CIA World Fact Book, 2004/Liberia


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!| Background:
 * In August 2003, a comprehensive peace agreement ended 14 years of civil war and prompted the resignation of former president Charles TAYLOR, who was exiled to Nigeria. The National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL) - which is composed of rebel, government, and civil society groups - assumed control in October 2003. Chairman Gyude BRYANT, who was given a two-year mandate to oversee efforts to rebuild Liberia, heads the new government. The United Nations 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.
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!| Location: !| Geographic coordinates: !| Map references: !| Area: water: 15,050 sq km land: 96,320 sq km !| Area - comparative: !| Land boundaries: border countries: Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km !| Coastline: !| Maritime claims: !| Climate: !| Terrain: !| Elevation extremes: highest point: Mount Wuteve 1,380 m !| Natural resources: !| Land use: permanent crops: 2.28% other: 93.77% (2001) !| Irrigated land: !| Natural hazards: !| Environment - current issues: !| Environment - international agreements: signed, but not ratified: Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation !| Geography - note:
 * Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone
 * 6 30 N, 9 30 W
 * Africa
 * total: 111,370 sq km
 * slightly larger than Tennessee
 * total: 1,585 km
 * 579 km
 * territorial sea: 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
 * lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
 * iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower
 * arable land: 3.95%
 * 30 sq km (1998 est.)
 * dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March)
 * tropical rain forest deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage
 * party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
 * facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars; the inland grassy plateau supports limited agriculture
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!| Population: !| Age structure: 15-64 years: 52.9% (male 875,951; female 918,570) 65 years and over: 3.6% (male 61,867; female 61,062) (2004 est.) !| Median age: male: 17.7 years female: 18.4 years (2004 est.) !| Population growth rate: !| Birth rate: !| Death rate: !| Net migration rate: note: at least 200,000 Liberian refugees are in surrounding countries; the uncertain security situation has hindered their ability to return (2004 est.) !| Sex ratio: under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.) !| Infant mortality rate: female: 123.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 137.32 deaths/1,000 live births !| Life expectancy at birth: male: 46.9 years female: 48.99 years (2004 est.) !| Total fertility rate: !| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: !| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: !| HIV/AIDS - deaths: !| Major infectious diseases: overall degree of risk: very high (2004) !| Nationality: adjective: Liberian !| Ethnic groups: !| Religions: !| Languages: !| Literacy: total population: 57.5% male: 73.3% female: 41.6% note: (2003 est.)
 * 3,390,635 (July 2004 est.)
 * 0-14 years: 43.4% (male 742,508; female 730,677)
 * total: 18.1 years
 * 2.7% (2004 est.)
 * 44.81 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 17.86 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
 * at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
 * total: 130.51 deaths/1,000 live births
 * total population: 47.93 years
 * 6.16 children born/woman (2004 est.)
 * 5.9% (2003 est.)
 * 100,000 (2003 est.)
 * 7,200 (2003 est.)
 * typhoid fever, malaria, yellow fever, Lassa fever, schistosomiasis
 * noun: Liberian(s)
 * 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)
 * indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%
 * English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages, of which a few can be written and are used in correspondence
 * definition: age 15 and over can read and write
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!| Country name: conventional short form: Liberia !| Government type: !| Capital: !| Administrative divisions: !| Independence: !| National holiday: !| Constitution: !| Legal system: !| Suffrage: !| Executive branch: head of government: Chairman Gyude BRYANT (since 14 October 2003); note - this is an interim position until presidential elections in 2005; the chairman is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate; note - current cabinet positions are divided among groups participating in the Liberian peace process elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (renewable); election last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held NA October 2005) note:: a UN-brokered cease-fire among warring factions and the Liberian government resulted in the August 2003 resignation of former president Charles TAYLOR; a jointly agreed upon replacement, Chairman Gyude BRYANT, assumed office as head of the National Transitional Government on 14 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%; note - Taylor stepped down in August 2003 !| Legislative branch: 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 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 October 2005) !| Judicial branch: !| Political parties and leaders: !| Political pressure groups and leaders: !| International organization participation: !| Diplomatic representation in the US: chancery: 5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 consulate(s) general: New York FAX: [1] (202) 723-0436 telephone: [1] (202) 723-0437 !| Diplomatic representation from the US: embassy: 111 United Nations Drive, P. O. Box 10-0098, Mamba Point, 1000 Monrovia, 10 Liberia mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [231] 226-370 through 226-380 FAX: [231] 226-148 !| Flag description:
 * conventional long form: Republic of Liberia
 * republic
 * Monrovia
 * 15 counties; Bomi, Bong, Gbarpolu, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, River Gee, Sinoe
 * 26 July 1847
 * Independence Day, 26 July (1847)
 * 6 January 1986
 * 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
 * 18 years of age; universal
 * chief of state: Chairman Gyude BRYANT (since 14 October 2003); note - this is an interim position until presidential elections in 2005; the chairman is both the chief of state and head of government
 * bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (26 seats; 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)
 * Supreme Court
 * Alliance of Political Parties (a coalition of LAP and LUP) [leader NA]; All Liberia Coalition Party or ALCOP [Peter KERBAY]; Liberian Action Party or LAP [C. Gyude BRYANT]; Liberian People's Party or LPP [Koffa NAGBE]; Liberia Unification Party or LUP [leader NA]; National Patriotic Party or NPP [Cyril ALLEN] - governing party; United People's Party or UPP [Wesley JOHNSON]; Unity Party or UP [Charles CLARKE]
 * NA
 * ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
 * chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Aaron B. KOLLIE
 * chief of mission: Ambassador John William BLANEY III
 * 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
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!| Economy - overview: !| GDP: !| GDP - real growth rate: !| GDP - per capita: !| GDP - composition by sector: industry: 5.4% services: 17.7% (2002 est.) !| Population below poverty line: !| Household income or consumption by percentage share: highest 10%: NA !| Inflation rate (consumer prices): !| Labor force - by occupation: !| Unemployment rate: !| Budget: expenditures: $90.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2000 est.) !| Agriculture - products: !| Industries: !| Industrial production growth rate: !| Electricity - production: !| Electricity - consumption: !| Electricity - exports: !| Electricity - imports: !| Oil - production: !| Oil - consumption: !| Oil - imports: !| Exports: !| Exports - commodities: !| Exports - partners: !| Imports: !| Imports - commodities: !| Imports - partners: !| Debt - external: !| Economic aid - recipient: !| Currency: !| Currency code: !| Exchange rates: !| Fiscal year:
 * Civil war and misgovernment have destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around Monrovia. Many businessmen have fled the country, taking capital and expertise with them. Some have returned, 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. The departure of the former president, Charles TAYLOR, to Nigeria in August 2003, the establishment of the all-inclusive National Transition Government of Liberia (NTGL), and the arrival of a UN mission are all encouraging signs that the political crisis is coming to an end. The restoration of infrastructure and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economy depend on the implementation of sound macro- and micro-economic policies, including the encouragement of foreign investment, and generous support from donor countries.
 * purchasing power parity - $3.261 billion (2003 est.)
 * 3% (2003 est.)
 * purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2003 est.)
 * agriculture: 76.9%
 * 80%
 * lowest 10%: NA
 * 15% (2003 est.)
 * agriculture 70%, industry 8%, services 22% (2000 est.)
 * 85% (2003 est.)
 * revenues: $85.4 million
 * rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, sugarcane, bananas; sheep, goats; timber
 * rubber processing, palm oil processing, timber, diamonds
 * NA
 * 468.8 million kWh (2001)
 * 435.9 million kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * 3,100 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * NA (2001)
 * $1.079 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
 * rubber, timber, iron, diamonds, cocoa, coffee
 * Germany 43.3%, Poland 10.9%, Greece 9.1%, US 6%, France 5.5%, Thailand 4.9%, China 4.1% (2003)
 * $5.051 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
 * fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods; foodstuffs
 * South Korea 39.2%, Japan 16.2%, Singapore 12.4%, Germany 9.9%, Spain 4.1% (2003)
 * $2.1 billion (2000 est.)
 * $94 million (1999)
 * Liberian dollar (LRD)
 * LRD
 * Liberian dollars per US dollar - NA (2003), 61.7542 (2002), 48.5833 (2001), 40.9525 (2000), 41.9025 (1999)
 * calendar year
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!| Telephones - main lines in use: !| Telephones - mobile cellular: !| Telephone system: domestic: NA international: country code - 231; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) !| Radio broadcast stations: !| Radios: !| Television broadcast stations: !| Televisions: !| Internet country code: !| Internet hosts: !| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): !| Internet users:
 * 7,000 (2001)
 * 2,000 (2001)
 * general assessment: telephone and telegraph service via microwave radio relay network; main center is Monrovia
 * AM 0, FM 7, shortwave 2 (2001)
 * 790,000 (1997)
 * 1 (plus four low-power repeaters) (2001)
 * 70,000 (1997)
 * .lr
 * 14 (2004)
 * 2 (2001)
 * 1,000 (2002)
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!| Railways: standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 145 km 1.067-m gauge note: none of the railways are in operation (2003) !| Highways: paved: 657 km unpaved: 9,943 km (1999 est.) !| Ports and harbors: !| Merchant marine: registered in other countries: 35 (2004 est.) foreign-owned: Argentina 9, Australia 3, Austria 16, Belgium 8, Bermuda 1, Brazil 5, Chile 7, China 40, Croatia 11, Cyprus 4, Denmark 4, Estonia 1, France 3, Germany 510, Greece 142, Hong Kong 56, Iceland 1, India 3, Indonesia 1, Israel 4, Italy 8, Japan 81, South Korea 7, Latvia 22, Isle of Man 5, Mexico 1, Monaco 59, Netherlands 11, Nigeria 2, Norway 54, Panama 1, Poland 2, Portugal 6, Russia 68, Saudi Arabia 23, Singapore 43, Slovenia 1, Spain 1, Sri Lanka 1, Sweden 9, Switzerland 7, Taiwan 36, Turkey 3, Ukraine 3, United Kingdom 36, United States 95, Uruguay 3 by type: bulk 278, cargo 67, chemical tanker 161, combination bulk 10, combination ore/oil 20, container 388, liquefied gas 77, multi-functional large load carrier 3, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 317, refrigerated cargo 62, roll on/roll off 14, short-sea/passenger 3, specialized tanker 13, vehicle carrier 33 !| Airports: !| Airports - with paved runways: over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) !| Airports - with unpaved runways: 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 38 (2004 est.)
 * total: 490 km
 * total: 10,600 km
 * Buchanan, Greenville, Harper, Monrovia, Robertsport
 * total: 1,449 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 50,555,752 GRT/79,125,329 DWT
 * 53 (2003 est.)
 * total: 2
 * total: 51
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!| Military branches: !| Military manpower - military age and obligation: !| Military manpower - availability: !| Military manpower - fit for military service: !| Military expenditures - dollar figure: !| Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
 * Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL): Army, Navy, Air Force
 * 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001)
 * males age 15-49: 752,943 (2004 est.)
 * males age 15-49: 406,293 (2004 est.)
 * $10 million (2003)
 * 1.3% (2003)
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