Liberia Essay Summary Example For Students

Liberia Essay Summary LiberiaThis paper is about a small country on the west coast of Africa called Liberia. It is a country built with the help of The American Colonization Society. I wasestablished to place freed blacks in the days of slavery in the United States inthe 1800s. The government was modeled after of the United Stats. Monrovia, thecapital and principal, port is named after a president of the united statesJames Monroe. This country has historical significance for african Americans. As Africas oldest republic, established by former black American slaves,Liberia played and important role as a model for African colones seekingindependence. HISTORYLiberias tribal peoples migrated to the area between the 12th and 16thcenturies. The Portuguese arrived in 1461 and began a trade in ivory, pepper,and later in slaves. In 1820, the first colonists arrived. Their successfulsettlement was named Monrovia in 1824. More colonists gradually arrived andestablished separate colonies. In 1847 the colonies united and Liberia becamethe first independent republic in black Africa. The new nation faced many problems. Some of them were tribal wars, lowexports, and land claimed by other countries. Liberia was able to maintain itsindependence only with the help of the United States. Following World War II,the modern port, airport, hospitals, hydroelectric station, and other projects,all financed by the United States, were opened. There has been frequentmilitary conflicts and civil wars. In August 1990, forces from several Africancountries entered Liberia to try and stop the bloody civil wars. The fightingonly became worse and the Prospects of a negotiated settlement were dim. LAND AND RESOURCESLiberias straight sandy coast is 350 miles long. It is broken bylagoons and mangrove swamps. It gives way to a low rolling plain about 20 mileswide. Further inland, foothills ranging in height from 600 to 1000 feet highare found. They become mountains in the north and east. The highest point inthe country is Mt. Wutuvi which rises to 4,531 feet. Land area of the countryis 43,000 square miles. Liberias rivers are short and flow parallel to one another from themountains to the ocean. The largest rivers are the St. Paul, St. John, andCavalla. Liberias tropical climate is hot and humid. The usual temperatureranges from 60 degrees to 87 degrees. Annual rainfall, as much as 177 inches atthe coast, gradually decreases inland to 96 inches. The rainy season occursbetween May and October. A dusty winter wind blows during December. There are 90 different kind of usable wood in Liberias vast timberresources. Mineral resources include large deposits of iron ore, diamonds, andgold. The country is rich in wildlife. More than 100 species of mammals haveso for been identified. There are fifteen species belonging to the cat family,among which the largest is the leopard. The number of leopards has beendecreasing rapidly along with the elephant and bush cow. Monkeys, chimpanzees,and antelopes swarm. two rare mammals found here are the manatee and the pygmyhippopotamus. In addition to mammals, there are more that 100 species of birds,including eagles, kites, and hawks. PEOPLELiberians of black American ancestry who migrated from North and SouthAmerica between 1820 and 1856 are known as Americo- Liberians. They live alongthe coast and make of up about 5 percent of the more that 2 million population. The bulk population consist of native cultural groups. Each has its ownlanguage. There is also a large group of English speaking people. The largestnative group is the Kpelle which is 19% of the population. The Bassa groupmakes up 14% of the population. It is estimated that 18% of the people practicetraditional African religions. About 68 percent are Christians and about 14percent are Islamic. Liberia is officially Christian. Call of the wild 2 EssayIn September 1990 Doe was killed by one of the rebel groups that hadbeen trying to overthrow hem. Four men claimed leadership of the country Acaretaker government was appointed until a freely elected government could beformed. The country continues to have political problems. MONROVIAMonrovia is the liberia capital. The town was founded in 1822 and namedfor United Stats President James Monroe. The american Colonization Societyhelped found the city as a settlement for freed slaves. It is the largest cityin Liberia. Monrovia is the countrys chief port located at the mouth of theMesurado River on the Atlantic coast. The port and industrial area are onBushrod Island which is connected by a bridge to the rest of Monrovia. The freeport was completed in 1948. Monrovia is a city of displacement. Office buildings and stone housesin the colonial style of the southern United States are near African huts andshacks, some with television antennas. Elaborate buildings include the Capital,the Executive Mansion, city hall, and the Temple of Justice. Monrovia is thecenter of Liberias trade and transportation. Industrial products includepetroleum, cement, paint, and tuna. James Spriggs Payn Airfield is within thecity limits, and an international airport is 27 miles southeast of the city.,Monrovia is the sit of the University of Liberia. CONCLUSIONLiberia is a country started with tribal people migrating and freedslaves coming to live free. It consists of many native groups. They fought fortheir there independence and many problems arose. It is full of mountains, Plains, foothills, Rivers, timber, and wildlife. Most people farm and grow only what they use. There is still trade iniron ore, diamonds, and timber. It had a constitution written for the country based on the United Statesconstitution. With a House of representatives, senate, President, vicePresident, and Cabinet. Until it was overthrown. Monrovia, the capital is the industrial port for liberia. It isdisplaced. It has shays next to high rise buildings. It was named after one ofthe presidents of the United States, James Monroe. Liberia is an interesting country and it is fighting to have peace in itcountry and counties to have problems. BibliographyCooper, K., The World and Its People, Siver Burdett Company, 1986. Prodigy Service, Prodigy, Grolire Electronic Publishing, 1992. Software Toolworks, World Atlas ver. 3.2, Liberia, 1992. Sullivan M., Jo Liberia, Harry Jonas Lerner, 1988. Wiley, David S., Liberia, Comptons Interactive Encyclopedia, 1994.