Liberia is a country in West Africa founded by free people of color from the United States. The emigration of African Americans, both free and recently emancipated, was funded and organized by the American Colonization Society (ACS). The mortality rate of these settlers was the highest in accurately recorded human history. Of the 4,571 emigrants who arrived in Liberia between 1820 and 1843, only 1,819 survived.
The economy of Liberia is extremely underdeveloped, with only $3.222 billion by gross domestic product as of 2019, largely due to the First Liberian Civil War (1989–1996). Liberia itself is one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world, according to the United Nations.
Harvey Samuel Firestone was an American businessman, and the founder of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, one of the first global makers of automobile tires.
Firestone Tire and Rubber Company is an American tire company founded by Harvey Firestone (1868–1938) in 1900 initially to supply solid rubber side-wire tires for fire apparatus, and later, pneumatic tires for wagons, buggies, and other forms of wheeled transportation common in the era. Firestone soon saw the huge potential for marketing tires for automobiles, and the company was a pioneer in the mass production of tires. Harvey Firestone had a personal friendship with Henry Ford, and used this to become the original equipment supplier of Ford Motor Company automobiles, and was also active in the replacement market.
Edwin James Barclay was a Liberian politician, poet, and musician who served as the 18th president of Liberia from 1930 until 1944. He was a member of the True Whig political party, which dominated the political governance of the country for decades. Under Barclay's leadership, Liberia was an ally of the United States during World War II.
Sanniquellie is a city and the capital of Nimba County and Sanniquellie-Mahn District, Liberia. It is located in the north-east of the country at coordinates 07°21'49" N 008°42'40" W. The average altitude of the city is 420 metres above the sea level. As of the 2008 national census, the population stood at 11,415. The most represented tribes are Mano, Gio and Mandingo.
Harbel is a town in Margibi County, Liberia. It lies along the Farmington River, about 15 miles upstream from the Atlantic Ocean. It was named for the founder of The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, Harvey S. Firestone, and his wife, Idabelle. Since 1926, Harbel has been home to a massive natural rubber plantation which is still operated by the Firestone subsidiary of Bridgestone.
Kakata, is the capital city of Liberia's Margibi County and is located in Kakata District just over the Du River bridge which is its border with Todee District. It is a transit town at the heart of the historical natural rubber cultivation belt in Liberia. The city is colloquially known as "Kak City". The City host the Office of the National Civil Society Council of Liberia (NCSCL), Margibi Chapter. The Council which is headed by Mr. Friday Edwin CRUSOR, is known for its diligent role in Advocacy, Dialogue, Peacebuilding among others.
Firestone District is one of four districts located in Margibi County, Liberia. It is home to Duside Hospital.
Allen N. Yancy (1881–1941) was the 20th vice president of Liberia from 1928 to 1930 under President Charles D. B. King. He was forced to resign in 1930 following his involvement with forced labor exported to the Spanish-controlled island of Fernando Po.
Harvey Samuel Firestone Jr. was an American businessman. He was chairman of the board of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company.
International Labor Rights Forum v Firestone Tire and Rubber Co (2005) was a class-action lawsuit filed by The International Labor Rights Forum on November 17, 2005, against the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, on behalf of a group of former child laborers, in Liberia.
A new civil war began in 1999 when a rebel group backed by the government of neighboring Guinea, the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), emerged in northern Liberia. By the spring of 2001, they were posing a major threat to the Taylor government. Liberia was now engaged in a complex three-way conflict with Sierra Leone and the Guinea Republic. By the beginning of 2002, both of these countries were supporting the latest addition to the lexicon of Liberian guerrilla outfits – Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), while Taylor was supporting various opposition factions in both countries. By supporting Sierra Leonean rebels, Taylor also drew the enmity of the British and Americans.
Liberia – United States relations are bilateral relations between Liberia and the United States.
James Skivring Smith Jr. (1891–1950) was a Liberian politician who served as the 21st vice president of Liberia from 1930 to 1944 under President Edwin Barclay. Prior to this, Smith served as superintendent of Grand Bassa County from 1924 to 1927. Smith was elected as vice president in a special election held in 1930 following the resignation of President Charles D. B. King and Vice President Allen Yancy after mass protests by Liberians and international accusations of government-backed forced labor practices at the Firestone rubber plantation in Liberia. Smith was the son of James Skivring Smith, who served as vice president and president of Liberia in the 19th century.
Firestone Natural Rubber Company, LLC is a subsidiary of the Bridgestone Americas, Inc. Headquartered in Nashville, TN, the company operates the largest contiguous rubber plantation in the world in Harbel, Liberia, which first opened in 1926.
Liberia did not become militarily involved in World War II until January 1944, with the election of William Tubman, at which time the country declared war on Germany and Japan. However, even before the start of Liberia's official military involvement, the nation participated in the war for two years under the terms of a Defense Agreement with the United States. Apart from Ceylon and the Belgian Congo, Liberia possessed one of the few remaining sources of rubber for the Allies. To guarantee a steady supply of rubber from the world's largest rubber plantation, operated at Harbel by the Firestone Company since 1926, the US government built roads throughout the country, created an international airport, and transformed the capital, Monrovia, by building a deep water port.
Agriculture in Liberia is a major sector of the country's economy worth 38.8% of GDP, employing more than 70% of the population and providing a valuable export for one of the world's least developed countries. Liberia has a climate favourable to farming, vast forests, and an abundance of water, yet low yields mean that over half of foodstuffs are imported, with net agricultural trade at -$73.12 million in 2010. This was dismissed as a "misconception" by Liberia's Minister of Agriculture.
The Farmington River is a river in Liberia. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean near the town of Marshall.
