Empire · since 1847 · Northern Africa

Republic of Liberia

Also known as Liberia

Liberia began in 1822 as a settlement founded by the American Colonization Society for freed African Americans, who were later joined by Africans freed from slave ships. In 1847 the colonists declared the independent Republic of Liberia, with a constitution modelled on that of the United States, and Joseph Jenkins Roberts became its first president.

The Americo-Liberian minority dominated politics and the economy through the True Whig Party for over a century, while Indigenous Africans were largely excluded. Liberia kept its independence during the scramble for Africa but lost claimed territory to Britain and France, and in 1926 the Firestone company leased vast lands for rubber. William Tubman's long presidency brought foreign investment. A coup by Samuel Doe in 1980 ended Americo-Liberian rule, and civil wars from 1989 to 2003 devastated the country.

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Years

since 1847

Capital

Monrovia

Greatest extent

1960, about 111,400 km²

Region

Northern Africa

Present extent, after earlier claims were lost to British and French colonies