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Compare Liberia (2004) - Lebanon (2006)

Compare Liberia (2004) z Lebanon (2006)

 Liberia (2004)Lebanon (2006)
 LiberiaLebanon
Administrative divisions 15 counties; Bomi, Bong, Gbarpolu, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, River Gee, Sinoe 8 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Aakkar, Baalbek-Hermel, Beyrouth, Beqaa, Liban-Nord, Liban-Sud, Mont-Liban, Nabatiye
Age structure 0-14 years: 43.4% (male 742,508; female 730,677)


15-64 years: 52.9% (male 875,951; female 918,570)


65 years and over: 3.6% (male 61,867; female 61,062) (2004 est.)
0-14 years: 26.5% (male 523,220/female 502,372)


15-64 years: 66.6% (male 1,235,915/female 1,342,540)


65 years and over: 7% (male 122,155/female 147,848) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, sugarcane, bananas; sheep, goats; timber citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco; sheep, goats
Airports 53 (2003 est.) 7 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total: 2


over 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)
total: 5


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 51


1,524 to 2,437 m: 5


914 to 1,523 m: 8


under 914 m: 38 (2004 est.)
total: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006)
Area total: 111,370 sq km


land: 96,320 sq km


water: 15,050 sq km
total: 10,400 sq km


land: 10,230 sq km


water: 170 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than Tennessee about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut
Background In August 2003, a comprehensive peace agreement ended 14 years of civil war and prompted the resignation of former president Charles TAYLOR, who was exiled to Nigeria. The National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL) - which is composed of rebel, government, and civil society groups - assumed control in October 2003. Chairman Gyude BRYANT, who was given a two-year mandate to oversee efforts to rebuild Liberia, heads the new government. The United Nations 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. Following the capture of Syria from the Ottoman Empire by Anglo-French forces in 1918, France received a mandate over this territory and separated out a region of Lebanon in 1920. France granted this area independence in 1943. A 15-year civil war (1976-1991) devastated the country, but Lebanon has since made progress toward rebuilding its political institutions. Under the Ta'if Accord - the blueprint for national reconciliation - the Lebanese established a more equitable political system, particularly by giving Muslims a greater voice in the political process while institutionalizing sectarian divisions in the government. Since the end of the war, Lebanon has conducted several successful elections, most militias have been disbanded, and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have extended authority over about two-thirds of the country. Hizballah, a radical Shi'a organization listed by the US State Department as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, retains its weapons. During Lebanon's civil war, the Arab League legitimized in the Ta'if Accord Syria's troop deployment, numbering about 16,000 based mainly east of Beirut and in the Bekaa Valley. Damascus justified its continued military presence in Lebanon by citing Beirut's requests and the failure of the Lebanese Government to implement all of the constitutional reforms in the Ta'if Accord. Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in May 2000, however, encouraged some Lebanese groups to demand that Syria withdraw its forces as well. The passage of UNSCR 1559 in early October 2004 - a resolution calling for Syria to withdraw from Lebanon and end its interference in Lebanese affairs - further emboldened Lebanese groups opposed to Syria's presence in Lebanon. The assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq HARIRI and 20 others in February 2005 led to massive demonstrations in Beirut against the Syrian presence ("the Cedar Revolution"). Syria finally withdrew the remainder of its military forces from Lebanon in April 2005. In May-June 2005, Lebanon held its first legislative elections since the end of the civil war free of foreign interference, handing a two-thirds majority to the bloc led by Saad HARIRI, the slain prime minister's son.
Birth rate 44.81 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) 18.52 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues: $85.4 million


expenditures: $90.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2000 est.)
revenues: $4.953 billion


expenditures: $6.595 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Capital Monrovia name: Beirut


geographic coordinates: 33 53 N, 35 30 E


time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Climate tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows
Coastline 579 km 225 km
Constitution 6 January 1986 23 May 1926; amended a number of times, most recently Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of October 1989
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Liberia


conventional short form: Liberia
conventional long form: Lebanese Republic


conventional short form: Lebanon


local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah


local short form: Lubnan


former: Greater Lebanon
Currency Liberian dollar (LRD) -
Death rate 17.86 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) 6.21 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $2.1 billion (2000 est.) $26 billion (2005 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador John William BLANEY III


embassy: 111 United Nations Drive, P. O. Box 10-0098, Mamba Point, 1000 Monrovia, 10 Liberia


mailing address: use embassy street address


telephone: [231] 226-370 through 226-380


FAX: [231] 226-148
chief of mission: Ambassador Jeffrey D. FELTMAN


embassy: Awkar, Lebanon; (Akwar facing the Municipality)


mailing address: P. O. Box 70-840, Antelias, Lebanon; PSC 815, Box 2, FPO AE 09836-0002; from US: US Embassy Beirut, 6070 Beirut Place, Washington, DC 20521-6070


telephone: [961] (4) 542600, 543600


FAX: [961] (4) 544136
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Aaron B. KOLLIE


chancery: 5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011


telephone: [1] (202) 723-0437


FAX: [1] (202) 723-0436


consulate(s) general: New York
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)


chancery: 2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 939-6320


FAX: [1] (202) 939-6324


consulate(s) general: Detroit, New York, Los Angeles
Disputes - international domestic fighting among disparate rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone have created insurgencies, street violence, looting, arms trafficking, and ethnic conflicts and refugees in border areas; the Cote d'Ivoire Government accuses Liberia of supporting Ivorian rebels Lebanese Government claims Shab'a Farms area of Israeli-occupied Golan Heights; the roughly 2,000-strong UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been in place since 1978
Economic aid - recipient $94 million (1999) $2.2 billion received (2003), out of the $4.2 billion in soft loans pledged at the November 2002 Paris II Aid Conference
Economy - overview Civil war and misgovernment have destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around Monrovia. Many businessmen have fled the country, taking capital and expertise with them. Some have returned, many will not. Richly endowed with water, mineral resources, forests, and a climate favorable to agriculture, Liberia had been a producer and exporter of basic products - primarily raw timber and rubber. Local manufacturing, mainly foreign owned, had been small in scope. The departure of the former president, Charles TAYLOR, to Nigeria in August 2003, the establishment of the all-inclusive National Transition Government of Liberia (NTGL), and the arrival of a UN mission are all encouraging signs that the political crisis is coming to an end. The restoration of infrastructure and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economy depend on the implementation of sound macro- and micro-economic policies, including the encouragement of foreign investment, and generous support from donor countries. The 1975-91 civil war seriously damaged Lebanon's economic infrastructure, cut national output by half, and all but ended Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and banking hub. In the years since, Lebanon has rebuilt much of its war-torn physical and financial infrastructure by borrowing heavily - mostly from domestic banks. In an attempt to reduce the ballooning national debt, the Rafiq HARIRI government began an austerity program, reining in government expenditures, increasing revenue collection, and privatizing state enterprises. In November 2002, the government met with international donors at the Paris II conference to seek bilateral assistance in restructuring its massive domestic debt at lower interest rates. Substantial receipts from donor nations stabilized government finances in 2003, but did little to reduce the debt, which stands at nearly 170% of GDP. In 2004 the HARIRI government issued Eurobonds in an effort to manage maturing debt. The downturn in economic activity that followed the assassination of Rafiq al-HARIRI has eased, but has yet to be reversed. Tourism remains below the level of 2004. The new Prime Minister, Fuad SINIORA, has pledged to push ahead with economic reform, including privatization and more efficient government. The Core Group of nations has announced plans to hold a Donor's Conference in early 2006 to assist the government of Lebanon in restructuring its debt and increasing foreign investment.
Electricity - consumption 435.9 million kWh (2001) 10.67 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2001) 750 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 468.8 million kWh (2001) 10.67 billion kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mount Wuteve 1,380 m
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m


highest point: Qurnat as Sawda' 3,088 m
Environment - current issues tropical rain forest deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in Beirut from vehicular traffic and the burning of industrial wastes; pollution of coastal waters from raw sewage and oil spills
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94


signed, but not ratified: Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation
Ethnic groups indigenous African tribes 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, Dei, Bella, Mandingo, and Mende), Americo-Liberians 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the US who had been slaves), Congo People 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean who had been slaves) Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%


note: many Christian Lebanese do not identify themselves as Arab but rather as descendents of the ancient Canaanites and prefer to be called Phoenicians
Exchange rates Liberian dollars per US dollar - NA (2003), 61.7542 (2002), 48.5833 (2001), 40.9525 (2000), 41.9025 (1999) Lebanese pounds per US dollar - 1,507.5 (2005), 1,507.5 (2004), 1,507.5 (2003), 1,507.5 (2002), 1,507.5 (2001)
Executive branch chief of state: Chairman Gyude BRYANT (since 14 October 2003); note - this is an interim position until presidential elections in 2005; the chairman is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: Chairman Gyude BRYANT (since 14 October 2003); note - this is an interim position until presidential elections in 2005; the chairman is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate; note - current cabinet positions are divided among groups participating in the Liberian peace process


elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (renewable); election last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held NA October 2005)


election results: Charles Ghankay TAYLOR elected president; percent of vote - Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (NPP) 75.3%, Ellen Johnson SIRLEAF (UP) 9.6%, Alhaji KROMAH (ALCOP) 4%, other 11.1%; note - Taylor stepped down in August 2003


note:: a UN-brokered cease-fire among warring factions and the Liberian government resulted in the August 2003 resignation of former president Charles TAYLOR; a jointly agreed upon replacement, Chairman Gyude BRYANT, assumed office as head of the National Transitional Government on 14 October 2003
chief of state: President Emile LAHUD (since 24 November 1998)


head of government: Prime Minister Fuad SINIORA (since 30 June 2005); Deputy Prime Minister Elias MURR (since April 2005)


cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president and members of the National Assembly


elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a six-year term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 15 October 1998 (next to be held in 2007 based on three-year extension); note - on 3 September 2004 the National Assembly voted 96 to 29 to extend Emile LAHUD's six-year term by three years; the prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president in consultation with the National Assembly; by agreement, the president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of the legislature is a Shi'a Muslim


election results: for 15 October 1998 election: Emile LAHUD elected president; National Assembly vote - 118 votes in favor, 0 against, 10 abstentions
Exports $1.079 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities rubber, timber, iron, diamonds, cocoa, coffee authentic jewelry, inorganic chemicals, miscellaneous consumer goods, fruit, tobacco, construction minerals, electric power machinery and switchgear, textile fibers, paper
Exports - partners Germany 43.3%, Poland 10.9%, Greece 9.1%, US 6%, France 5.5%, Thailand 4.9%, China 4.1% (2003) Syria 25.3%, UAE 11.4%, Switzerland 8.1%, Turkey 6%, Saudi Arabia 6% (2005)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description 11 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a white five-pointed star on a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner; the design was based on the US flag three horizontal bands consisting of red (top), white (middle, double width), and red (bottom) with a green cedar tree centered in the white band
GDP purchasing power parity - $3.261 billion (2003 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 76.9%


industry: 5.4%


services: 17.7% (2002 est.)
agriculture: 12%


industry: 21%


services: 67% (2000)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2003 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 3% (2003 est.) 0.1% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 6 30 N, 9 30 W 33 50 N, 35 50 E
Geography - note facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars; the inland grassy plateau supports limited agriculture Nahr el Litani is the only major river in Near East not crossing an international boundary; rugged terrain historically helped isolate, protect, and develop numerous factional groups based on religion, clan, and ethnicity
Highways total: 10,600 km


paved: 657 km


unpaved: 9,943 km (1999 est.)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs transshipment point for Southeast and Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine for the European and US markets; corruption, criminal activity, arms-dealing, and diamond trade provide significant potential for money laundering, but the lack of well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a major money-laundering center cannabis cultivation dramatically reduced to 2,500 hectares in 2002; opium poppy cultivation minimal; small amounts of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin transit country on way to European markets and for Middle Eastern consumption
Imports NA (2001) NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods; foodstuffs petroleum products, cars, medicinal products, clothing, meat and live animals, consumer goods, paper, textile fabrics, tobacco
Imports - partners South Korea 39.2%, Japan 16.2%, Singapore 12.4%, Germany 9.9%, Spain 4.1% (2003) Italy 11.1%, Syria 10.7%, France 9.2%, Germany 6.5%, China 5.4%, US 5.3%, UK 4.4%, Saudi Arabia 4.3% (2005)
Independence 26 July 1847 22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
Industrial production growth rate NA NA%
Industries rubber processing, palm oil processing, timber, diamonds banking, tourism, food processing, jewelry, cement, textiles, mineral and chemical products, wood and furniture products, oil refining, metal fabricating
Infant mortality rate total: 130.51 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 137.32 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 123.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
total: 23.72 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 26.34 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 20.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 15% (2003 est.) 2.4% (2005 est.)
International organization participation ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer)
Irrigated land 30 sq km (1998 est.) 1,040 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Supreme Court four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and commercial cases and one court for criminal cases); Constitutional Council (called for in Ta'if Accord - rules on constitutionality of laws); Supreme Council (hears charges against the president and prime minister as needed)
Labor force - 2.6 million


note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 70%, industry 8%, services 22% (2000 est.) agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
Land boundaries total: 1,585 km


border countries: Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km
total: 454 km


border countries: Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km
Land use arable land: 3.95%


permanent crops: 2.28%


other: 93.77% (2001)
arable land: 16.35%


permanent crops: 13.75%


other: 69.9% (2005)
Languages English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages, of which a few can be written and are used in correspondence Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian
Legal system dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American common law for the modern sector and customary law based on unwritten tribal practices for indigenous sector mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and civil law; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (26 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve nine-year terms) and the House of Representatives (64 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held NA 2006); House of Representatives - last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held NA October 2005)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NPP 21, UP 3, ALCOP 2; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NPP 49, UP 7, ALCOP 3, Alliance of Political Parties 2, UPP 2, LPP 1
unicameral National Assembly or Majlis Alnuwab (Arabic) or Assemblee Nationale (French) (128 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of sectarian proportional representation to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held in four rounds on 29 May, 5, 12, 19 June 2005 (next to be held 2009)


election results: percent of vote by group - NA; seats by group - Future Movement Bloc 36; Democratic Gathering 15; Development and Resistance Bloc 15; Loyalty to the Resistance 14; Free Patriotic Movement 14; Lebanese Forces 6; Qornet Shewan 5; Popular Bloc 4; Tripoli Independent Bloc 3; Syrian National Socialist Party 2; Kataeb Reform Movement 2; Tachnaq Party 2; Democratic Renewal Movement 1; Democratic Left 1; Nasserite Popular Movement 1; Ba'th Party 1; Kataeb Party 1; independent 5
Life expectancy at birth total population: 47.93 years


male: 46.9 years


female: 48.99 years (2004 est.)
total population: 72.88 years


male: 70.41 years


female: 75.48 years (2006 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 57.5%


male: 73.3%


female: 41.6%


note: (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 87.4%


male: 93.1%


female: 82.2% (2003 est.)
Location Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria
Map references Africa Middle East
Maritime claims territorial sea: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Merchant marine total: 1,449 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 50,555,752 GRT/79,125,329 DWT


by type: bulk 278, cargo 67, chemical tanker 161, combination bulk 10, combination ore/oil 20, container 388, liquefied gas 77, multi-functional large load carrier 3, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 317, refrigerated cargo 62, roll on/roll off 14, short-sea/passenger 3, specialized tanker 13, vehicle carrier 33


foreign-owned: Argentina 9, Australia 3, Austria 16, Belgium 8, Bermuda 1, Brazil 5, Chile 7, China 40, Croatia 11, Cyprus 4, Denmark 4, Estonia 1, France 3, Germany 510, Greece 142, Hong Kong 56, Iceland 1, India 3, Indonesia 1, Israel 4, Italy 8, Japan 81, South Korea 7, Latvia 22, Isle of Man 5, Mexico 1, Monaco 59, Netherlands 11, Nigeria 2, Norway 54, Panama 1, Poland 2, Portugal 6, Russia 68, Saudi Arabia 23, Singapore 43, Slovenia 1, Spain 1, Sri Lanka 1, Sweden 9, Switzerland 7, Taiwan 36, Turkey 3, Ukraine 3, United Kingdom 36, United States 95, Uruguay 3


registered in other countries: 35 (2004 est.)
total: 39 ships (1000 GRT or over) 150,598 GRT/178,295 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 18, livestock carrier 10, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 3, vehicle carrier 3


foreign-owned: 4 (Greece 3, Syria 1)


registered in other countries: 59 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Barbados 1, Cambodia 6, Comoros 6, Egypt 2, Georgia 7, Honduras 1, North Korea 6, Liberia 2, Malta 10, Mongolia 1, Panama 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4, Sao Tome and Principe 1, Syria 7, unknown 2) (2006)
Military branches Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL): Army, Navy, Air Force Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF): Army, Navy, and Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure $10 million (2003) $540.6 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.3% (2003) 3.1% (2004)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 752,943 (2004 est.) -
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 406,293 (2004 est.) -
National holiday Independence Day, 26 July (1847) Independence Day, 22 November (1943)
Nationality noun: Liberian(s)


adjective: Liberian
noun: Lebanese (singular and plural)


adjective: Lebanese
Natural hazards dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March) dust storms, sandstorms
Natural resources iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population


note: at least 200,000 Liberian refugees are in surrounding countries; the uncertain security situation has hindered their ability to return (2004 est.)
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Pipelines - gas 43 km (2006)
Political parties and leaders Alliance of Political Parties (a coalition of LAP and LUP) [leader NA]; All Liberia Coalition Party or ALCOP [Peter KERBAY]; Liberian Action Party or LAP [C. Gyude BRYANT]; Liberian People's Party or LPP [Koffa NAGBE]; Liberia Unification Party or LUP [leader NA]; National Patriotic Party or NPP [Cyril ALLEN] - governing party; United People's Party or UPP [Wesley JOHNSON]; Unity Party or UP [Charles CLARKE] Ba'th Party; Democratic Gathering [Walid JUMBLATT]; Democratic Left [Ilyas ATALLAH]; Democratic Renewal Movement [Nassib LAHUD]; Development and Resistance Bloc [Nabih BERRI, Amal Movement leader/Speaker of the National Assembly]; Free Patriotic Movement [Michel AWN]; Future Movement Bloc [Sa'ad HARIRI]; Kataeb Party [Karim PAKRADONI]; Kataeb Reform Movement [Amine GEMAYAL]; Lebanese Forces [Samir JA'JA]; Loyalty to the Resistance [Mohammad RA'AD]; Metn Bloc [Michel MURR]; Nasserite Popular Movement [Ussama SAAD]; National Bloc [Carlos EDDE]; Popular Bloc [Elias SKAFF]; Qornet Shewan Gathering [a grouping with no individual leader]; Syrian National Socialist Party [Ali QANSU]; Tachnaq Party; Tripoli Independent Bloc [a grouping with no individual leader]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA none
Population 3,390,635 (July 2004 est.) 3,874,050 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line 80% 28% (1999 est.)
Population growth rate 2.7% (2004 est.) 1.23% (2006 est.)
Ports and harbors Buchanan, Greenville, Harper, Monrovia, Robertsport -
Radio broadcast stations AM 0, FM 7, shortwave 2 (2001) AM 20, FM 22, shortwave 4 (1998)
Railways total: 490 km


standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge


narrow gauge: 145 km 1.067-m gauge


note: none of the railways are in operation (2003)
total: 401 km


standard gauge: 319 km 1.435 m


narrow gauge: 82 km 1.050 m


note: rail system became unusable because of damage done during fighting in the 1980s and in 2006 (2006)
Religions indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20% Muslim 59.7% (Shi'a, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri), Christian 39% (Maronite Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Melkite Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, Armenian Catholic, Syrian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Chaldean, Assyrian, Copt, Protestant), other 1.3%


note: 17 religious sects recognized
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female


total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at age 21 with elementary education
Telephone system general assessment: telephone and telegraph service via microwave radio relay network; main center is Monrovia


domestic: NA


international: country code - 231; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
general assessment: repair of the telecommunications system, severely damaged during the civil war, now complete


domestic: two commercial wireless networks provide good service; political instability hampers privatization and deployment of new technologies


international: country code - 961; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) (erratic operations); coaxial cable to Syria; 3 submarine coaxial cables
Telephones - main lines in use 7,000 (2001) 990,000 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular 2,000 (2001) 990,000 (2005)
Television broadcast stations 1 (plus four low-power repeaters) (2001) 15 (plus 5 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains
Total fertility rate 6.16 children born/woman (2004 est.) 1.9 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate 85% (2003 est.) 18% (1997 est.)
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