Liberia
Liberia is located on the western tip of Africa. It is bordered on the east by Côte d'Ivoire, on the west by Sierra Leone, on the north by Guinea, and the south by the Atlantic Ocean. Liberia has a total land area of 69,187 square kilometers (43,000 square miles), encompassing fifteen political subdivisions called counties. Liberia as a nation was founded in the nineteenth century by the American Colonization Society as a refuge for liberated slaves from the United States.
The population was estimated at 3.4 million in July 2004. Due to two civil wars (1989–1997 and 1999–2003), about half of the population is in Monrovia, the capital city. Prior to the war, Monrovia had an estimated population of 250,000. About 1 million people are internally displaced throughout the country and about another 1 million are living abroad, including in various refugee camps in the West African belt.
Facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by lagoons, mangrove swamps, and major river-deposited sandbars; the inland grassy plateau supports limited agriculture. There are also dense forests rich in various tree species.
Four major periods can be used to examine the history of Liberia: precolonial (before 1820), colonial (1820–1839), commonwealth (1839–1847), and independence (1847–present).
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