Country Facts - Libera

The People

Nationality

Liberian

Ethnic Composition

African tribes*	95%
Americo-Liberians	2.5%
Congo People	2.5%

*includes Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, and Bella peoples.

Religious Composition

Indigenous beliefs	40%
Christian	40%
Muslim	0%

Languages Spoken

English is the official language of government and business in Liberia. There are 20 major African language groups spoken in Liberia.

Education and Literacy

Liberia's overall adult literacy is around 38.3 percent. Among males it is 53.9 percent and females 22.4 percent.

Labor Force

Total: N/A

By occupation:

Agriculture	70%
Services	22%
Industry	8%

Geography

Land Mass Total

43,000 sq mi (111,370 sq km)

Land

37,189 sq mi (96,320 sq km)

Water

5,810 sq mi (15,050 sq km)

Land Boundaries

Total: 984 mi (1,585 km)
Border countries: Guinea 349 mi (563 km), Cote d'Ivoire 444 mi (716 km), Sierra Leone 190 mi (306 km)

Coastline

359 mi (579 km)

Maritime claim

Territorial sea: 200 nm

Climate/Weather

Tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; summers are the rainy season with frequent, heavy showers.

Terrain

Flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast.

Elevation extremes

Lowest: Atlantic Ocean 0 ft (0 m)
Highest: Mount Wutivi 4,527 ft (1,380 m)

Natural Resources

Iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower.

Land use

Arable land	2%
Permanent crops	2%
Other	96%

(1998)

Natural hazards

Dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March).

Environment - current issues

Tropical rain forests in the area are subject to deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; in addition, coastal waters are polluted from oil residue and raw sewage.

Geography Note

Facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars; the inland grassy plateau supports limited agriculture.

Demographics

Population

3,288,198 (July 2002)

Age structure

0-14 years:	43.3%	Male: 714,563	Female: 709,582
15-64 years:	53.2%	Male: 854,324	Female: 894,753
65 years and over:	3.5%	Male: 57,925	Female: 57,051

Growth Rate

1.91% (2002)

Life Expectancy

51.8 years (2002)
Female: 53.33 years
Male: 50.33 years

GDP Per Capita

Purchasing power parity
US$1,100 (2001)

Infant Mortality

130.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2002)

Sex ratio

At birth:	1.03 male(s)/female
Under 15 years:	1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years:	0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over:	1.02 male(s)/female
Total population:	0.98 male(s)/female

(2002)

Net migration rate

-10.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002)
Note: by the end of 1999, all Liberian refugees who had fled the domestic strife were assumed to have returned.

Economy & Trade

A civil war in 1989-96 destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around Monrovia. Many businessmen fled the country, taking capital and expertise with them. Some returned; many will not return. Richly endowed with water, mineral resources, forests, and a climate favorable to agriculture, Liberia had been a producer and exporter of basic products, while local manufacturing, mainly foreign owned, had been small in scope. The democratically elected government, installed in August 1997, inherited massive international debts and currently relies on revenues from its maritime registry and timber industry to provide the bulk of its foreign exchange earnings. The restoration of the infrastructure and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economy depend on the implementation of sound macro- and micro-economic policies of the new government, including the encouragement of foreign investment. Recent growth has been from a low base, and continued growth will require major policy successes and containment of armed rebellion. Such is the state of the Liberian economy that The Economist listed the country as "the world's worst place to live in 2003". Real GDP contracted in 2002 (-5%) and is expected to be --8 percent in 2003. Funding agencies and private investors are wisely steering clear.

Unemployment

70%

Inflation Rate

8% (2001)

Industries

Rubber processing, palm oil processing, diamonds.

Exports

US$55 million (f.o.b., 2000)

Imports

US$170 million (f.o.b., 2000)

Total Trade

Purchasing power parity
GDP US$3.6 billion (2001)

Top Export Partners

Belgium 38.5%, Germany 17.6%, Italy 6.0%, US 5.8% (2000)

Top Import Partners

France 29.1%, South Korea 20.6%, Japan 15.8%, Singapore 8.4% (2000)

Top Exports

Diamonds, iron ore, rubber, timber, coffee.

Top Imports

Fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, rice and other foodstuffs.

Debt - external

US$2.1 billion (2000)

Economic aid

Recipient: US$94 million (1999)

Fiscal Year:

Calendar year

Business Workweek

	Monday - Friday	Saturday - Sunday
Offices	8a.m. to noon, and 2p.m. to 5p.m.	Closed
Retail	8a.m. to noon, and 1:30p.m. to 6:30p.m.	Saturday 8a.m. to noon.
Banks	Monday through Thursday 9a.m. to noon. Friday 8a.m. to 2p.m.	Closed
Government	8a.m. to noon and 2p.m. to 5p.m.	Closed

Holidays

Official Holidays

Holidays	2003	2004	2005
New Year's Day	January 1	January 1	January 1
Armed Forces Day	February 11	February 11	February 11
Decoration Day	March 8	March 8	March 8
J.J. Robert's Birthday	March 15	March 15	March 15
Easter¹	April 20	April 11	March 27
National Redemption Day	April 12	April 12	April 12
Fast and Prayer Day	April 14	April 14	April 14
Samuel K.Doe's Birthday	May 6	May 6	May 6
National Unification Day	May 14	May 14	May 14
Africa Day	May 25	May 25	May 25
Independence Day	July 26	July 26	July 26
National Flag Day	August 24	August 24	August 24
National Youth Day	October 29	October 29	October 29
Thanksgiving Day	November 2, 6, and 7	November 2, 6, and 7	November 2, 6, and 7
President Tubman's Birthday	November 29	November 29	November 29
Christmas Day²	December 25	December 25	December 25

Easter, a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is the first Sunday after the full moon and the vernal equinox (fixed in the Gregorian calendar at March 21), and often observed with Good Friday and Easter Monday. In the West, Easter is predicted using the Gregorian calendar, while Eastern Orthodox Christians use the much older Julian calendar, and celebrate 13 days later.

Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. In A.D.320, Pope Julius I fixed the date at December 25 based on the Gregorian calendar. The Orthodox church calculates Christmas using the Julian calendar and celebrates 13 days later on January 7.

Country information used by permission of World Trade Press