25 Interesting Facts About Liberia

The most interesting facts about Liberia, from Africa’s oldest republic to pygmy hippos known as “water cows”.

Fast facts

Official name: Republic of Liberia
Capital city: Monrovia
Population: 5.7 million
Area: 111,369 sq km
Major languages: English, various regional languages
Major religions: Christianity, Islam
Time zone: UTC +0 (GMT)

Interesting facts about Liberia

1. Liberia is a country located in West Africa on the North Atlantic Ocean bordering Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone.

2. Liberia is one of only two African countries never formally colonised by a European power, alongside Ethiopia.

3. Liberia is Africa’s oldest republic. Settlements were established there by the American Colonization Society for formerly enslaved African Americans returning to the continent in the early 1820s.

4. The first European to visit what would become Liberia was Portuguese sailor Pedro de Sintra who reached the Liberian coast in 1461.

5. The area was known as the Grain Coast or Pepper Coast to Europeans because the valuable grain of Melegueta pepper was the principal item of trade in the region.

6. The territory was named Liberia in 1824 and Liberian independence was officially proclaimed in 1847.

7. From 1989 to 2003, Liberia experienced a brutal civil war that killed around 250,000 people. Thousands more were mutilated or raped during the conflict, including by forces using child soldiers.

8. In 2012, former Liberian leader Charles Taylor was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to 50 years in jail. His crimes included terrorism, rape, murder and the use of child soldiers by rebel groups in Sierra Leone.

9. Liberia’s Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was the first woman to be elected head of state of an African country. She was Liberia’s president from 2006 to 2018.

10. Johnson Sirleaf won the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize for her work as part of a “non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.”

11. From 2013 to 2016, there was a deadly outbreak of the Ebola virus in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. Around 11,300 people died across the three countries during the epidemic.

12. Liberia’s name comes from the Latin word “liber” meaning “free” as the country was created as a homeland for liberated African-American slaves.

13. The country’s capital city, Monrovia, was named after James Monroe, the fifth president of the USA and supporter of the colonisation of Liberia by freed slaves.

14. Approximately, one in ten of the world’s ships are registered in Liberia and fly its flag in order to avoid taxes and stricter employment regulations. The practice is known as “flag of convenience”. Only Panama has more ships registered under its flag.

15. Liberia’s flag is modelled on the American flag. A single star symbolises Liberia’s freedom and status as the first independent state in Africa.

See how Liberia’s flag compares to other African flags.

16. Liberia is one of the world’s hungriest countries, considered to be suffering from serious levels of hunger.

17. Liberia has one of the world’s youngest populations, with a median age of around 18 years.

18. Liberia is one of 27 countries that doesn’t have any UNESCO World Heritage Sites. However, it does have two properties on the Tentative List (properties intended to be submitted for nomination).

19. Former professional footballer George Weah became Liberia’s president in 2018. Weah played for Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Chelsea and became the first African footballer to win the Ballon d’Or before entering politics in the early 2000s. He served as president until 2024.

20. Liberia has only one national park: Sapo National Park, home to one of West Africa’s last remaining areas of primary rainforest. Lonely Planet says it is “one of West Africa’s best national parks”.

21. The endangered pygmy hippopotamus, or pygmy hippo, can be found in Sapo National Park. Liberians call it a “water cow”.

22. The world’s largest rubber plantation is located in Liberia. The Firestone Rubber Plantation, a subsidiary of tyre-maker Bridgestone, has operated in Liberia since 1926.

23. Liberia is emerging as one of Africa’s leading surf destinations. The fishing village of Robertsport, with beautiful beaches and excellent waves, is at the center of the developing surfing community.

24. Liberia is one of only three countries that doesn’t use the metric system of measurement. The other two are Myanmar and the USA.

25. Liberia is one of the poorest countries in the world. When measured by GDP per capita based on purchasing power parity (PPP), it was ranked eighth-poorest in 2024.

Explore more: Test your knowledge with our Africa map quiz.

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