Liberia

Liberia is a country on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, and the Atlantic Ocean. The population is approximately 3.5 million people and cover 43,000 square miles. The capital of Liberia is Monrovia (where we’re berthed) and over half of Liberia’s population lives in Monrovia.

The history of Liberia is unique among African nations because of its relationship with the United States. Liberia was founded and colonized by freed American slaves with the help of a private organization called the American Colonization Society in 1821-1822, on the premise that former American slaves would have greater freedom and equality there. These colonists formed an elite group in Liberian society, and, in 1847, they founded the Republic of Liberia (Liberia denotes “liberty”), establishing a government modeled on that of the United States, naming Monrovia, their capital city, after James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States and a prominent supporter of the colonization.

A military-led coup in 1980 overthrew then-president William Tolbert, which marked the beginning of a period of instability that eventually led to two civil war that left hundreds of thousands of people dead and devastated the country's economy. Today, Liberia is recovering from the lingering effects of the civil war and related economic dislocation, but statistics indicate that about 85% of the population are living on less than $1.25 a day. Liberia is considered one of the worlds poorest countries, with 85% unemployment.

As of 2006, Liberia has the highest population growth rate in the world. Similar to its neighbors, it has a large youth population, with half of the population under the age of 18.