In The Name of Allah The
Almighty
Republic of Liberia is a country of western Africa. Liberia is bounded by Sierra
Leone to the northwest, Guinea to the north, Cote d'Ivoire to the east, and the
Atlantic Ocean to the south and west. Liberia has an area of about 38,250 square
miles. Monrovia, a port, is the capital. Monrovia, founded in 1822, is the focal
point of political, economic, and cultural activities. The city and its outlying
districts and suburbs occupy five square miles. The old style of architecture
that once characterized it. Liberia is the only black state in Africa never
subjected to colonial rule, and it is the oldest republic on the continent.
Liberia forms part of the West African Shield, a rock formation 2.7 to 3.4
billion years old, composed of granite, schist, and gneiss. Liberia is a member
of two regional economic unions—the Mano River Union, a free trade group to
which Sierra Leone and Guinea also belong, and the Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS).
The present pattern of population distribution in Liberia is both a reflection
of its migration history and a response to such social, economic, and cultural
factors as war, employment, and superstition. Migrants from north-central
Africa, who began to arrive in the 13th century, originally settled in the
hinterlands but were driven by overcrowding to the coast. Immigrants from the
United States and the West Indies, and from neighboring African countries, also
settled on the coast. There are more than 2,000 villages, the majority of which
are concentrated in central Liberia, in the northwest, and in the coastal region
near Monrovia. The result has been the segmentation of Liberian society into two
coexisting subsystems—traditional-rural and modern-urban.
All of the ethnic groups of Liberia are represented in its population, as are
refugees, African nationals from other countries, and Europeans. The people of
Liberia are classified into three major groups: the indigenous people, who are
in the majority and who migrated from the western Sudan in the late Middle Ages;
black immigrants from the United States known historically as Americo-Liberians
and the West Indies; and other black immigrants from neighboring western African
states who came during the anti-slave-trade campaign and European colonial rule.
The Americo-Liberians are most closely associated with founding Liberia. Most of
them migrated to Liberia between 1820 and 1865; continued migration has been
intermittent. Americo-Liberians controlled the government until a military coup
in 1980.The 16 ethnic groups may be classified into three linguistic groups
,prominent among them are the Vai, who invented their own alphabet and who, in
addition, use Arabic and English. Liberians are a religious people. About
one-fifth of the people are Christian, about 25 percent are Muslim, and almost
two-thirds profess other religions, primarily traditional beliefs. The Muslims
are found predominantly among the Mande peoples in the northwest region of the
country.
The climate, especially on the coast, is warm and humid year-round, dominated by
a dry season from November to April and by a rainy season from May to October.
The dusty and dry harmattan (desert winds) blow from the Sahara to the coast in
December, bringing relief from the high relative humidity. Mean annual
temperatures range between 18° C in the northern highlands to 27° C along the
coast. Rainfall is irregular, and the rainy season varies in intensity and
begins earlier at the coast than in the interior. The greatest amount of
rainfall, 205 inches, occurs at Cape Mount and diminishes inland to about 70
inches on the central plateau. The interior has hot but pleasant days and cool
nights during the dry season.
Liberia has year-round evergreen vegetation. Many trees—such as red ironwood,
cam wood, teak, and mahogany—are valuable, but occur with other species,
preventing easy harvest. Other trees of value are rubber, cocoa, coffee, and the
raffia palm. Liberia's rain forest abounds with animals such as the monkey,
chimpanzee, small antelope, pygmy hippopotamus, and anteater. Elephants, bush
cows (short-horned buffalo), and leopards are gradually disappearing. There are
many reptiles, including three types of crocodiles and at least eight poisonous
snakes. There are several unique species of bats and birds, and scorpions,
lizards, and fish are numerous.
The Liberian economy is predominantly agrarian, and raw materials, equipment,
and consumer goods are imported. Production for export is carried out on a large
scale through foreign investment in rubber, forestry, and mining. Foreign ships
registering under a Liberian “flag of convenience” have made Liberia the world's
foremost nation in registered shipping tonnage. Liberia nevertheless remains a
primarily agricultural and underdeveloped country. Liberia's economy is mixed
and there is no nationalization of industry. The government, which is the
largest single employer, operates several public corporations. There is a
national Federation of Labor Unions, a federation of trade unions, and several
other employees' unions, but no employers' association. About 70 percent of the
work force is employed in agriculture; the rest work in manufacturing, sales,
services, and administration and management. About 40 percent of the total labor
force is made up of women. More women than men are employed in agriculture.
Liberia is rich in natural resources. It is among the leading producers of iron
in Africa, and it is one of the principal exporters of iron ore in the world.
Other minerals include diamonds, gold, lead, manganese, graphite, cyanite (a
silicate of aluminum, with thin bladelike crystals), and barite. There are
possible oil reserves off the coast. Agriculture is the fastest-growing sector
of the economy. About half the land area is suitable for cultivation, though
less than 5 percent is actually cultivated. Commercial farms are often operated
by foreigners. Traditional farms, which comprise the largest number, are usually
cultivated by slash-and-burn methods. Traditional farmers practice mixed
cultivation of rice, cassava, and vegetables. They also raise goats, sheep,
chickens, and ducks. Cultivation of cash crops such as coffee, cocoa, oil palm,
sugarcane, and swamp rice is increasing. Domestic rice production meets about 75
percent of the country's needs. The rest is imported, principally from the
United States. Liberia's climate is suitable for rubber production; the
necessary plants thrive on the country's poor soils. Rubber has become by far
the country's most valuable commercial crop, with coffee and cocoa increasing in
importance. Kola nuts, peanuts, and cotton are also produced, and cattle and
pigs are raised.
Liberia's government was patterned after that of the United States, with
executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Political parties were legalized
in 1984, and civilian rule was established in 1986. According to the 1986
constitution, the country is led by a president who is directly elected for a
six-year term. Members of the bicameral National Assembly, who serve six-year
terms in the House of Representatives and nine-year terms in the Senate, are
also elected directly. The judicial system comprises the Supreme Court, an
appeals court, magistrate courts, and criminal courts. There are also
traditional courts in some communities; the ethnic groups are allowed, as far as
possible, to govern themselves according to customary law. For administrative
purposes, Liberia is divided into 15 counties. Each of the counties is headed by
a superintendent, who is appointed by the president. Since 1939 education has
been compulsory for children between the ages of 7 and 16 and is free at the
primary and secondary levels.
25% of the Liberian population are Muslims who have established a great
civilization embellished with four centuries of glories. Muslims are a large and
homogeneous minority, naturally nominated to be an acting power in the country.
Many factors, however, have contributed to their inactivity, primarily the
spread of ignorance and poverty among the Muslim tribes, which have only one
three-floor public school, established by the Muslim World League, for the
purpose of learning the Qur’an and the Arabic language. Christian missionaries,
meanwhile, control most of the other schools, to which entry of Muslims is
denied and which require embracing Christianity in return for free enrolment.
Muslims also do not possess any private hospitals of their own.
The small number of Muslims in the capital, Monrovia, represents another
problem. Only 15,000 Muslims live there, and there are only 5 mosques versus 43
churches. The conditions of Muslims have recently been improved thanks to the
support of the neighboring Muslim-majority countries, such as Guinea and Sierra
Leone, and to the Union of American-Liberian Associations. Muslims have, as
well, set up two Islamic organizations in Monrovia: The Arabic Organization for
Studies, which propagates Islam among non-Muslims, and The Islamic Organization
for Education, which established two centers for educating imams, teaching the
Noble Qur’an and Arabic to new converts, and providing them with new sources of
income according to their new economic status. Still, the attention and support
given to Liberian Muslims by Islamic groups and organizations is very scanty and
does in no way rise to what calling to Islam in West Africa requires.