Located in West Africa, the country called the Republic of Liberia is one of the poorest countries in the world. The economy of the country was undermined by the civil war of 1980, and since then, unfortunately, has not been restored to the end. At the same time in the bowels of Liberia is a lot of natural resources, in particular, diamonds.
Liberia was founded in the XIX century liberated and free-born black settlers from America who arrived in Africa and bought land for their colony from the leaders of local tribes. Its name translates as “Land of Freedom”, and the motto reads: “The love of freedom has brought us here.”
The founders of Liberia bought 13 thousand square kilometers of land for goods in total for 50 American dollars.
The dream of freedom, however, has not brought happiness – now Liberia is the poorest country in West Africa, the third in poverty in the world, and the unemployment rate among its inhabitants (about 85%) is one of the highest on the Earth.
The first independence of Liberia was recognized by Russia – it happened in 1850.
The official language of Liberia is English, but it is spoken by less than a third of the local population.
The President of Liberia, Helen Johnson-Sirleaf, the country’s leader since 2004 – the first female leader of the African state. In 2011 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her contribution to the struggle for women’s rights.
One of the main sources of income for the Liberian budget is the levying of fees for the use of the flag of Liberia by merchant ships of other countries.
The Sapo National Park is a unique wet tropical forest, for the most part of which the human foot has never trod. Recognized as one of the modern wonders of the world.
In 1997, in the presidential election in Liberia, gaining 75% of the vote, defeated rebel leader Charles Taylor. The slogan of his campaign was: “He killed my mother. He killed my dad. I vote for him. ” On May 30, 2012, the Hague Tribunal sentenced him to 50 years in prison for crimes against humanity.
Liberia is one of three countries in the world that has not yet passed to the metric system of measurements. The remaining two states are Myanmar and the United States.
Banks, major construction companies, railways and most of the motorways in Liberia belong to foreigners.
Residents of the interior of Liberia still adhere to the traditional beliefs of their tribes and commit human sacrifices, most often the victims are children. In 1989, for participation in human sacrifice, the Minister of the Interior of the country was convicted.
Monrovia is the only capital in the world, besides Washington, named after the American president.
Liberians living in cities earn by selling everything in the world – portioned mayonnaise, peeled oranges (used instead of drinks), mobile phone charging services, coal for irons and so on.
The most popular product is cold water in a plastic bag.
There is not a single traffic light in Liberia.
In the cities of Liberia, there are iron booths everywhere, which here are called “Business Centers” – they can watch TV or play a prefix for a fee.
Most Liberians do not have enough money to buy newspapers, and special stands are installed for them in settlements, where the brief content of the latest issues is manually rewritten.
