Introduction
Liberia is a country in West Africa bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east.
Although founded by freed American and Caribbean slaves, Liberia is mostly made up of indigenous Africans, with the descendants of slaves comprising 5% of the population. However, these descendants traditionally hold key economic and political positions, feeding tensions among the local and the immigrant populations
Liberia is Africa's oldest republic. It became known in the 1990s for its long-running, ruinous civil war and its role in a rebellion in neighbouring Sierra Leone. A military coup overthrew the Americo-Liberian establishment in 1980, marking the beginning of political and economic instability and two successive civil wars that left approximately 250,000 people dead and devastated the country's economy.
A 2003 peace deal led to democratic elections in 2005. The UN maintains some 15,000 soldiers in Liberia. It is one of the organisation's most expensive peacekeeping operations.
Today, Liberia is recovering but approximately 85% of the population still lives below the international poverty line. The capital Monrovia remains without public electricity and running water. Corruption is rife and unemployment and illiteracy are endemic.
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