Liberia's Natural Resources

Liberia's Natural Resources

Liberia is rich in natural resources such as gold, iron ore, diamonds and timber. Many people from all over the world look to Liberia for this natural resources.  Sometimes places would not do the right thing and trade fairly but they would instead try and steal these resources from Liberia instead.  Many of these resource help Liberia maintain a stable economy especially after the Civil War that occurred in Liberia [1]

Rubber

Liberia's rubber business has been a boost for this nation.  Like many of the other resources in Liberia, many other nations look to Liberia for such resources to help them produces products for there economies.   Rubber is a product that is valuable because it is used to produce tires and other items that make it possible to drive and to do other things in our society.  The United States even gets a majority of it's rubber from Liberia.[2]

Iron Ore

"The Liberia Mining Company was the first of four iron ore companies which produced and shipped such large quantities of iron ore that in the 1960s and 1970s Liberia became Africa’s largest iron ore exporter and even the third on the world list of iron ore exporters."[3]

[1] “Liberia”,EITI (accessed 29 July. 2016. https://eiti.org/Liberia).

[2] “Liberia's Natural Rubber Industry: Second Look (accessed 29 July. 2016. http://www.theperspective.org/2011/0728201104.html).

[3] “Iron Ore” (accessed 29 July. 2016 http://www.liberiapastandpresent.org/ODP/IronOre/IronOreC.htm

3. Religions and Origins of Liberia

3. Religions and Origins of Liberia

According to multiple sources, there are a vast amount of religions that have been practiced in Liberia. Christianity and Islamic religions are only a few religions that have been identified as practiced religions Liberia and other nations of Africa.

Christianity

As of today in Liberia, Christianity is the largest practiced religion in this area."  According to the 2008 National Census, 85.5% of Liberia's population practices Christianity."[1] The capital city Monrovia has some Christian connections or origin in it's content.  The capital was originally called Christopolis.  Christipolis means "the city of Christ." The name of the capital was changed to Monrovia to give honor to the 5th president which was James Monroe.[2]  

Photo taken of a church in Voinjama,Liberia

Picture Source: http://www.pahte.com/images/04.09.29_Liberia._Voinjama._Mud_Town_057.12.jpg

Islamic Religion

"Isalm is currently being practiced by 20% of the population in Liberia. The large majority of Liberian Muslims are Sunni, with only a few Shi'ites, and mostly of Lebanese origin. Muslims first came to what is now called Liberia in the 11^th century. The first Christian groups did not arrive in Liberia until 1822."[3]

Photo taken of a church in Voinjama,Liberia

Picture Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Liberia#/media/File:Voinjamamosque.jpg

Secret Societies of Liberia

There are many secret societies in Liberia and two of which are the Poro and Sande Societies.

Poro Society

The Poro Society is a secret society that is only for males. The Poro society was part of the culture introduced by Mande people, migrants to the region as early as 1000 AD. The entire native population is governed by its code of laws. It primarily represents a type of fraternal society to which even infants are temporarily admitted. The ceremony for them consists of carrying them into the Poro bush and out again. In Liberia, the female equivalent of the Poro is the Sande society. [4]

Photo of Jasso Men of the Poro Society

Picture Source: http://www.thecoli.com/threads/poro-african-secret-society.285920/

Sande Society

The Sande Society is the female society version of the Poro Society. All Mende women when they reach puberty begin the initiation process into the Sande society. The goals of this secret society are to teach young women the responsibilities of adulthood. The girls are taught to be hard working and modest in their behavior, especially towards their elders. Sande influences every aspect of a Mende woman's life; it is present before birth and still present after death.[5]

Photo of Mende Women to be initiated to the Sande Society

Picture by Rebecca Busselle

1. “Religion in Liberia” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Liberia

2. “The Founding of Liberia and the Christian Church” http://www.liberia2027.com/627324

3. “Isalm in Liberia” http://www.muslimpopulation.com/africa/Liberia/Islam%20in%20Liberia.php

4. “Poro” http://www.thecoli.com/threads/poro-african-secret-society.285920/

5. “Sande Society: Art of the Mende People” http://academics.smcvt.edu/africanart/Sonja_Cole/Sande_Society_Temp.htm

The Unwritten History of Liberia

2. The Unwritten History of Liberia

Crafts from Liberia

Liberia is known for the decorative masks and many other crafts.  Some of the crafts would be masks, small sculptures and other wooden carvings.  Many of the sculptures are created to honor past love ones or ancestors of the tribe.  Liberia is also known for the many types of artwork that can still be found in Liberia and many other areas around the world today.[1]

Liberian Ceremonial Spoon

In the Dan tribe carvers would carve  out large ceremonial ladles to honor a highly decorated woman in the tribe.  The woman could be an honoree because of her cooking skills, love, and generosity toward others in the tribe. At special ceremonies, the honoree would dance with this distinguished  symbol of honor." An elderly honoree would pass the ladle and the honor onto the one she saw fit to succeed her in the village".[2]

Masks of Liberia

The Dan Mask

Many villages in Liberia feel that mask are an important part in their life.  One of the groups of people in Liberia that find the mask important is the Gio People. The Gio People live in the Northern part of Liberia.  During special festivities and celebration some of the Gio People will wear these mask.[3]

Flag of Liberia

The Liberian flag is a red, white, and blue flag that looks very close to the flag  of the United States of America. The Liberian flag contains one star and eleven red and white stripes. The Liberian flag is the only flag in that I have found that looks similar to the flag of the United States of America.  Many people may say that the flag is similar to the US flag because former slaves help establish the nation of Liberia.[4]

1.“Crafts” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Liberia#Crafts

2. “Ceremonial Spoon” http://www.africanartssf.com/tribal-art/furniture-utilitarian/ceremonial-spoon-dan-tribe-liberia1/

3. “The Dan Mask” http://worldartswest.org/main/discipline.asp?i=8

4. “Flag of Liberia” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Liberia

1. Liberian Climate


The climate is tropical and humid, with little change in temperature throughout the year. The mean is 27° C (81° F ), with temperatures rarely exceeding 36° C (97° F) or falling below 20° C (68° F ). On the coast the heat is tempered by an almost constant breeze. Yearly rainfall is as high as 510 cm (200 in) on the coast, decreasing to about 200 cm (80 in) in areas farthest inland. There are distinct wet and dry seasons, most of the rainfall occurring between late April and mid-November. Average relative humidity in the coastal area is about 82% during the rainy season and 78% in the dry, but it may drop to 50% or lower between December and March, when the dust-laden harmattan blows from the Sahara. [6]

1. Capital of Liberia

Monrovia

Monrovia is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado.  Monrovia had a population of 1,010,970  as of the 2008 census.  With 29% of the total population of Liberia.  Monrovia is the country's most populous city.[4]  Monrovia is Liberia's cultural, political, and financial hub.  The body that administers the government of Greater Monrovia District is the Monrovia City Corporation.[5]

Geography of Liberia

Liberia is a Sub-Saharan nation in West Africa located at 6 N, 9 W.   It borders the north Atlantic Ocean to the southwest (580 kilometers of the coastline) and three other African nations on the other three sides.  In total, Liberia comprises 110,000 square kilometers  (43,000 sq mi) of which 96,300 square kilometers (37,190 sq mi) is land and 15,000 square kilometers (5,810 sq mi) is water.[1]  Liberia has the mostly hilly terrain, from rolling plains along the coast to a rolling plateau and low mountains in the north east.[2]  The lowest point of Liberia is at sea level on the Atlantic Ocean.  The highest point on Liberia is 1380 m above sea level at Mount Wuteve.[3]

The Blue Shaded Area Indicate the location of Liberia in Africa.

[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Liberia

[2]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Liberia

[3]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Liberia

[4]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monrovia

[5]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monrovia

[6]http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Liberia-CLIMATE.html