Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and southwest. It has a population of around 5.5 million and covers an area of 43,000 square miles (111,369 km2). The official language is English. Over 20 indigenous languages are spoken, reflecting the country's ethnic and cultural diversity. The capital and largest city is Monrovia.
The culture of Liberia reflects this nation's diverse ethnicities and long history. Liberia is located in West Africa on the Atlantic Coast.
Liberian may refer to:
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is a Liberian politician who served as the 24th president of Liberia from 2006 to 2018. Sirleaf was the first elected female head of state in Africa.
The Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) is a Parliament-enacted organization created in May 2005 under the Transitional Government. The Commission worked throughout the first mandate of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf after she was elected President of Liberia in November 2005. The Liberian TRC came to a conclusion in 2010, filing a final report and recommending relevant actions by national authorities to ensure responsibility and reparations.
Education in Liberia was severely affected by the First Liberian Civil War and Second Liberian Civil War, between 1989 and 2003. In 2010, the literacy rate of Liberia was estimated at 60.8%.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Liberia:
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in Liberia face legal and social challenges which others in the country do not experience. LGBTQ people in Liberia encounter widespread discrimination, including harassment, death threats, and at times physical attacks. Several prominent Liberian politicians and organizations have campaigned to restrict LGBTQ rights further, while several local, Liberian-based organizations exist to advocate and provide services for the LGBTQ community in Liberia. Same-sex sexual activity is criminalized regardless of the gender of those involved, with a maximum penalty of three years in prison, and same-sex marriage is illegal.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1001, adopted unanimously on 30 June 1995, after reaffirming resolutions 813 (1993), 856 (1993), 866 (1993), 911 (1994), 950 (1994) and 972 (1995), and 985 (1995) on Liberia, the Council discussed the implementation of peace agreements in the country and extended the mandate of the United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia (UNOMIL) until 15 September 1995.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1041, adopted unanimously on 29 January 1996, after recalling all resolutions on the situation in Liberia, particularly 1020 (1995), the Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia (UNOMIL) until 31 May 1996 and discussed efforts to restore stability in the country.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1071, adopted unanimously on 30 August 1996, after recalling all resolutions on the situation in Liberia, particularly Resolution 1059 (1996), the Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia (UNOMIL) until 30 November 1996 and discussed matters relating to UNOMIL.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1100, adopted unanimously on 27 March 1997, after recalling all resolutions on the situation in Liberia, particularly Resolution 1083 (1996), the Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia (UNOMIL) until 30 June 1997.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1231, adopted unanimously on 11 March 1999, after recalling resolutions 1181 (1998) and 1220 (1999) on the situation in Sierra Leone, the Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Observer Mission in Sierra Leone (UNOMSIL) until 13 June 1999.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1508, adopted unanimously on 19 September 2003, after recalling all previous resolutions on the situation in Sierra Leone, the Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) for six months until 31 March 2004.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1509, adopted unanimously on 19 September 2003, after recalling all previous resolutions on the situation in Liberia, including Resolution 1497 (2003), the council established the 15,000-strong United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) to assist in implementing a ceasefire and peace agreement.
Human rights in Liberia became a focus of international attention when the country's president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, was named one of the three female co-winners of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, all of whom were cited "for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work".
Corruption is endemic at every level of Liberian society, making Liberia one of the most politically corrupt nations in the world. As such, corruption is not specifically a punishable crime under Liberian law, which further exacerbates the nature of corruption present in the country. When President Sirleaf took office in 2006, she announced that corruption was “the major public enemy.”
Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Liberia. However, Liberia is classified as a state that is "abolitionist in practice." Liberia last executed in 2000.