling National Patriotic Party, which has 21 seats in the Senate and 49 in the House of Representatives, the country has the All Liberian Coalition Party, the Liberian National Union, the People's Party of Liberia, the National Democratic Party of Liberia, the People's Democratic Party of Liberia, the True Whig Party, the unity, the United People's Party and a number of other parties.
Trade unions are united in the Liberian Federation of Trade Unions.
The number of Armed Forces is 14 thousand soldiers and officers (1999).
Economy of Liberia
Liberia is an underdeveloped country with agrarian and raw materials specialization, occupying one of the leading places in the world in the production and export of natural rubber and iron ore. A significant source of the country's income is the provision of a "flag of convenience" to foreign ships. The economy is dominated by foreign capital. The production infrastructure was undermined by the civil war of 1989-96, predetermining the outflow of foreign capital from the country.
GDP 3.6 billion US dollars, i.e. OK. $1,100 per capita (2001). Still ok. 80% of the population is below the poverty line. The GDP growth rate of 5% and inflation of 8% (2001) indicate the post-war revival of the country's economy.
In the sectoral structure of the economy, agriculture accounts for 60% of GDP (2001) and the vast majority of the economically active population is employed in agricultural production - 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 declined sharply, leaving the population dependent on imported food, primarily grains. The war also undermined the production of commercial (export) crops: rubber, cocoa, coffee, and oil palm products. Along with the outflow of capital from foreign companies from the country, there is a redistribution of their investments in the production of export crops, as well as a flow of foreign capital into the extraction of iron ore, diamonds, etc. Nevertheless, the American company Firestone, despite the sale at the end. 1980s of its Liberian rubber operation to the Japanese company, continues to occupy a prominent position in the industry, retaining control of the Hevea plantation.
Due to the spread of the tsetse fly, livestock farming is poorly developed - the herd is represented by a small number of cattle, goats and sheep, as well as pigs.
Mining industries related to 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 type of transport is automobile, the length of roads is 10.6 thousand km, incl. 657 km of paved roads and 9943 km of dirt roads (1996).
The total length of railways is 490 km, incl. 328 km with one track. 345 km have standard (1435 mm) and 145 km have narrow (1067 mm) gauge (2001).
Liberia has ports in Monrovia, Buchan, Greenville, and Harper. In 2002, the country's merchant fleet consisted of 1,513 ships with a displacement of 1,000 tons and above, incl. 1,425 foreign ships using the Liberian flag as a flag of convenience, 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 thousand.
There are 47 airfields in the country, two of them have a paved runway (2001).
There are 7 ultra-short wave and 2 short wave radio stations, a television station and 4 low-power repeaters (2001), 790 thousand radios and 70 thousand televisions (1997) are in use, there are 6.7 thousand telephone lines (2000), 2 Internet providers (2001) and 500 Internet users (2000).
In Liberia there are approx. 10 banks. At the head of the banking system is the Central Bank of Liberia. Liberia's external debt is US$3.5 billion (2003).
The state budget was (2000): revenues 85.4 million, expenses 90.5 million US dollars.
Foreign trade is of utmost importance 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, especially rice.
Science and culture of Liberia
38.3% of adult Liberians can read and write, incl. 53.9% men and 22.4% women (1995 est.). Liberia has three institutions of higher education: the State University of Liberia, the Anglican Cuttington University College and the Catholic College of Our Lady of Fatima.
Republic of Liberia, state in the West Africa. In 1822 G. The United States founded a colony of liberated American blacks on lands acquired in Africa and named it Latin liber "free, independent". In 1847 G. Republic proclaimed.
Geographical names of the world: Toponymic dictionary. - M: AST. Pospelov E.M. 2001.
Liberia
(Liberia"land of freedom"), a state in the West. Africa, on the Atlantic coast. Pl. 111.4 thousand km², capital Monrovia
. African tribes speaking the Kwa language have long lived on the territory of Latvia. In the second half of the 15th century. The Portuguese landed on the coast, establishing a stronghold for the slave trade. At the beginning of the 19th century. Blacks freed from slavery from the United States were resettled on the territory of Latvia. The first settlement was called Monrovia (named after US President J. Monroe), which later became the basis of the state. From August 26 (National holiday) 1847 – Republic of Liberia
, but a significant portion of the territory was captured by Great Britain and France. The indigenous population did not have the right of citizenship until 1904, and the right to vote until 1944. Nowadays the state is headed by the president, the legislative power is vested in a bicameral parliament (House of Representatives and Senate).
The coastal plain is poorly dissected and swampy in places; separated from the lagoons by a sand bar, which makes navigation difficult. As you move away from the coast, the terrain rises and passes into the Leon-Liberian ascent. with individual mountains (up to 1381 m). The climate is subequatorial, hot and humid. There are many short, rapids, flood rivers. They, with the exception of the bottom. river flow St. Paul, not navigable. 26% of the territory is covered by evergreen tropical forests with valuable tree species (red, rosewood, hevea, wine and oil palms, etc.). On the NE. forests with falling leaves; in the extreme north there is tall grass savanna with acacia and baobab; on the coast there are mangrove forests. National Sapo Park, forest reserves.
Population approx. 3.2 million people (2001): peoples of Kru, close in origin, as well as Kpelle, Mano, Loma, Vai, etc. Approx. 3% - Americo-Liberians (descendants of African slaves who returned from the USA), ch. arr. in Monrovia. Official English language. Most of the population adheres to local traditional beliefs, 16% are Muslims, 14% are Christians (primarily Protestants); city dwellers 32% (1985). An agricultural country with a developed mining industry (in rural areas up to 70% of the active population). The following are grown for export: Hevea, cocoa, sugar. cane, palm (kernels) and tobacco; food crops: rice and cassava, bananas. Living due to the lack of pastures and the widespread distribution of the tsetse fly is possible only in the northeast, in the savannah. Forestry (for export); iron production ore (one of the world's largest exporters), diamonds and gold. Food industry, production of railway pellets and building materials; oil refinery, chemical, tab., furniture pr-tiya. Crafts: production of yarn, fabrics, raffia, leather, valuable wood. L. occupies a special place in the magistrate's court. Thanks to low taxes and registration fees, the world's largest maritime fleet is assigned to its ports (vessels owned by shipowners in the USA, Great Britain and Greece). Main ports: Monrovia, Buchanan, Greenville, Harper, Marshall. Cash unit – Liberian dollar.
Dictionary of modern geographical names. - Ekaterinburg: U-Factoria. Under the general editorship of academician. V. M. Kotlyakova. 2006 .
Encyclopedia Around the World. 2008 .
LIBERIA
REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA
Country in West Africa. In the north it borders with Sierra Leone and Guinea, in the east with Cote d'Ivoire. In the south and west it is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The country's area is 99,067 km2.
The population (1998 estimates) is about 2,771,900 people, with an average population density of about 28 people per km2. Ethnic groups: Liberians (descendants of slaves from America) - 5%, local tribes (Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru and others) - 95%. Language: English (state), Mande, Kwa. Religion: Muslims - 20%, Christians - 10%, pagans - 70%. The capital is Monrovia (670,000 people). Largest cities: Buchanan, Harbel, Yekepa. The government system is a civil republic. The head of state - Chairman of the State Council - U. Sankavulo. The currency is the Liberian dollar, although the American dollar has been in circulation in the country since 1943. Average life expectancy (as of 1998): 54 years for men, 57 years for women. The birth rate (per 1000 people) is 41.9. The mortality rate (per 1000 people) is 11.3.
Liberia was founded in 1822 by freed black American slaves. On July 26, 1847, the country became a republic, the constitution of which almost completely copied the US Constitution. Liberia is a member of the UN and most of its specialized branches. Organization of African Unity.
The climate of the country is equatorial and humid. The two rainy seasons last from June to July and from October to November. The average temperature in January is about 26°C; the average July temperature is about 24° C. The fauna in Liberia is very widely represented: pygmy hippos, chimpanzees, elephants, buffalos.
Encyclopedia: cities and countries. 2008 .
Liberia is the oldest independent state in West Africa, formed in 1847 by black settlers from the United States (cm. USA). The territory of Liberia stretches for 500 km along the Atlantic coast and occupies 111 thousand km. The official language is English. Administrative division: 13 counties. The country's population (about 3.1 million people) is ethnically diverse and includes more than 20 nationalities. In the north live the peoples of the Mande linguistic subgroup - Kpelle, Loma, Mano, in the south - the peoples of the Guinean subgroup (Kru, Grebo, Malinke, Crane, Gere). Descendants of the founders of Liberia - immigrants from the United States - now make up less than 1%. The majority of the population adheres to traditional local beliefs and traditional way of life.
Natural conditions and climate
The coastal lowland plain, several tens of kilometers wide, is poorly dissected and swampy in places. There are numerous rivers, but they are short and rapids. Even the largest of them: Mano, Lofa, Saint Paul, Saint John, Sess, Cavalli are unsuitable for navigation. As you move away from the coast, the plain becomes more hilly and turns into the Leono-Liberian Upland with individual mountains, the highest of which is Mount Nimba (1752 m). On the slopes of this mountain is the only reserve in Liberia created to protect rare local flora.
The climate of Liberia is subequatorial, hot and humid: average monthly temperatures do not fall below 23 °C, precipitation falls mainly in the 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 by dense evergreen tropical rainforests, which contain redwood, rosewood, hevea, wine palms and oil palms, among others. Closer to the border with Guinea (cm. Guinea) the forests turn into tall grass savannah with groves of umbrella acacias and baobabs. Mangrove forests grow on the coast. The forests of Liberia are home to many different insects (from termites to tsetse flies), snakes, and monkeys. The savannah is home to buffalos, antelopes, wild boars, and leopards. Coastal waters are rich in fish.
Economy
The main occupations are agriculture, cultivation and harvesting of rubber, valuable wood species, and fishing. There is also industry, mainly mining (iron ores). Low taxes and an open-door economic policy have resulted in the largest merchant fleet in the world flying the Liberian flag (owned, of course, by shipowners from other countries). The largest city is the capital of the country, Monrovia (about 557 thousand inhabitants), founded in 1822. Another major city is Buchanan, a major port and center of rubber plantations.
Story
Since 1821, settlements of freed blacks began to appear on the territory of Liberia - immigrants from the United States, who united in 1839 and founded the state of Liberia. (1847). Americo-Liberians occupied a dominant position in the state administrative apparatus 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. Liberia's transition to civilian rule was completed in 1986. In 1989, the National Patriotic Front began an armed struggle against government forces. With the help of the Inter-African Peacekeeping Force, a transitional government was created in Liberia in 1990, but the struggle between warring factions continued. Only in 2003 was it possible to restore peace in the country.
Tourism
The main attraction of the country is its natural world. First of all, these are tropical forests and magnificent beaches on the Atlantic coast. The length of the coastline is 580 km, about 300 of which are sandy beaches. Most of them are in disrepair. Tourists are advised to choose Bernard Beach, Elwha Beach, Kenema Beach, Kendahe Beach, Sugar Beach, Side Beach, Cooper Beach and Caesars Beach. From December to May, Liberia has excellent climatic conditions for diving. Fans of exotic fishing are recommended to find cozy places near the Saint Paul and Mesurado rivers, as well as on Lake Piso, located 80 km from the capital. Naturalists will be interested in observing rare representatives of the local fauna: water deer and pygmy hippopotamus.
Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, was heavily damaged during the fighting, but the Gurley Street area offers several nightclubs, restaurants and bars. The capital also has a golf club and numerous football fields. Since football is the national sport here, exciting matches are offered as entertainment. 50 km from the city are the world's largest rubber plantations, Firestone.
See what "Liberia" is in other dictionaries:
Liberia. Leono Liberian Highlands. LIBERIA (Republic of Liberia), a state in West Africa, is washed by the Atlantic Ocean. Area 111.4 thousand km2. Population 2.8 million people, mainly Kpelle, Loma, Kru, etc., about 2%... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary
Population of the country (about 4.5 million people) It is diverse in ethnic composition and includes more than 20 nationalities. In the north live the peoples of the Mande linguistic subgroup - Kpelle, Loma, Mano, etc., in the south - the peoples of the Guinean subgroup (kru, grebo, malinke, crane, gere). Descendants of the founders of Liberia - immigrants from the United States - now make up 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 harvesting of rubber, valuable wood species, and fishing. There is also industry, mainly mining (iron ores). Low taxes and open-door economic policies have resulted in the largest merchant fleet in the world flying the Liberian flag. (owned, of course, by shipowners from other countries).
The largest city and capital of Liberia is 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 freed blacks began to appear on the territory of Liberia - immigrants from the United States, who united in 1839 and founded the state of Liberia. (1847) . Americo-Liberians occupied a dominant position in the state administrative apparatus 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. Liberia's transition to civilian rule was completed in 1986. In 1989, the National Patriotic Front began an armed struggle against government forces. With the help of the Inter-African Peacekeeping Force, a transitional government was created in Liberia in 1990, but the struggle between warring 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 inland areas).
About a third of the country's territory is covered by dense evergreen tropical rainforests, which contain redwood, rosewood, hevea, wine palms and oil palms, among others. Closer to the border with Guinea, the forests turn into tall grass savannah with groves of umbrella acacias and baobabs. Mangrove forests grow on the coast.
The forests of Liberia are home to many different insects. (from termites to tsetse flies), snakes, monkeys. The savannah is home to buffalos, antelopes, wild boars, and leopards. Coastal waters are rich in fish.
Story
The history of Liberia as a political entity begins with the arrival of the first black American settlers - Americo-Liberians, as they called themselves - to Africa - on the coast of which they founded a colony of "free people of color" in 1822. (free men of color) under the auspices of the American Colonization Society. By agreement with the leaders of local tribes, the settlers acquired territories with an area of more than 13 thousand square meters. km - for goods with a total value of 50 US dollars.
In 1824, this colony received the name Liberia, and its constitution was adopted. By 1828, settlers had captured the entire coast of modern Liberia. (length about 500 km), and then also occupied parts of the coast of modern Sierra Leone and Kotdivoir.
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 a “promised land,” but did not seek to join the African community. Arriving in Africa, they called themselves Americans and, both by the indigenous inhabitants and by the British colonial authorities of neighboring Sierra Leone, were considered precisely Americans. Symbols of their state (flag, motto and seal), as well as the chosen form of government, reflected the American past of the Americo-Liberians.
The religion, customs and sociocultural standards of the Americo-Liberians were based on the traditions of the antebellum American South. Mutual distrust and enmity between the “Americans” from the coast and the “indigenous” from the hinterland gave rise to attempts that continued throughout the history of the country (quite successful) the Americo-Liberian minority to dominate the local blacks, whom they considered barbarians and inferior people.
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. The Liberian government was modeled after the American government, and was democratic in structure, but not always in substance. After 1877, the True Whig Party monopolized power in the country, and all important positions were held by members of this party.
Three problems facing 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 lost much of its previously seized territory to annexation by Britain and France in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. 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 hampered by a lack of markets for Liberian goods and debt obligations on a series of loans, the payment of which drained the economy.
At the beginning of the First World War, Liberia declared its neutrality, hoping to maintain trade relations with Germany, which by 1914 accounted for more than half of Liberia's foreign trade turnover. However, the blockade of maritime trade routes established by the Entente countries deprived Liberia of this most important trading partner. The import of industrial goods stopped almost completely, and serious difficulties with food arose.
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, allowing labor to be recruited from Liberia for plantations in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon was considered; recruited workers were subjected to cruel treatment and were practically treated like slaves. The then President Charles King was forced to resign, and Great Britain even raised the issue of establishing trusteeship over Liberia. The League of Nations Commission confirmed the main points of the charges.
After the outbreak of World War II, Liberia again declared neutrality, but its territory was used to transport 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 Liberia soon became a major exporter of rubber and iron ore. In 1971, President Tubman, who served five terms in this post, died, and was replaced by William Tolbert, who had served as vice president for 19 years. Continuing the domestic policies of his predecessor, Tolbert maintained close ties with the United States, but at the same time sought to increase Liberia's role in African affairs, opposed apartheid, and improved relations with socialist countries. His economic reforms led to some positive effects, but corruption and mismanagement offset them. In the 1970s, political opposition to Tolbert emerged, and the worsening economic situation led to increased social tension. Prices rose, and this led to numerous "rice riots", the largest of which occurred in April 1979, when Tolbert ordered the shooting of the rioting crowd, which ultimately led to riots and a general strike.
On April 12, 1980, a coup took place in Liberia. Tolbert was killed, his comrades were executed, the country was led by Sergeant Samuel Doe, a representative of the Krahn tribe, and awarded himself the rank of general. If at first the change of power was received positively by citizens, then Doe's constant efforts to strengthen his power and the ongoing economic recession led to a decline in his popularity and a series of unsuccessful military coups. In 1985, Liberia returned to civilian rule, the election won by Doe, who had previously given himself one year to meet the stated minimum presidential age of 35, and carried out extensive fraud; According to independent polls, the opposition candidate won, receiving about 80% of the vote.
In 1989, a civil war began in the country. The forces of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia, led by Charles Taylor, crossed the border from Cote d'Ivoire and captured 90% of the country's territory in a year and a half of fighting. An anarchist group led by Yedu Johnson broke away from him, fighting both against government troops and against Taylor. The Economic Community of West African Countries sent a contingent of 3 thousand 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, he was forced to eat, and then he was killed.
In the early 90s, the country experienced a large-scale conflict, which involved several factions 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 region Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire, and from states located at a considerable distance from the theater of operations, Togo and Libya. As a result, the opposing countries of these states supported Taylor’s opponents. For neighboring Sierra Leone, this resulted in the outbreak of a civil war on its territory, to which Taylor made significant efforts, de facto becoming the founding father of the Revolutionary United Front. Military operations were carried out with great cruelty, and torture was used on a massive scale. According to the most conservative estimates, the war resulted in the movement of more than half a million refugees to neighboring countries. The result of the first round was the signing of a peace agreement and the 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 and made several incursions into Liberian territory from neighboring countries. In 2002, with the active help and support of Guinean President Lansana Conte, a major opposition movement, LURD, was created, which, after a year and a half military campaign, managed to overthrow Taylor and expel him from the country.
In the 2005 presidential election, the famous football player George Weah was considered the favorite, winning the first round by a slight margin, but Helen Johnson Sirleaf, a Harvard graduate and former employee of the World Bank and many other international financial institutions, won the second round.
On August 6, 2014, a state of emergency was declared in Liberia due to Ebola. As of September 16, 2,407 people were infected with the virus and 1,296 people died.
Economy
Liberia's main economic sectors are the cultivation of food crops, mainly rice and cassava, by indigenous Liberians on small farms, as well as iron ore mining 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 part of the retail trade. Foreigners own the banking system and construction, railways and part of the roads. The country is forced to import almost all industrial goods, fuel and a significant part of food.
Before the start 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 agricultural production types, from rain-fed rice farming to indigenous Liberian consumer farms (3/4 of the population is engaged in this) to the production of export crops on foreign-owned plantations employing hired workers. The benefits of wage work led to the exodus of peasants from the subsistence sector to the plantations, which led to a significant reduction in rice production, the shortage of which necessitated a sharp increase in its imports. Growing rice on irrigated land has not brought the desired results. Cultivated throughout Liberia, cassava plays an important role in the diet of the southern coastal population. Cereals, fruits and vegetables are grown for domestic consumption. The fruit of the oil palm produces a thick, orange-colored oil used for cooking. Livestock farming 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 an agreement in 1926, under 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 brought the largest income to the country. In the 1980s, the Firestone and B.F. Goodrich plantations were sold to Japanese and English companies, respectively. Until now, almost all of Liberia's rubber production is concentrated there.
Oil palm, coffee tree, chocolate tree and piassava also produce export products. Timber from valuable tropical species is of great export importance.