Liberia

C

Plants and Animals

Mangrove trees line Liberia’s tidal estuaries and lagoons. Beyond the coast grow various kinds of palms, screw pines, and rubber trees. In the evergreen forests are a mixed assortment of hardwood and broadleaf species, including ironwood and sassy. Deciduous forests, less dense than the evergreen forests, yield mahogany and softwoods.

Wildlife has been depleted and survives mainly in the east and northwest. Large mammals include the elephant, leopard, buffalo, the endangered pygmy hippopotamus, and various deerlike animals such as the bongo, duiker, and water chevrotain. Among reptiles are the dangerous Nile crocodile and numerous snakes, some poisonous.

D

Natural Resources

Although Liberia has primarily an agricultural economy, minerals and forest products such as wood and rubber are its most important resources. The country has significant deposits of iron ore, diamonds, and gold. Hydroelectric power plants have been constructed on several streams, including the St. Paul River.

E

Environmental Issues

Rich in biodiversity, Liberia was almost entirely forested until recent decades. Forest and woodland now cover only 28 percent (2005) of the land, although much of this is relatively undisturbed tropical wet forest. Shifting agriculture is the major cause of forest loss, but logging is an increasingly important factor. In addition to deforestation, major environmental threats include soil erosion and water pollution from mine tailings in rivers to oil and sewage along the coast. Wetlands are also threatened by agriculture and firewood collection.

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Although there are several national forests in Liberia, logging is permitted within them. The only truly protected land is in Sapo National Park in eastern Liberia. Protected land makes up 12.7 percent (2007) of the country’s area.

III

Population

The vast majority of the people of Liberia belong to one of several indigenous African ethnic groups. The largest of these groups are the Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, and Kru peoples. Americo-Liberians, descendants of emancipated slaves who emigrated from the United States, make up no more than 5 percent of the population. They live mostly in coastal cities and towns.

A

Population Characteristics

Liberia has a population (2008 estimate) of 3,334,587, giving the country an overall population density of 35 persons per sq km (90 per sq mi). Civil war between 1989 and 1996 drove hundreds of thousands of Liberians into neighboring countries as refugees. In 2004 the United Nations estimated that there were still 335,470 Liberian refugees living in neighboring countries. An estimated 48 percent of people within Liberia live in cities and towns. Most Liberians make their living by farming or herding.

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