Liberia

I

Introduction

Liberia, republic in West Africa, on the Atlantic Ocean coast. A sparsely populated land, Liberia was founded in the early 1800s by freed American slaves. The Liberian Civil War, from 1989 to 1996, killed 150,000 people and devastated the country’s economy and infrastructure. Liberia is bounded on the north by Sierra Leone and Guinea, on the east by Côte d’Ivoire, and on the south and west by the Atlantic Ocean.

II

Land and Resources

Liberia rises gradually from the Atlantic coastal plain, through a region of hills and plateaus, toward the steep Guinea Highlands. Liberia has an area of 99,067 sq km (38,250 sq mi). Monrovia is the capital and largest city.

A

Natural Regions

Estuaries of parallel-flowing major rivers—such as the Mano, Lofa, St. Paul, and Cavally—break the monotony of Liberia’s straight shoreline but provide no harbors. The coastline extends 579 km (360 mi). Constant heavy surf and moderate tidal range have built up sandspits and sandbars that shift over buried stones in the river mouths. The coastal plain, extending about 80 km (about 50 mi) inland, is fringed with lagoons and swamps.

Farther inland, the land rises gradually to densely forested ridges of hills. Steep escarpments separate the hill country from the sparsely populated plateaus to the north. Above these plateaus rise the discontinuous Guinea Highlands and Nimba Range along the border with Guinea. In the valleys are many open grasslands, with scattered thickets of brush and dense woodland. Mount Wuteve is the highest point in Liberia, at 1,380 m (4,528 ft).

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B

Climate

The climate of Liberia is equatorial and humid, particularly during the June to July and October to November rainy seasons. Annual rainfall varies from 2,240 mm (88 in) in the interior to 5,210 mm (205 in) along the coast. The average temperature in Monrovia is about 26°C (about 79°F) in January and 24°C (about 76°F) in July.