Liberia vista general - (cia factbook)
coordenada: 6 30 N, 9 30 W
población: 3,042,004 (July 2006 est.)
religión: indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%
idiomas: English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages, of which a few can be written and are used in correspondence
clima: tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers
elevación: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m / highest point: Mount Wuteve 1,380 m
peligros: dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March)
historia Liberia:
Settlement of freed slaves from the US in what is today Liberia began in 1822; by 1847, the Americo-Liberians were able to establish a republic. William TUBMAN, president from 1944-71, did much to promote foreign investment and to bridge the economic, social, and political gaps between the descendents of the original settlers and the inhabitants of the interior. In 1980, a military coup led by Samuel DOE assassinated President William TOLBERT (1971-80) and ushered in a decade of authoritarian rule followed by a prolonged civil war, in which DOE himself was killed. In August 2003, a comprehensive peace agreement ended 14 years of intermittent fighting and prompted the resignation of former president Charles TAYLOR, who was exiled to Nigeria. After two years of rule by a transitional government, democratic elections in late 2005 brought President Ellen JOHNSON-SIRLEAF to power. The UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), which maintains a strong presence throughout the country, completed a disarmament program for former combatants in late 2004, but the security situation is still volatile and the process of rebuilding the social and economic structure of this war-torn country remains sluggish.