Lying on the Atlantic in the southern part of West Africa, Liberia is bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Côte d'Ivoire. It is comparable in size to Tennessee. Most of the country is a plateau covered by dense tropical forests, which thrive under an annual rainfall of about 160 in. a year.
Country lead by President: Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (2006)
Population
3,042,004 (growth rate: 4.9%); birth rate: 44.8/1000; infant mortality rate: 155.8/1000; life expectancy: 39.6; density per sq mi: 82
Land Area
37,189 sq mi (96,320 sq km); total area: 43,000 sq mi (111,370 sq km)
Monetary unit
Liberian dollar Language
English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic-group languages
Ethnicity indigenous African tribes 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, Bella, Mandingo, and Mende), Americo-Liberians 2.5% (descendants of former U.S. slaves), Congo People 2.5% (descendants of former Caribbean slaves)
Religion traditional 40%, Christian 40%, Islam 20%
Transportation Railways: total: 490 km; note: none of the railways are in operation (2002). Highways: total: 10,600 km; paved: 657 km; unpaved: 9,943 km (1999 est.). Ports and harbors: Buchanan, Greenville, Harper, Monrovia. Airports: 47 (2002).
