Population of Liberia. Liberia: The Sad Story of a Free Country

Liberia celebrates its Independence Day on 26 July. This small West African country is one of the most historically remarkable states of the continent. Strictly speaking, Independence Day is more likely the day of the creation of Liberia, since it is one of the few African countries that has managed to maintain its sovereignty and has never been a colony of any European power. Moreover, Liberia is a kind of "African Israel". Not in the sense that Jews also live here, but because it was created as a state of repatriates who returned "to their historical homeland." The "Country of Freedom" on the coast of West Africa owes its appearance to the descendants of African slaves taken to North America, who decided to return to their ancestral homeland and create their own independent state here.

The coast of the Atlantic Ocean, where Liberia is located, is a land of plains and low mountains. Since ancient times, it has been inhabited by Negroid tribes speaking various Niger-Congolese languages. First of all, these are ethnic groups attributed to the Mande and Kru language families: Mande, Vai, Bassa, rowbo, crane, Gere, etc. They actually did not know statehood, however, the European colonialists were in no hurry to completely conquer the territory of modern Liberia. In the period from the 15th to the 17th centuries. there were several Portuguese trading posts that served as centers of trade. The Portuguese called the territory of modern Liberia the Pepper Coast.

To the promised land

In 1822, the first groups of African Americans landed on the territory of the Atlantic coast of West Africa - in the area of ​​the same Pepper Coast. Former slaves, whose ancestors were exported from West Africa by the Portuguese and Dutch. English slave traders on the plantations of North America and the West Indies, hoped that in their historical homeland they would be able to find their happiness. Although most of the settlers were born already in America and had only a genetic relationship to the Black Continent, the new settlers perceived African land as their homeland. The American Colonization Society initiated the repatriation of former slaves to West Africa. It operated in the 19th century with the support of a part of the slave owners who did not want to see freed slaves on the territory of the United States. As the number of freedmen increased every year, advocates of the preservation of the slave system began to fear undermining the very foundations of the social order that had developed in the United States.

That is, initially it was the racial intolerance of the slave owners and their social conservatism that acted as an impetus for the beginning of the repatriation of former slaves to the continent. White slave repatriation theorists were convinced that the concentration in the United States of a significant number of freed African slaves would not do anything good and would entail such negative consequences as an increase in marginalized population and crime, plus inevitable racial mixing. Accordingly, it was decided to spread the idea of ​​returning to the land of their ancestors among the released slaves and their descendants, which was what the repatriation leaders did from among the African Americans themselves.

The freedmen themselves, oddly enough, agreed in the interests with yesterday's exploiters - slave owners. True, from their point of view, the motives for the need to repatriate former slaves to Africa were different. First of all, the leaders of the freedmen saw in the return to the land of their ancestors liberation from the racial discrimination that was inevitable in the United States. On the African continent, former slaves could find the long-awaited freedom and true equality.

In the first quarter of the 19th century, the leaders of the American Colonization Society were actively negotiating with congressmen on the one hand and representatives of Great Britain on the other. At that time, the British Empire already owned the Lion Mountains - the territory of modern Sierra Leone and allowed the first immigrants to settle there. For the British, Westernized and English-speaking descendants of North American slaves could act as conduits for British influence in West Africa.

It should be noted that the British Empire before the United States began the practice of exporting freed slaves to West Africa. The reason for this was pure chance. A ship wrecked off the coast of Britain was carrying several hundred Africans into slavery in North America. According to the laws of Great Britain, the Africans who escaped from the ship, who were placed in Liverpool, could not remain slaves on the land of the metropolis and they were given freedom. However, what could be done in England by those who did not know the language and who were completely not adapted to the local conditions of Africans? The Committee for the Liberation of Unhappy Blacks was formed, an organization of English philanthropists who set as their goal the salvation of Africans by returning them to their homeland.

In 1787, a ship carrying 351 Africans landed on the coast of Sierra Leone. A little later, a much larger party of repatriates arrived - 1,131 freed Africans from Canada. They were freed for taking part in the fighting on the side of Britain during the American Revolutionary War. In 1792, they were the ones who founded Freetown - the future capital of Sierra Leone, the name of which is translated as "City of the Free". In the 19th century, freedmen were added to the freed war veterans - former slaves from the British colonies in the West Indies, primarily in Jamaica. Therefore, when the American Colonization Society began to probe the question of the possibility of placing immigrants from the United States in West Africa, the British agreed to let them into Sierra Leone. In 1816, the first batch of 38 ex-slaves was brought to Sierra Leone on a ship commanded by Paul Caffi, a sambo racial (half-Indian, half-African of the Ashanti people).

However, the main stream of American immigrants after 1816 was directed to the neighboring coast of Sierra Leone on the Pepper Coast. In 1822, a colony of "free people of color" was created here, who called themselves "American-Liberians." In 1824, the territory occupied by the colonists received the official name Liberia, and on July 26, 1847, the independence of the Republic of Liberia was proclaimed - the first African state, created on the model of the United States by American repatriates.

It is significant that yesterday's slaves who arrived on the Liberian coast did not want to return to the traditions and foundations of social life that the indigenous peoples of West Africa lived with. The American Liberians preferred to reproduce the external attributes of the American state on the West African coast. Liberia became a presidential republic, and political parties were created in it along the American-British model. The capital of Liberia, Monrovia, even built its own Capitol, and the flag of Liberia resembles the flag of the United States of America.

On the other hand, it was precisely the emphasis on the pro-American character of Liberia that possibly saved this country from the fate of colonization, which in one way or another affected all the countries of the African continent. At least by the British and French, who ruled in neighboring Sierra Leone and Guinea, Liberians were perceived as American subjects. However, the American-Liberians themselves tried in every possible way to emphasize their American origin, their "otherness" in comparison with the indigenous population of West Africa.

America failed

The political system of Liberia, as already mentioned, was imitated from the American one, however, numerous socio-economic problems made themselves felt in Liberia, despite the absence of a colonial past, and failed to become one of the developed and stable states of the continent. The situation was aggravated by constant conflicts between the colonists - the American-Liberians, and representatives of the tribes that make up the indigenous population of Liberia. For obvious reasons, for a long time it was the American-Liberians who made up the country's political and economic elite, and for this reason Liberia enjoyed the support of the United States, which provided it with numerous loans.

The American Liberians, who currently make up no more than 2.5% of the country's population (another 2.5% are descendants of settlers from the West Indies), concentrated in their hands all the reins of government of the country, as well as its economic wealth. Yesterday's slaves and children of slaves from the plantations of the southern states of the United States themselves turned into planters and treated the representatives of the indigenous population, turned into farm laborers and pariahs, almost worse than the white slave owners of the States - to their black slaves.

Among themselves, the American-Liberians spoke exclusively in English, not at all striving to learn the languages ​​of the local tribes. Of course, the natives of the United States and the British Empire remained Christians of various Protestant churches by religion, while the local tribes continue to profess traditional cults for the most part. Even if the natives formally appear to be Christians, in fact they remain largely adherents of Afro-Christian cults, fancifully combining Christian elements with voodooism, traditional for the West African coast.

The indigenous population was culturally much more backward than the American-Liberians. In this regard, the lack of colonial experience even played a negative role for the country, since the American-Liberians did not pursue a policy of any meaningful “domestication” of the indigenous population. As a result, the forest tribes of Liberia remained extremely backward even by the standards of other parts of West Africa. They preserved the same "wild culture" of Africa, which the British, French, Portuguese, Italian colonial authorities in other regions of the "Black Continent" tried, at least in part, to fight against.

In full measure, all the problems that had accumulated in the country came out after the military coup carried out in 1980 by the senior sergeant of the Liberian army, Samuel Doe. On April 12, 1980, Doe's troops overthrew and assassinated President William Talbert. Until the military coup in Liberia, the dominant position of the American-Liberians and the assimilated representatives of the local population and emigrants from neighboring countries professing Christianity who joined them remained. Ameri-Liberians made up the vast majority of Liberian entrepreneurs, political and public figures, senior military and law enforcement officers, education and health officials.

In fact, until 1980, Liberia remained a state of American-Liberians, where much more numerous indigenous tribes lived in the forest zone and on the urban slum outskirts, without real access to all the benefits that the descendants of African American returnees enjoyed. Naturally, the current situation caused significant discontent among the indigenous population, whose representatives were many among the rank and file and non-commissioned officers of the Liberian army. Since the senior officers were almost entirely from American-Liberian families, the preparing conspiracy of the lower ranks was led by the twenty-nine-year-old Samuel Canyon Doe, who bore the rank of senior sergeant.

The dictatorship of the Crane indigenous Dow has set Liberia culturally back centuries. First of all, Dow, who came to power under the progressive slogans of transforming the country's social system, brought representatives of his ethnic group into the power structures, thereby establishing a tribalist dictatorship in the country. Second, the Dow, despite his indigenous origin, demonstrated pro-American positions and even in 1986 severed diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union.

Dow's reign, which began with slogans to combat corruption and equal rights for all Liberians, has become increasingly irritating in a wide variety of sectors of Liberian society. The representatives of the other twenty ethnic groups of the country also felt deprived, who again found themselves in secondary positions - only not after the American-Liberians, but after the representatives of the Crane people, to which the dictator himself belonged. Numerous insurgent formations have become active in the country, in fact, they were criminal gangs with political phraseology.

Ultimately, the commander of one of these formations, Prince Johnson, surrounded Monrovia, lured President Doe to the UN Mission, from where he was kidnapped. On September 9, 1990, the former dictatorial president of Liberia was brutally murdered - he was castrated, cut off and fed to his own ear, then killed in front of a video camera. So in Liberia, which has always been considered the stronghold of American-European political traditions on the African continent, real Africa woke up. From 1989 to 1996, a bloody civil war continued in the country, which cost the lives of 200 thousand Liberians. Ultimately, power in the country passed into the hands of the partisan commander Charles Taylor.

Taylor: From President to Inmate at The Hague Prison

Coming from the Gola people, Charles Taylor received an economic education in the United States and first worked in the administration of Samuel Doe, but in 1989 he created the rebel organization National Patriotic Front of Liberia, which became one of the key actors in the First Civil War of 1989-1996. In 1997-2003. he served as president of Liberia, while at the same time strongly supporting the rebels in neighboring Sierra Leone, where a bloody civil war was also raging.

Interference in the internal affairs of Sierra Leone was explained by the Liberian leader's interest in the diamond trade, which is rich in the land of the Lion's Mountains. Supporting the Revolutionary United Front under the leadership of Faude Sanka, Taylor pursued his own selfish interests - enrichment through diamond mining, which the rebel group sought to control, as well as strengthening his political positions in the neighboring country. Meanwhile, dissatisfaction with Taylor's policies was growing in Liberia itself, leading to the Second Civil War. Ultimately, Taylor was overthrown and fled to Nigeria.

Significantly, Charles Taylor initially acted with the explicit support of the United States. Not only was he educated in the United States - he was a quarter American through his father. A number of sources claim that since the early 1980s, American intelligence services have worked with Taylor, who needed him as a conduit for American interests in West Africa. In particular, Taylor acted as one of the co-organizers of the military coup on October 15, 1987 in Burkina Faso, as a result of which Thomas Sankara, the head of state and legendary revolutionary, whose socialist experiments were clearly not to the liking of the United States, was killed. By the way, Taylor's participation in organizing the coup in Burkina Faso and the murder of Sankara was confirmed by his closest associate Prince Johnson - the same field commander whose soldiers brutally killed the former President Samuel Doe in front of video cameras.

However, over time, Charles Taylor, recruited by the CIA, turned into a "genie released from a bottle." Since the late 1980s, he established friendly relations with Muammar Gaddafi, whom Blaise Compaore, a former associate of Sankara who became president of Burkina Faso, after his overthrow, organized an acquaintance with him. Gaddafi began to provide material assistance to Taylor, although, unlike other West African leaders, Charles Taylor could not even be called a socialist or anti-imperialist. Most likely, it was Taylor's reorientation towards Gaddafi, who supported the position of the Liberian president in the "diamond war" in Sierra Leone, that led to a sharp cooling of the United States' sympathy for his former ward and caused the fall of the Taylor regime. If Taylor was saved from repression during the Dow years, obviously in order to later be used in American interests, then the States did not interfere with the persecution of Taylor after he was overthrown from the presidency. Unless, he did not suffer the same terrible fate that the people of Prince Johnson provided to President Doe - an investigation into Charles Taylor was launched by international structures.

Deposed in 2003, Taylor did not stay at large for long. Now the West has become profitable to hang on him all the many bloody atrocities committed during the civil war in Sierra Leone. In March 2006, the Nigerian leadership extradited Taylor to the UN International Tribunal, which accused the ex-President of Liberia of numerous war crimes during the civil war in Sierra Leone and abuses during the Liberian presidency.

Taylor was taken to The Hague Prison in the Netherlands. The former president of Liberia was blamed for the organizational and financial support of the Revolutionary United Front, which carried out Operation No Living Soul in Sierra Leone, which killed more than 7,000 people. Among other things, Taylor was accused of numerous crimes of a sexual nature and cannibalism, claiming that Taylor and his associates ate opponents of the regime from the Crane people, to which the ousted dictator Samuel Doe belonged.

The investigation into Taylor's crimes lasted six years until the former Liberian President was sentenced to 50 years in prison by the Special Court for Sierra Leone on May 30, 2012. In 2006, Helen Johnson Sirleaf became the president of the country, who remains in office.

Seventy-six-year-old Helene - the first woman president of the African continent - began her political career in the 1970s, and during the presidency of Samuel Doe initially served as finance minister and then went into opposition. She does not hide her pro-American positions and, probably, this is precisely why she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

On the list of the poorest countries in the world

Liberia remains one of the most backward states on the African continent, with extremely unfavorable living conditions for the population. Civil wars threw back the already weak Liberian economy, undermined the social foundations of society, since a large enough stratum of people was formed who did not know how and did not want to work. On the other hand, the presence of a large number of people with combat experience who were left out of work adversely affected the crime situation in Liberia, turning it into one of the most dangerous countries in this respect on the African continent, and so not distinguished by tranquility.

More than 80% of the country's population lives below the poverty line. The mortality rate remains high due to the lack of proper medical care and the low standard of living of the population. The country's backwardness is aggravated by the fact that no more than a third of Liberians speak English, which is the official language in the country. The rest speak local unwritten languages ​​and, accordingly, are illiterate. The country has a high crime rate, especially women and children, who are most often the targets of criminal encroachments, are especially vulnerable.

It is known that people are still abducted here for slave labor both in Liberia itself and in neighboring countries. An important role in the dysfunctional existence of the inhabitants of this West African state is played by such a reason as a certain decomposition of the local population, accustomed to constant flows of humanitarian aid and stubbornly unwilling to work. Many travelers who have visited Liberia note the laziness and tendency to steal many of the locals. Of course, this is not a trait of the national character of Liberians, but very common vices that affect both the country's image and the level of its development.

Human sacrifice remains a terrible reality in Liberia. It is clear that they have been banned by law for a long time and people who commit them are subject to criminal prosecution and severe punishment, but traditions turn out to be stronger than the fear of criminal liability. Moreover, considering that, in reality, only a minority of cases of sacrifices are investigated by law enforcement agencies and the perpetrators are held accountable. After all, traditional beliefs are still very widespread among the rural population of Liberia, especially in the interior areas, which have practically not been Christianized.

Most often, children are sacrificed to ensure commercial or life success. Liberia has a very high birth rate - in 2010, the country ranked third in the world after the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Guinea-Bissau in terms of fertility. In poor villages, where families have the largest number of children, there is simply nothing to feed them and little Liberians are perceived as a commodity not only by buyers, but also by the parents themselves. Of course, most of the children are sold on plantations, including to neighboring states, or to industrial enterprises, pretty girls join the ranks of prostitutes, but there are also cases of buying children with the subsequent purpose of sacrifice. What can we say about the fight against such crimes, if in 1989 there was a fact of conviction of the Minister of Internal Affairs of the country for organizing human sacrifice.

Liberia is currently under the special control of the United Nations. Despite the fact that the country is formally establishing a democratic political system, in reality, the deployment of peacekeeping forces and foreign military and police advisers here, helping to strengthen the country's defense and law enforcement system, play a significant role in maintaining a semblance of order.

Does Liberia have a chance to improve its socio-economic situation, gain the long-awaited political stability and turn into a more or less normal state? In theory, yes, and according to Western media, this is evidenced by such progressive undertakings as the presidency of a woman - a Nobel laureate. But in reality, a serious modernization of this African state is hardly possible in the context of the continuing neo-colonial policy of the United States, interested in the exploitation of natural resources and, at the same time, in maintaining a low standard of living and political instability in the Third World countries. Moreover, the social system created in Liberia cannot exactly reproduce the American one in its worst features, with the same stratification of the population, only not according to race, but according to ethnicity. This system has evolved over almost two centuries of Liberia's existence as a sovereign state and it is hard to believe that it can be changed, at least in the next historical period.

Ctrl Enter

Spotted Osh S bku Highlight text and press Ctrl + Enter

Travel notes. Day 15

Hooray) Finally, at least some kind of Internet has appeared and you can post fresh notes! Let's go to Abidjan! There are a lot of news and videos, we will show everything and tell you how to get to the place.

01. We wake up in the morning in tents. In the photo, Musya Kolesnikov is basking in our house. Yes, we sleep in the same tent. As you can see, the tent is completely open so as not to die from the heat at night. In case of sudden rain, an awning will be pulled up from above.

02. Sierra Leonean policeman who guarded our camp.

03. The village is waking up. Porridge from a basin is poured into bags for children. In general, everyone here sells everything in bags, plastic bottles are at a high price, so they happily take all the garbage out of our car.

04. Children.

05. Local residents.

06. Morning market.

07.

08. A bride was being prepared for the wedding in one of the houses.

09. Pasted multi-colored plastic nails.

10. Beauty.

11. Girlfriends.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16. In general, the usual village life.

17.

18. We pass the border in Sierra Leone quickly and without problems, overnight we made friends with everyone and they let us through without examining us. Already at the very end, a policeman comes up, looks into the car, my mobile office, looks at the charging flashlight from our sponsor "Super Flashlight", at the binoculars from our sponsor "Levenguk", at the Nikon D4 camera, at my MacBookAir and sadly says: "You have everything is ... you are my brother! And I have nothing ... give your brother a present? " Brother got a pack of tea)

The border with Liberia takes us 3 hours. Of these, 30 minutes for all formalities and 2 and a half hours to convince the insurance merchant that we do not need his services. We bought insurance for cars in Germany, it covers all countries, but every swindler tries to sell us some kind of special insurance at the border, assuring us that ours is not valid in their country. This was the case in Liberia as well. Moreover, we have already called the office of our insurance company, where the insurer was confirmed that our insurance is in order and we do not need his services. The head of the border checkpoint was very worried that we would write a complaint against him. The conversation was ended by the head of our protocol service, Musya Kolesnikov: "Dude, you know that everything is in order with our documents, why are you fooling your head? Why spoil our impression of your country?" We are released and we are entering Liberia!

In 1822, the Americans decided to send the freed slaves back to Africa, for this they bought some land from African tribes, put the slaves on a ship and sent them to build a new state on their native continent. Former slaves were not taken aback and after 25 years captured 500 km of the coast, proclaiming the independent state of Liberia. They built a new state in the image and likeness of the pre-war American south. American-Liberians adopted not only the laws and constitution of the United States, but also the slave-owning traditions. The locals were considered second-class people by the former American slaves, so they were taken into slavery and their lands were taken away.

Although now the United States has nothing to do with Liberia, the American-Liberians do not give me the genetic memory and they consider themselves part of the States. Here they copy the American way of life, adopt traditions, sometimes it even seems that you are not in West Africa, but somewhere in the American backwoods. The Liberian flag is the same as the American flag, with only one large star. Liberia, like the United States, did not switch to metric units, so gasoline is sold here in gallons at $ 4.50. Yes, and American dollars here are on a par with local, Liberian ones.

Like any decent African country, Liberia has had a civil war, a military coup, and even its own bloody dictator. Announcer Charles Taylor, the one who supplied the Sierra Leonean rebels with weapons in exchange for diamonds, is now in a cage. Moreover, he is the first African dictator to face international justice and found guilty by an international court. So, Charles Taylor in the late 90s ran for president with the motto: “He killed my mother. He killed my dad. I vote for him ”and won with a score of 75%.

By the way, now there is a woman president here, Liberia became the first African country headed by a woman.

20. We arrive in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia.

21. The first downpour for the entire trip begins. Someone is drawing a Coca-Cola advertisement right on the bridge.


Ilya Varlamov: 22. There are stalls along the road where they change money, copy and print documents, charge their phones, and also let them play a game console. They are all called "Business Center".

23. The center of Monrovia looks like this. In total, a million people live in the city.

24. Center.

25.

26. Quarter with fishermen.

27. Upstart.

Artemy Lebedev visited Liberia 3 years ago. Then he wrote on his blog:

"By the way, about shit. Liberians give a shit on the beaches. Instead of swimming in the sea in the middle of the white sand right in the capital, residents go to the beach to shit right on the white sand. How many eagle seated can be seen in this photo? So many and shit. To the horizon. Right in the center of the capital. ”Shitty is not at all shy about entering into a dialogue in the process:“ Yo, why did you take a picture of me? ” And continues to lay the larva, bastard. "

After the publication of this post, there was a big scandal, the photo reached the president, and the country was seriously concerned about its international image. Now beaches are adorned with large posters that shitting and throwing trash is not good. But people still come to the beach to do their dirty business overlooking the ocean. Of course, there are not so many of them, but you will not be able to sunbathe in the city. Speaking of the sea, people hardly swim here because of the strong current that carries them into the ocean. UN officers working in Monrovia even have an instruction prohibiting swimming in the ocean.

28. City center. There are a lot of cars.

29.

30. On a high hill in the center - the ruins of a once luxurious hotel. A beautiful view opens up from here.

31. The hotel is now abandoned. The hotels in the city are expensive. Klopovnik. which in Europe and 1 star will not give, costs 140 dollars per night. The electricity is cut off at night, and the Internet is only good for sending mail.

32.

33. By evening, the whole city gets stuck in one big traffic jam.

34. Locals prefer motorcycle taxis, at least somehow you can drive.

35. As in all of Africa, here everyone is worn on the head.

36.

37. The latest squeak of fashion is bright barefoot boots. They are made of rubber, so it's cheaper. I can imagine what's up there in the African heat.

38. As I said, American-Liberians feel they are part of the States. Stickers with the American flag are glued on the cars; Liberian and American stars and stripes are hanging at the entrance to the store.

39. The uniform of the Liberian police is reminiscent of the state one.

40. The street signs are also American.

41. Liberia does not have an established standard for license plates. For money, you can buy any combination of letters and numbers, for example "M4". The more expensive the car, the shorter the number.

43. Libeirians are urged not to throw garbage out of cars, not drink from puddles, not shit on the streets and pay taxes.

44. In Liberia, the positions of various international humanitarian organizations and the UN are very strong. The UN has a whole block in the center where their buildings are located, and there are a lot of bases around the country. UN officers get discounts in hotels, they have their own numbers on cars. They teach Liberians to love their homeland.

45. Of course, this may seem strange to you, but there is nothing to do in Monrovia. All beaches and natural attractions are located outside the city.

46. ​​Wonderful Liberian sunset.

47. Sweet home. Don't look at the condo, it doesn't work.

We'll continue exploring Liberia tomorrow!

Previous reports:
Day 1: Casablanca, Morocco
Report from Lovygin: Morocco
Day 2: Essaouira and the road south, Morocco
Day 3: Long road to Western Sahara
Day 4: Western Sahara
Report from Lovygin: Western Sahara
Day 5: Mauritania
Day 6: Long road to Senegal
Day 7: Dakar, Senegal
Report from Lovygin: Mauritania and Senegal
Day 8: Long road to Gambia
Day 9: Gambia to Guinea-Bissau
Day 10: Drive to Guinea and overnight in a remote village
Report from Lovygin: Sketches on the Gambia
Day 11: Guinea
Day 12: Road to Sierra Leone
Report from Lovygin:

Liberia on Africa map
(all pictures are clickable)

Geographical position

Liberia is a state in West Africa. Neighbors with Sierra Leone, Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire. The southern and western coasts of the country are washed by the Atlantic Ocean, the length of the coastline is 579 km. Half of the country's territory is located on the coastal plain, the other is located on the Leon-Liberian Uplands. The area is 111.37 thousand km².

The climate is equatorial. A significant amount of precipitation falls in coastal areas - up to 5000 mm per year; inside the country the humidity is lower (about 1500-2000 mm of precipitation per year). The average monthly temperature is +24 ° C.

Flora and fauna

A vast part of the country's territory is occupied by equatorial forests, closer to Guinea they are replaced by tall-grass savanna, coastal areas are occupied by mangrove thickets.

The wooded area is home to a wide variety of insects (including termites and tsetse flies), reptiles and monkeys. The avifauna is rich. Antelopes, buffaloes, wild boars and leopards are found in the steppes of the savannah. There are many fish species in coastal waters.

State structure

Liberia Map

The political system of Liberia is a republic headed by a president. The country is administratively divided into 15 provinces. The state currency is the Liberian dollar. The capital is the city of Monrovia.

Population

The population is 4 million people. Ethnically, local tribes of the peoples of the Niger-Congo group predominate, and only 5% are Liberians proper (descendants of black slaves from America). The official language and the language of international communication is English. Adherents of Christianity and Islam make up 25% of the population of Liberia each; the rest of the inhabitants adhere to local traditional beliefs.

Economy

Liberia is an agricultural country with a developed mining complex. Iron ore, gold and diamonds are mined actively.

The agricultural sector is dominated by the export-oriented crop sector, the main crops are coffee, cocoa and hevea.

Because of the "soft" tax legislation, ships of other states sail under the flags of Liberia, therefore, formally, it is one of the leaders in the tonnage of sea freight.

Of the Europeans, the first to appear on the territory of modern Liberia at the end of the 15th century. the Portuguese, followed by the Dutch, French and British. After 1821 (the abolition of slavery in the United States), an active resettlement of freed blacks began to these lands. Their settlement was named Monrovia and was the beginning of the state of Liberia. In 1847 g. Liberia became a republic, by the end of World War II it was one of the four independent countries of Africa at that time.

sights

The world's largest rubber plantation is located 50 km from Monrovia.

There are no roads in the Sapo National Park at all, you can only move through it on foot. Almost the entire park consists of virgin rainforest, in most of which a white man has not set foot. This ancient wilderness is home to a large number of highly exotic plant and animal species, including elephants, leopards, giant forest boars and rare pygmy hippos. Safaris offered by Liberian firms are some of the most interesting in all of West Africa. For the export of animal skins, ivory and crocodile leather products from the country, an appropriate permit will be required.

Population of the country (about 4.5 million people) is diverse in ethnic composition and includes more than 20 nationalities. In the north, the peoples of the Mande linguistic subgroup live - kpelle, loma, mano, etc., in the south - the peoples of the Guinean subgroup (cru, row, malinke, crane, gere)... Descendants of the founders of Liberia - immigrants from the United States - now account for less than 1%. The majority of the population adheres to traditional local beliefs and traditional way of life. The main occupations are agriculture, cultivation and procurement of rubber, valuable species of wood, fishing. There is also an industry, mainly mining (iron ores)... Low taxes and an open-door economic policy lead to the world's largest merchant fleet flying the Liberian flag (owned, of course, by shipowners from other countries).

Largest city and capital of Liberia - Monrovia (about 1 million inhabitants) founded in 1822. Another major city is Buchanan, a major port and rubber plantation center.

Since 1821, settlements of liberated blacks began to appear on the territory of Liberia - immigrants from the United States, who united in 1839 and founded the state of Liberia. (1847) ... American-Liberians dominated the state administration and economy of Liberia until 1980, when a coup d'état took place in the country and representatives of other ethnic political groups came to power. 1986 saw the end of Liberia's transition to civilian rule. In 1989, the National Patriotic Front began an armed struggle against government troops. With the help of the Inter-African Peacekeeping Force in 1990, a transitional government was created in Liberia, but the struggle of the opposing factions continued. In 1993, they signed an agreement on a ceasefire, the creation of a three-party transitional government and the holding of free elections.

Climate, flora and fauna

The climate of Liberia is subequatorial, hot and humid: average monthly temperatures do not fall below 23 ° C, precipitation falls mainly in summer (up to 5000 mm on the coast and 1500-2000 mm in the interior).

About a third of the country's territory is covered with dense evergreen tropical rainforests, in which, among others, grow red and rosewood trees, hevea, wine and oil palms. Closer to the border with Guinea, the forests turn into a tall-grass savanna with groves of umbrella acacias and baobabs. Mangrove forests grow on the coast.

Liberia's forests are home to many different insects (from termites to tsetse flies), snakes, monkeys. The savannah is home to buffaloes, antelopes, wild boars, and leopards. The coastal waters are rich in fish.

History

The history of Liberia as a political entity begins with the arrival of the first black American settlers - American-Liberians, as they called themselves, in Africa - on the coast of which they founded a colony of "free people of color" in 1822 (free men of color) under the auspices of the American Colonization Society. By agreement with the leaders of local tribes, the settlers acquired territories of more than 13 thousand square meters. km - for goods worth 50 US dollars.

In 1824 this colony was named Liberia, and its constitution was adopted. By 1828, settlers captured the entire coast of modern Liberia (about 500 km long), and then also occupied parts of the coast of modern Sierra Leone and Cotdivoire.

On July 26, 1847, American settlers declared the independence of the Republic of Liberia. The settlers perceived the continent from which their ancestors were taken into slavery as a "promised land", but did not seek to join the African community. Arriving in Africa, they called themselves Americans and, both the indigenous people and the British colonial authorities of neighboring Sierra Leone, were considered exactly Americans. Symbols of their state (flag, motto and seal) and the chosen form of government reflected the American past of Liberians.

Religion, customs and sociocultural standards of American-Liberians were based on the traditions of the pre-war American South. Mutual mistrust and enmity between "Americans" from the coast and "indigenous" from the hinterland gave rise to attempts that continued throughout the country's history. (quite successful) the American-Liberian minority to dominate the local blacks, whom they considered barbarians and people of the lowest class.

The founding of Liberia was sponsored by private American groups, mainly the American Colonization Society, but the country received informal support from the US government. Liberia's government was modeled after the American government, and was democratic in structure, but not always in essence. After 1877, the Party of the True Whigs monopolized power in the country, and all important positions belonged to members of this party.

Three problems faced by the authorities of Liberia - territorial conflicts with neighboring colonial powers, Britain and France, hostilities between settlers and local residents, and the threat of financial insolvency, called into question the country's sovereignty. Liberia retained its independence during the colonial division of Africa, but in the late 19th and early 20th centuries lost a significant part of its previously occupied territory, which was annexed by Britain and France. In 1911, Liberia's borders with the British and French colonies were officially established along the Mano and Cavalli rivers. Economic development in the late 19th century was held back by a lack of markets for Liberian goods and debt obligations on a range of loans, the payment of which depleted the economy.

At the beginning of World War I, Liberia declared its neutrality, hoping to maintain trade relations with Germany, which by 1914 accounted for more than half of Liberia's foreign trade turnover. However, the blockade of sea trade routes imposed by the Entente countries deprived Liberia of this important trading partner. The import of industrial goods almost completely stopped, and serious difficulties arose with food.

In 1926, American corporations provided Liberia with a large loan of $ 5 million.

In the 1930s, Liberia was accused of complicity in the slave trade, as such was considered allowing the recruitment of labor in Liberia for plantations in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon; the recruited workers were mistreated and were practically slaves. The then President Charles King was forced to resign, and the UK even raised the issue of establishing guardianship over Liberia. The League of Nations Commission confirmed the main points of the accusations.

After the outbreak of World War II, Liberia again declared neutrality, but its territory was used for the transfer of American troops to North Africa. In 1944, Liberia officially declared war on Germany.

After World War II, the United States provided loans to Liberia, and Liberia soon became a major exporter of rubber and iron ore. In 1971, President Tubman, who served for five terms, died; his place was taken by William Tolbert, who had been in the status of vice president for 19 years. Continuing the domestic policies of his predecessor, Tolbert maintained close ties with the United States, but at the same time sought to enhance Liberia's role in African affairs, opposed apartheid and improved relations with socialist countries. His economic reforms led to some positive consequences, but corruption and poor governance neutralized them. In the 1970s, there was political opposition to Tolbert, and the deteriorating economic situation led to an increase in social tension. Prices rose and this led to numerous "rice riots", the largest in April 1979, when Tolbert ordered open fire on the rioting crowd, which eventually led to riots and a general strike.

On April 12, 1980, a coup took place in Liberia. Tolbert was killed, his associates were executed, the country was led by Sergeant Samuel Doe, a representative of the Crane tribe, and assumed the rank of general. If at first the change of power was perceived positively by the citizens, then Dow's constant efforts to consolidate his power and the continuing economic downturn led to a decline in his popularity and a whole series of unsuccessful military coups. In 1985, Liberia returned to civilian rule, with Dow winning the election, who had previously assigned himself one year to meet the stated minimum age of 35 for a president, and who carried out widespread fraud; according to independent polls, the opposition candidate won with about 80% of the vote.

In 1989, a civil war broke out in the country. Forces of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia, led by Charles Taylor, crossed the border from Côte d'Ivoire and in a year and a half of hostilities captured 90% of the country's territory. The anarchist group led by Yedu Johnson, who fought against both government forces and Taylor, broke away from him. The economic community of West African countries has sent a contingent of 3,000 people to Liberia. Johnson, under the pretext of negotiations, invited Doe to the UN mission, on the way the dictator was kidnapped and then brutally killed - his arms were broken, his legs were amputated, he was castrated, his ear was cut off and forced to eat, and then he was killed.

In the early 90s, a large-scale conflict took place in the country, in which several factions participated, divided along ethnic lines. Neighboring states were involved in the conflict, supporting various groups for various reasons; in particular, at the first stage of the war, Taylor was supported from among the countries of the region of Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire, and from states located at a considerable distance from the theater of military operations, Togo and Libya. As a result, the countries-opponents of these states supported the opponents of Taylor. For neighboring Sierra Leone, this resulted in the outbreak of civil war on its territory, to which Taylor made significant efforts, becoming the de facto founding father of the United Revolutionary Front. Military operations were conducted with great cruelty, torture was used en masse. By the most conservative estimates, the war caused more than half a million refugees to move to neighboring countries. The result of the first round was the signing of a peace agreement and the presidential election in 1997, which Taylor won. The international community chose to ignore the election fraud and massive violence against the opposition.

After the elections, Taylor's opponents organized a small-scale rebel war, several times conducted incursions into the territory of Liberia from neighboring countries. In 2002, with the active help and support of Guinean President Lansana Conte, a large opposition movement LURD was created, which, after a year and a half military campaign, managed to depose Taylor and expel him from the country.

In the 2005 presidential election, famous football player George Weah was considered the favorite, who won the first round by a slight margin, but the victory in the second round was won by Harvard graduate, former employee of the World Bank and many other international financial institutions, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

On 6 August 2014, Liberia declared a state of emergency due to Ebola. As of September 16, 2407 were infected with the virus, and 1296 people died.

Economy

The main sectors of the Liberian economy are the cultivation of food crops, mainly rice and cassava, on small-scale indigenous Liberian farms, as well as the extraction of iron ore and the production of natural rubber for export by foreign companies. Foreign-owned companies control almost all foreign trade, most of the wholesale trade and, together with Lebanese entrepreneurs, a significant portion of the retail trade. Foreigners own the banking system and construction, railways and part of the highways. The country is forced to import almost all manufactured goods, fuel and a significant portion of food.

Before the outbreak of the civil war in 1989, Liberia's national income per capita was estimated at $ 500. According to UN experts, in 1995 this figure rose to $ 1,124.

Liberia has a wide range of types of agricultural production, from the cultivation of rice on rain-fed land to consumer-type farms of indigenous Liberians (3/4 of the population is engaged in this) before the production of export crops on plantations owned by foreigners, where hired workers work. The advantages of wage employment led to the outflow of peasants from the subsistence sector to plantations, which led to a significant reduction in rice production, the shortage of which necessitated a sharp increase in its imports. The cultivation of rice on irrigated land has not yielded the desired results. Cassava, cultivated throughout Liberia, plays an important role in the diet of the population of the southern part of the coast. Cereals, fruits and vegetables are grown for domestic consumption. The oil palm produces a thick orange oil used for cooking. Livestock raising is very poorly developed due to the abundance of tsetse flies and limited pastures.

The basis of export agriculture is rubber production. In the mid-1980s, its collection averaged 75 thousand tons per year. The production of rubber for export was established thanks to the agreement of 1926, according to which the government of Liberia granted the American company Firestone a concession for a period of 99 years. Until the end of World War II, the company generated the largest income for the country. In the 1980s, the Firestone and BF Goodrich plantations were sold to Japanese and British companies, respectively. Until now, almost all rubber production in Liberia is concentrated there.

The oil palm, coffee tree, chocolate tree and piassava also provide export products. Timber of valuable tropical species is of great export value.

The official name is the Republic of Liberia.

Located in western Africa. The area is 111.4 thousand km2, the population is 3.3 million people. (2002). The state language is English. The capital is Monrovia (1.3 million people, 2000). State holiday - Independence Day on July 26 (since 1847). The monetary unit is the Liberian dollar (equal to 100 cents).

Member approx. 40 international organizations, incl. UN (since 1945), a number of its specialized organizations, the AU, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Group of African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, etc.

Liberia landmarks

Geography of Liberia

Located between 10 ° 50 'and 13 ° 18' east longitude and 6 ° 50 'and 10 ° north latitude. In the north, it borders on Sierra Leone and Guinea, in the east - on Côte d'Ivoire. In the southwest it is washed by the Atlantic Ocean. The coastline is flat (579 km), in some places it is cut by lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river estuaries. The coastal plain gradually rises and becomes the Leono-Liberian Upland. Peaks: Nimba (1752 m) at the junction of the borders with Guinea and Cote d'Ivoire and Vuteve (1380 m) - in the north. The bowels are rich in iron ore, diamonds and gold.

Red-yellow lateritic soils predominate. The climate is tropical, hot and humid. The average annual rainfall on the coast reaches 5000 mm, in the interior regions - 1500-2000 mm.

The maximum precipitation occurs in the "rainy season" (May-October) and the minimum in the "dry season" (November-April). The average monthly temperature does not drop below + 23 ° C.

OK. 1/3 of the country's territory is occupied by humid evergreen tropical forests (mahogany, rosewood, hevea, various types of palm trees, pandaus), which, towards the border with Guinea, turn into tall grass savanna (umbrella acacia, baobab).

Liberia is home to many different animals (elephants, antelopes, monkeys, buffaloes, leopards, wild pigs, snakes, crocodiles). A significant area is covered by the range of the tsetse fly.

An extensive network of rivers. The largest of them are: Mano, Loffa, St. Paul, St. John, Sess and Cavalli.

Liberia population

In 2002, the population growth rate was 2.54%, the birth rate was 45.95%, the mortality rate was 16.05%, and the infant mortality rate was 130.21. per 1000 newborns. Life expectancy 51.8 years, incl. women 53.33 and men 50.33 years. The age structure of the population: 0-14 years old 43.3%, 15-64 years old 53.2%, 65 years old and over 3.5%. Among Liberians, women are somewhat predominant, with 2% more than men. 45% of the population lives in cities.

In terms of ethnic composition, 95% are indigenous Africans representing the Mande, Kwa and Mel language groups and belonging to 16-20 local tribes (Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gban Di, Loma, Kissi, Vai , dei, bella, mandingo, mende), 2.5% - American-Liberians (descendants of immigrants from the United States), 2.5% - descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean. Languages ​​- English, as spoken up to 20 local languages ​​are used, many of which do not have a written language.

OK. 40% of the population are adherents of local religious beliefs, 40% are Christians and 20% are Muslims.

History of Liberia

Liberia is a unique state founded by free black US citizens who returned to Africa, former slaves. On January 7, 1822, the first group of settlers landed here; on July 26, 1847, the country was proclaimed a republic. Although for all the years of its existence, only approx. 10 thousand American blacks, for more than 100 years the leading political and economic positions in the country were occupied by American-Liberians.

In the end. 1970s the economic difficulties associated with the decline in the global rubber and iron ore markets brought representatives of indigenous ethnic groups to power. In 1980, Sergeant S. Doe led a military coup, and in 1986 became President of Liberia. However, neither the removal of the American-Liberians from power nor the transition to civilian rule changed the plight of the population. To the end. 1980s also sharply aggravated and interethnic relations, which resulted in the internecine war of 1989-96, which claimed the lives of more than 10 thousand. Liberians.

The entry into Liberia of the inter-African forces under the auspices of ECOWAS, their peacekeeping activities led to the end in 1996 of active hostilities. In 1997, a general election was held in the country, which brought victory to the rebel leader Ch. Taylor, who became president.

However, sluggish clashes between government forces and the opposition continued. Despite the fact that approx. 1/2 of the population of Liberia continued to maintain refugee status, and the economy, undermined by the hostilities, did not recover, the ruling circles of Liberia continued to escalate tensions in the region, supporting with arms and materially separate military-political groups in neighboring Sierra Leone. In March 2003, a special UN Tribunal for Sierra Leone accused Taylor of war crimes. Armed opposition groups entered Monrovia. In June, a ceasefire agreement was signed and entered into force between the government and the rebels.

Government and political system of Liberia

Liberia is a republic. The Constitution of 1986 (as amended in 1988) is in force.
Administratively Liberia is divided into 15 counties: Bo-mi, Bong, Gparbolu, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Cru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Kess, River Ghii , Shino. The largest cities are: Monrovia, Buchanan, Greenville, Ganta, Grand Cess, Duabo, Kakata, Ma-no-River, Marshall, Njebele, Robertsport, Sag-leipie, Tappita, Harper, Chien. Liberia is governed by three branches of government: legislative, executive and judicial. The highest legislative body is the bicameral National Assembly, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The supreme body of executive power is the president, who is the head of state and head of government, the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. Government ministers are appointed by the president and then confirmed by the Senate.

Prominent political leaders in Liberia include:

William Wakanarat Shadrach Tubman - President of Liberia (1944-71), reformer, initiator of the "policy of unification" aimed at uniting the American-Liberians and the indigenous people of the country into one people - Liberians, the conductor of the "open door" policy that encouraged the inflow of foreign investment, a champion active inclusion of Liberia in the Commonwealth of African Peoples;

William R. Tolbert - President of Liberia (1971-80), initiator of a number of development programs, incl. "Self-reliance", liberalization of the economy, reduction of dependence on foreign aid.

There is a multi-party system. In addition to the ruling National Patriotic Party, which has 21 seats in the Senate and 49 in the House of Representatives, the All-Liberian Coalition Party, Liberian National Union, People's Party of Liberia, National Democratic Party of Liberia, People's Democratic Party of Liberia, Party of the True Whigs, Party unity, the United People's Party and a number of other parties.

Trade unions are organized into the Liberian Federation of Trade Unions.

The number of the Armed Forces is 14 thousand soldiers and officers (1999).

Economy of Liberia

Liberia is an underdeveloped country with an agrarian and raw materials specialization, occupying one of the leading places in the world for the production and export of natural rubber and iron ore. A significant source of income for the country is the provision of a flag of convenience to foreign ships. The economy is dominated by foreign capital. The industrial infrastructure was undermined by the 1989-96 civil war, predetermining the outflow of foreign capital from the country.

GDP of USD 3.6 billion, i.e. OK. $ 1,100 per capita (2001). Nevertheless approx. 80% of the population lives below the poverty line. The GDP growth rate of 5%, inflation of 8% (2001) testify to the post-war revival of the country's economy.

In the sectoral structure of the economy, agriculture accounts for 60% of GDP (2001) and agricultural production employs the overwhelming majority of the economically active population - 70% (2000). For industry, these figures are 10 and 8%, respectively, for the service sector - 30 and 22%.

Liberia's agriculture has been hit hard by the fighting: harvests of food crops, primarily rice and cassava, have dropped sharply, making the population dependent on imports of food, primarily cereals. The war also undermined the production of commercial (export) crops: rubber, cocoa, coffee, oil palm products. Along with the outflow of capital of foreign companies from the country, there is a redistribution of their investments in the production of export crops, as well as an overflow of foreign capital into the extraction of iron ore, diamonds, etc. Nevertheless, the American company "Firestone", despite the sale at stake. 1980s its Liberian rubber plant, a Japanese company, continues to dominate the industry by retaining control of the Hevea plantation.

Due to the spread of the tsetse fly, animal husbandry is poorly developed - the herd is represented by a small number of cattle, goats and sheep, as well as pigs.

The mining industries associated with the production of iron ore and diamonds are developed. However, the future of the industry depends on the stabilization of the political situation in the country.

The main mode of transport is automobile, the length of highways is 10.6 thousand km, incl. 657 km of paved roads and 9,943 km of unpaved roads (1996).

The total length of railways is 490 km, incl. 328 km with one track. 345 km have standard (1435 mm) and 145 km narrow (1067 mm) gauge (2001).

Liberia has ports in Monrovia, Buchanan, Greenville, Harper. In 2002, the country's merchant fleet consisted of 1,513 ships with a displacement of 1,000 tons and above, incl. 1425 foreign vessels using the Liberian flag as "convenient", incl. from Germany - 437, from Greece - 154, from the USA - 113, from Norway - 103, from Japan - 90, from Russia - 66, from Monaco - 56. The total displacement of the fleet is 51,912.2 thous.

There are 47 airfields in the country, two of them have a paved airstrip (2001).

There are 7 VHF and 2 short-wave radio stations, a television station and 4 low-power repeaters (2001), 790 thousand radio receivers and 70 thousand televisions are in use (1997), there are 6.7 thousand telephone lines (2000), 2 Internet providers (2001) and 500 Internet users (2000).

In Liberia, approx. 10 banks. At the head of the banking system is the Central Bank of Liberia. Liberia's external debt $ 3.5 billion (2003).

The state budget was (2000): revenues 85.4 million, expenses 90.5 million US dollars.

Foreign trade is critical to Liberia. Through its channels, in exchange for rubber, valuable timber, iron ore, diamonds, cocoa and coffee, the country receives machinery, equipment and vehicles, fuel, industrial goods, food, primarily rice.

Science and culture of Liberia

38.3% of adult Liberians can read and write, incl. 53.9% men and 22.4% women (1995 estimate). There are three institutions of higher education in Liberia: State University of Liberia, Anglican Cuttington University College and Our Lady of Fatima Catholic College.