Liberia

Africa's oldest republic, founded by an American colonisation society and governed for over a century by the descendants of its settlers. The American Colonization Society, whose supporters included both abolitionists and slaveholders who wanted free Black people removed from the United States, began landing settlers in 1822, and the republic declared independence in 1847 with a constitution modelled on the American one and a flag to match. The Americo-Liberians were perhaps five per cent of the population and monopolised the government, the True Whig Party holding power without interruption from 1878 to 1980, while indigenous peoples were excluded from citizenship rights for generations. Firestone's rubber concession of 1926, a million acres for ninety-nine years, dominated the economy, and Liberia's open shipping registry remains one of the world's largest flags of convenience. Samuel Doe's coup in 1980 ended settler rule violently, and the civil wars from 1989 to 2003 killed around two hundred thousand people and drew in Sierra Leone. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became Africa's first elected woman head of state in 2006. Monrovia is named after an American president. Ebola struck hardest here in 2014. The country has about five million people. English is official and Liberian English is widely spoken. Its counties are named partly after American states and cities. Iron ore and rubber remain the main exports. George Weah, a former footballer and the only African to win the Ballon d’Or, served as president from 2018 to 2024. He conceded defeat and left office, which is rare in the region.

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