Liberia

The republic of liberia was originally founded and settled by black American settlers and freed slaves in the mid-19th century, with a structure of government mirroring to a great degree that of the United States. In the late 20th century, the country suffered through a series of civil wars, with a peace agreement signed in 2003. Despite the fact that the United Nations (UN) maintains a presence in Liberia, the situation remains volatile. Because the war and political strife drained so many resources, the country is still in the early stages of rebuilding its infrastructure and finding its path to economic recovery. Tens of thousands of Liberians were killed during the conflict, and at least 238,500 Liberians remain in other countries, unwilling to return to their homeland.

Liberia's rich natural resources include iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, and hydropower, and the country exports both timber and rubber. Less than four percent of the land is arable. However, 70 percent of the workforce is engaged in subsistence agriculture. Eighty-five percent of Liberians are unemployed. At least 80 percent of Liberians live in poverty, and 46 percent are undernourished. With a per capita income of only $900, Liberia is one of the 20 poorest countries in the world. The UN Development Programme's Human Development Reports do not rank Liberia on standard of living issues due to insufficient data.

Bordering on the North Atlantic Ocean, Liberia has a 579 kilometer coastline and 15,050 square kilometers of inland water resources. Liberia shares land borders with Guinea, the Cote d'Ivoire, and Sierra Leone. The terrain of Liberia is generally flat with rolling coastal plains that give way to plateaus and low mountains in the northeast. Lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars characterize the coastline. Elevations vary from sea level to 1,380 meters at Mount Wuteve.

The tropical climate is hot and humid. Winter days are hot, but nights are cool to cold. Summers in Liberia are wet and cloudy with frequent heavy showers. From December to March, Liberia experiences the harmattan, hot dusty winds that blow in from the Sahara Desert, creating environmental damage.

Liberia's population of 3,042,004 experiences many of the health problems that beset other poor African nations, including a high HIV/AIDS prevalence rate (currently 5.9 percent). The HIV/AIDS epidemic has killed 7,200 people, and at least 100,000 more have contracted the disease. Around 62 percent of the population has access to safe drinking water, but only 26 percent (7 percent in rural areas) have access to improved sanitation. Consequently, Liberians also have a very high risk of contracting food and waterborne diseases that include bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever, in addition to schistosomiasis—caused by contact with contaminated water—and Lassa fever, caused by contact with infected aerosolized dust and soil. In some locations, Liberians are also at high risk for contracting malaria and yellow fever.

These environmental hazards negatively affect Liberians by producing lower than normal life expectancy (39.65 years) and growth rates (4.91 percent), high infant mortality (155.76 deaths per 1,000 live births) and death rates (23.1 per 1,000 population). Liberian women give birth to an average of 6.8 children each. The low literacy rate (41.6 percent) for females makes it difficult to dispense birth control and other health and environmental information.

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