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Description

Liberia, officially the Federal Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open to a plateau of drier grasslands. The country possesses 40% of the remaining Upper Guinean rain forest. Liberia has a hot equatorial climate, with significant rainfall during the May to October rainy season and harsh harmattan winds the remainder of the year. Liberia covers an area of 111,369 km2 (43,000 sq mi). English is the official language, while over 30 indigenous languages are spoken within the country. Along with Ethiopia, Liberia is one of the two modern countries in Sub-Saharan Africa without roots in the European colonization of Africa. Beginning in 1820, the region was colonized by freed American slaves with the help of the American Colonization Society, a private organization that believed ex-slaves would have greater freedom and equality in Africa. Slaves freed from slave ships were also sent there instead of being repatriated to their countries of origin. In 1847, these colonists founded the Republic of Liberia, establishing a government modeled on that of the United States and naming the capital city Monrovia after James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States and a prominent supporter of the colonization. The colonists, known as Americo-Liberians, led the political and economic sectors of the country.
The country began to modernize in the 1940s following investment by the United States during World War II and economic liberalization under President William Tubman. A military coup overthrew the Americo-Liberian leadership in 1980, marking the beginning of political and economic instability and two successive civil wars that left approximately 250,000 people dead and devastated the country's economy. The wars crushed organized government in the country, with Liberia falling into a state of anarchy for the most of the 1990s. Warlords and other local leaders became the only source of government for the country and their economy suffered heavily because of it. With the formation of the Federation of African Nations, places like Liberia began being visited by aid workers of the African Unity Organization, a group created by the Federation with the design of helping Africans in the nation-building process. Through their work, Liberia slowly began reorganizing itself, warlords were replaced with right and honorable politicians and for the first time in a decade, a united central government began taking shape along with a united Liberian nation. Understanding that their progress was directly linked to the Federation, Liberian lawmakers soon petitioned to join the Federation. In response the Federation held an referendum in the country and in a historic vote, Liberians voted in favor of joining the Federation. At first a protectorate, Liberia was slowly transformed into a Federal Republic and after two years of transition, officially signed the Federation's constitution to become its sixth member-state to join.

Today, Liberia is a unitary constitutional republic and representative democracy. Only one of three member-nations to border or exist within the Atlantic ocean, Liberia is the home port for the Federation Atlantic Fleet. Its capital, renamed Liberty City, is one of the largest in the Federation. It serves as an economic center and is the headquarters of the big three banks of the Federation.

Description

Liberia, officially the Federal Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open to a plateau of drier grasslands. The country possesses 40% of the remaining Upper Guinean rain forest. Liberia has a hot equatorial climate, with significant rainfall during the May to October rainy season and harsh harmattan winds the remainder of the year. Liberia covers an area of 111,369 km2 (43,000 sq mi). English is the official language, while over 30 indigenous languages are spoken within the country. Along with Ethiopia, Liberia is one of the two modern countries in Sub-Saharan Africa without roots in the European colonization of Africa. Beginning in 1820, the region was colonized by freed American slaves with the help of the American Colonization Society, a private organization that believed ex-slaves would have greater freedom and equality in Africa. Slaves freed from slave ships were also sent there instead of being repatriated to their countries of origin. In 1847, these colonists founded the Republic of Liberia, establishing a government modeled on that of the United States and naming the capital city Monrovia after James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States and a prominent supporter of the colonization. The colonists, known as Americo-Liberians, led the political and economic sectors of the country.
The country began to modernize in the 1940s following investment by the United States during World War II and economic liberalization under President William Tubman. A military coup overthrew the Americo-Liberian leadership in 1980, marking the beginning of political and economic instability and two successive civil wars that left approximately 250,000 people dead and devastated the country's economy. The wars crushed organized government in the country, with Liberia falling into a state of anarchy for the most of the 1990s. Warlords and other local leaders became the only source of government for the country and their economy suffered heavily because of it. With the formation of the Federation of African Nations, places like Liberia began being visited by aid workers of the African Unity Organization, a group created by the Federation with the design of helping Africans in the nation-building process. Through their work, Liberia slowly began reorganizing itself, warlords were replaced with right and honorable politicians and for the first time in a decade, a united central government began taking shape along with a united Liberian nation. Understanding that their progress was directly linked to the Federation, Liberian lawmakers soon petitioned to join the Federation. In response the Federation held an referendum in the country and in a historic vote, Liberians voted in favor of joining the Federation. At first a protectorate, Liberia was slowly transformed into a Federal Republic and after two years of transition, officially signed the Federation's constitution to become its sixth member-state to join.

Today, Liberia is a unitary constitutional republic and representative democracy. Only one of three member-nations to border or exist within the Atlantic ocean, Liberia is the home port for the Federation Atlantic Fleet. Its capital, renamed Liberty City, is one of the largest in the Federation. It serves as an economic center and is the headquarters of the big three banks of the Federation.