Liberia Geography - 2021

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Location

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone

Geographic coordinates

6 30 N, 9 30 W

Map references

Africa

Area

total: 111,369 sq km

land: 96,320 sq km

water: 15,049 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than Virginia

Area comparison map

Land boundaries

total: 1,667 km

border countries (3): Guinea 590 km, Cote d'Ivoire 778 km, Sierra Leone 299 km

Coastline

579 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate

tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers

Terrain

mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast

Elevation

highest point: Mount Wuteve 1,447 m

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

mean elevation: 243 m

Natural resources

iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower

Land use

agricultural land: 28.1% (2018 est.)

arable land: 5.2% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 2.1% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 20.8% (2018 est.)

forest: 44.6% (2018 est.)

other: 27.3% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land

30 sq km (2012)

Total renewable water resources

232 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Population distribution

more than half of the population lives in urban areas, with approximately one-third living within an 80-km radius of Monrovia as shown in this population distribution map

Natural hazards

dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March)

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note

facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars; the inland grassy plateau supports limited agriculture

NOTE: The information regarding Liberia on this page is re-published from the 2021 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Liberia 2021 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Liberia 2021 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.