to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling
plateau and low mountains in northeast
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Wuteve 1,380 m

Natural resources: iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold

Land use:
arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 3%
meadows and pastures: 2%
forest and woodland: 39%
other: 55%

Irrigated land: 20 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment:
current issues: tropical rain forest subject to deforestation; soil
erosion; loss of biodiversity; pollution of rivers from the dumping
of iron ore tailings and of coastal waters from oil residue and raw
sewage
natural hazards: dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara
(December to March)
international agreements: party to - Endangered Species, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94;
signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine
Life Conservation

People
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Population: 2,109,789 (July 1996 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 45% (male 475,138; female 470,970)
15-64 years: 52% (male 557,855; female 532,143)
65 years and over: 3% (male 35,544; female 38,139) (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.13% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 42.72 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 11.95 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net migration rate: -9.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
note: until the Ghanaian-led peace negotiations are successful, many
Liberian refugees will be unable to return from exile

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.03 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 108.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 58.59 years
male: 56.05 years
female: 61.22 years (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.23 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Liberian(s)
adjective: Liberian

Ethnic divisions: indigenous African tribes 95% (including Kpelle,
Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai,
and Bella), Americo-Liberians 5% (descendants of former slaves)

Religions: traditional 70%, Muslim 20%, Christian 10%

Languages: English 20% (official), Niger-Congo language group
about 20 local languages come from t