Country Profile · No. 27

Liberia

Capital / Admin Capital

MonroviaPopulation: ~5.4MIndependence: 1847 (July 26)

First President

Joseph Jenkins Roberts (First President, 1848–1856)Current President: Joseph Boakai (Serving since January 2024)

Geography & Borders

Sierra Leone, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Atlantic Ocean. West African coastal republic featuring dense tropical rainforests.

Demographics & Language

Christianity (~85%), Islam (~12%). Official: English language. Major groups: Kpelle (~20%), Bassa (~13%), Grebo (~10%), Gio (~8%), Mano (~7%), Americo-Liberians.

Economy & GDP

Iron ore mining, rubber production (Firestone plantation), timber, maritime ship registry.

Global Diaspora

1. United States (~80k–100k), 2. Guinea (~50k), 3. Ghana (~30k). U.S. Hubs (States / Cities): Minnesota (Minneapolis/Brooklyn Park), Rhode Island (Providence), Pennsylvania (Philadelphia).

Major Conflicts

First Liberian Civil War (1989–1996), Second Liberian Civil War (1999–2003, devastating conflicts involving child soldiers and regional warlords).

3 Must-See Sites

1. Sapo National Park (Liberia's largest protected primary rainforest, harboring forest elephants, chimpanzees, and leopards), 2. Providence Island (Monrovia) (Historic site where the first free African-American settlers landed in 1822), 3. Robertsport Beaches (Stunning Atlantic coastal town renowned for world-class surfing waves and historic 19th-century colonial houses).

Quick Facts

Founded by the American Colonization Society in 1822 as a settlement for freed African-Americans, making it Africa's oldest republic; one of only three countries globally (alongside the US and Myanmar) not officially utilizing the metric system for everyday measurements.