31 Facts About Liberia

Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. 

Liberia has an area of 111,369 square km. 

Monrovia is the capital city of Liberia. 

English is the Official Language of Liberia.

Liberia's official currency is Liberian Dollar.

Liberia is bounded by Sierra Leone to the northwest, Guinea to the north, Côte d’Ivoire to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south and west.

Liberia is Africa's only Black state that has never been colonised.

Liberia is also Africa's oldest republic, having been founded in 1821 on land purchased for freed US slaves by the American Colonization Society.

Pedro de Sintra, a Portuguese sailor, was the first European to visit what would become Liberia, arriving on the Liberian coast in 1461.

To Europeans, the region was known as the Grain Coast or the Pepper Coast because the valuable grain of Melegueta pepper was the main item of trade in the region.

Liberia was named for the territory in 1824, and Liberian independence was declared in 1847.

From 1989 to 2003, a ruthless civil war killed 250,000 people and mutilated and raped thousands more, often by armies of drugged child soldiers led by warlords.

Former Liberian President Charles Taylor was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to 50 years in prison in 2012. Terrorism, rape, murder, and the use of child soldiers by Sierra Leonean rebel groups were among his crimes.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia is the continent's first female head of state. She served as President of Liberia from 2006 to 2018.

Johnson Sirleaf received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 for her work as part of a "non-violent struggle for women's safety and women's rights to full participation in peace-building work."

From 2013 to 2016, there was a deadly Ebola virus outbreak in Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone. Around 11,300 people were killed, the majority of whom were in Liberia.

Liberia's name derives from the Latin word "liber," which means "free," as the country was founded as a home for freed African-American slaves.

Monrovia, the country's capital city, was named after James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States and a supporter of freed slave colonisation of Liberia.

Monrovia is one of two national capitals in the United States named after an American president, the other being Washington, DC.

The Liberian flag is based on the American flag. A single star represents Liberia's status as Africa's only independent Western-style state. The 11 stripes symbolise the number of men who signed Liberia's Declaration of Independence.

One out of every ten ships in the world is registered in Liberia and sails under its flag to avoid taxes and stricter employment regulations. "Flag of convenience" is the term for this practise. Only Panama has more registered ships under its flag.

Liberia is considered to be one of the world's hungriest countries, with severe hunger.

Liberia has one of the world's youngest populations, with a median age of only 18 years.

Liberia is one of 27 countries with no UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It does, however, have two properties on the Tentative List (properties intended to be submitted for nomination).

Former professional footballer George Weah was elected President of Liberia in 2018. Before entering politics in 2002, Weah played for PSG, AC Milan, and Chelsea.

Liberia has only one national park, Sapo National Park. Lonely Planet says it is "one of West Africa's best national parks" and contains "some of West Africa's last remaining primary rainforest".

Sapo National Park is home to the endangered pygmy hippopotamus, also known as the pygmy hippo. It is referred to as a "water cow" by Liberians.

Liberia is quickly becoming one of Africa's premier surf destinations. Robertsport, a fishing village with beautiful beaches and excellent waves, is at the heart of the growing surfing community.

Liberia is home to the world's largest rubber plantation. The Firestone Rubber Plantation, a subsidiary of Bridgestone, has been in operation in Liberia since 1926.

Liberia is one of the world's poorest countries. In 2020, it was ranked seventh-poorest in terms of GDP per capita based on purchasing power parity (PPP).

Liberia is one of only three countries that does not use the metric measurement system. Myanmar and the United States are the other two.