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Liberia NEWS MEDIA
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Background: Settlement of freed slaves from the US in what is today
Liberia began in 1822; by 1847, the Americo-Liberians were
able to establish a republic. William TUBMAN, president from
1944-71, did much to promote foreign investment and to bridge
the economic, social, and political gaps between the
descendents of the original settlers and the inhabitants of
the interior. In 1980, a military coup led by Samuel DOE
ushered in a decade of authoritarian rule. In December 1989,
Charles TAYLOR launched a rebellion against DOE's regime that
led to a prolonged civil war in which DOE himself was killed.
A period of relative peace in 1997 allowed for elections that
brought TAYLOR to power, but major fighting resumed in 2000.
An August 2003, peace agreement ended the war and prompted the
resignation of former president Charles TAYLOR, who was exiled
to Nigeria. After two years of rule by a transitional
government, democratic elections in late 2005 brought
President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF to power. The UN 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.
Borders: Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km
Population: 3,283,267
GDP per capita: $161.12 per capita
Capital with population: Monrovia - 1,000,000
Largest city with population: Monrovia - 1,000,000
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