Seif Mohamed 9E

Country Research Worksheet

General
Official Country Name: The Republic of Liberia
Demonym of Country: Liberian
Capital City: Monrovia
Major Cities: Monrovia, Gbarnga, Kakata, Bensonville.
Official Language(s): The official language is English. However, there are 4 native languages
known as Mande, Kru, Mel, and Gola.

Geography:

Size of Country: 111,369 km²

Location of Country: Western Africa

Neighboring Countries: Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Togo.
Coastline or landlocked: Coastline

Economy
MEDC/LEDC?
Liberia is a LENDC.
GDP and growth rate: Liberia’s GDP is 2.158 billion dollars (US). Liberia’s annual growth rate
increases by 4%.
What Type of Economy Does Your Country Have?
Liberia is a low-income country that depends heavily on foreign assistance.
Has your country met the Millennium Development Goal targets?
No, Liberia hasn’t met all the Millennium Development Goal targets.
Trade blocs/associations: Liberia has agreements with the United States and several EWOK
countries.
Major exports: Rubber, diamond, timber, iron, coffee, and cocoa.
Major imports: Rice, boat propellers, and iron structures.
Major trade partners: Liberia’s top export destinations are Germany (443 million usd),
Switzerland (189M usd), the United States (61.5m usd), Indonesia (47.9m usd), and Poland (31m
usd)
Transportation and Accessibility (roads, railways, shipping..): Transport in Liberia consists of
railways, highways, Ports, and harbors.
Culture and Social:
Major Religions and Cultures: The main religions are Islam and Roman Catholicism there are
also some United Methodists. Liberia’s culture deeply involves music, because it is used as a
way of explaining things.
Major ethnic groups: There are officially 17 major Liberian ethnic groups, and the main ones are
Kpelle, Bassa, Kru, Grebo, and Mandigo.
Ethnic/Cultural/Religious issues, if any: After the Liberian civil war, there hasn’t been any issues
or conflicts between ethnic groups and religious groups.
Refugee problems: In 2016, refugees from the Ivory coast have caused an Ebola outbreak
causing many people to get diseased or even dead.

Defense and Military:

Percent of GDP Spent on Defense: 0.58 %
Nuclear Power? Are there any nuclear research facilities? No, Liberia doesn’t contain any
facilities or nuclear power plants.
Relationship between military and government: The military works for the government and they
aren’t in any type of conflict.
Is your country’s military viewed as a credible regional/world power?
No, Liberia’s government isn’t considered as a world power, because its army is very basic due
to the fact that Liberia isn’t exposed to any conflicts.
Affiliation to Military Organizations? Who are the other members?
The United States has established military ties with Liberia by sending a small group of men to
Liberia.
Major conflicts both past and present: In 1997 there was a Liberian civil war, the internal conflict
lasted for a year and approximately 250,000 people died. Liberia was also part of both world
wars, but they didn’t have a major role in both wars.
Was your country a colony or a colonizer?
Currently, Liberia is an independent country that isn’t colonized. However, in the past Liberia
was colonized by freed African Americans.
Who are your allies?
The United States and members of the ECOWAS.
Who are your country’s main opposition?
Liberia currently doesn’t have a main opposition.
UN
When did your Country Become a Member of the UN?
1945
How Does the Country Contribute to UN Peacekeeping?
In the past, Liberia was being helped by the UN in order to help solve the civil crisis and after
the issue was solved, there hasn’t been any contributions from Liberia so far.
Has the UN Cited Your Nation for Human Rights Violations?
If so, why?
No, the UN hasn’t cited Liberia for any Human Rights Violations.
What UN Organs has Your Country Been Involved in?
Liberia has been involved only in the UN security council.
Is Your Country a Regular Member of the ECOSOC and/or the SC?
Liberia isn’t part of the ECOSOC nor the SC.

People
Population and growth rate: Liberia’s population is currently 4.95m and its growth rate is
approximately 2.5 % annually.
Human Development Index (HDI): Liberia’s HDI is 0.435.
Unemployment Rate: Liberia’s unemployment rate is 2.03%.
GNP/GDP per capita: $456.05
Average income: The average income in Liberia, is $700 USD per month.
Literacy rate (Male/Female): According to the UNESCO the adult literacy rate percentage in
Liberia is 42.94%. The male percentage is 60.77% and the female percentage is 27.03%.
Age distribution:
Age structure: 0-14 years: 43.82% (male 1,038,452/female 1,016,491)
15-24 years: 19.56% (male 457,806/female 459,289)
25-54 years: 30.33% (male 699,879/female 722,244)
55-64 years: 3.43% (male 82,616/female 78,003)
65 years and over: 2.86% (male 65,979/female 68,262)

Human rights
Freedom of Speech: Yes, Liberia does contain freedom of speech and the government
respects the citizens’ freedom of speech.
Freedom of Religion: Yes, Liberia’s constitution respects the idea of freedom of religion.
Women’s Rights: In Liberia, women were allowed to vote since 1945. However, Liberia
contains no rights for women as they get raped, physically abused, and mentally abused.
 Freedom of Political Affiliation: In Liberia, the freedom of political affiliation is
guaranteed and completely respected.

Government
Current Head of State: The president is the head of state (George Weah).
Foreign Minister: The foreign minister of Liberia is Gbehzongar Findley.
Form of Government, explain briefly how it works
Liberia is a presidential representative democratic republic, where the president serves as head of
state and head of government. In addition, citizens have the right to vote for their president and
they have economic freedom as well.
Does Religion Influence Politics? (Theocracy)
In Liberia, freedom of religion is well believed which leads to the fact that religion doesn’t affect
politics in Liberia.
Current Ruling Party/Parties:
Liberia’s type of government depends on the president so there aren’t any ruling parties except
for the president and his government.

Environment
Signed/ratified any environmental agreements/protocols?
Liberia ratified the Kyoto Protocol by in 2002. In 2015, Liberia signed The Doha Amendment. 
Subsequently, the country also signed The Paris Climate Change Agreement in 2016.
Energy Consumption Rate: Liberia’s energy consumption rate per capita is 58kWh.
Energy Sources: It’s hydroelectric water plants.
Natural Resources: Iron ores, diamond mines, gold are all-natural resources in Liberia.
Over-Usage of Natural Resources?
Liberia doesn’t over-use natural resources, and it contains renewable energy sources for energy.
 Citations:

Age distribution:
https://www.indexmundi.com/liberia/age_structure.html

Literacy Rate:
https://countryeconomy.com/demography/literacy-rate/liberia

All the general information:

https://www.britannica.com/place/Liberia

GDP per capita:

http://www.salaryexplorer.com/salary-survey.php?loc=121&loctype=1

Women’s rights:

https://www.fidh.org/en/region/Africa/Liberia,206/Women-s-rights-in-Liberia

Freedom of Political Affiliation:

https://www.justice.gov/eoir/page/file/1072386/download

Liberia’s Government:

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-type-of-government-does-liberia-have.html