The Geography of Liberia
Liberia, officially known as
the Republic of Liberia from 1847, is a country located in the Sub-Saharan
region of West Africa. It borders the countries of Sierra Leone to the west,
Guinea to the north, and Côte
d’Ivoire to the east. Its
southern border offers a long coastline to the northern Atlantic Ocean. Liberia's landscape is mostly flat, with
rolling coastal plains, dense tropical rainforests, and then low mountains in
the north. The highest point within Liberia
is Mount
Wuteve with 1,440 meters above the sea level and the lowest point is at the sea
level on the coast. Liberia’s climate is
tropical and humid. Since it is near the
equator, there is little temperature change throughout the year.[1] Monrovia (6.3133°N, 10.8014°W) is Liberia’s
capital city. As the largest city and
chief port, Monrovia is the cultural, political, and financial hub of the
country. It is also the host to founding
historical sites and the Liberian National Museum. Other areas of interest in Liberia are Lake
Piso, Kpatawee Waterfalls, and the Sapo National Park.[2]
These geographical factors have helped and hindered
Liberia at one point in time in history.
Due to the coastal geography of Monrovia, for example, freed African American
slaves resettled there and became known as the Americo-Liberians.[3] This, of course, caused friction with the
indigenous African tribes because of the different traditions and cultures
between the two groups. Agriculture and
food production has also been effected by Liberia’s geography. While half of the land area consists of
tropical forest, a little less than half of the land is arable. Liberia is also diverse in cattle ranges and
fresh water fishery resources.[4] The geography and climate has also played an
important role in regards to the presence and spread of diseases. Since the area is tropical and humid,
life-threatening diseases and/or viruses like malaria and Ebola flourish.
No comments:
Post a Comment