Flag of the Day: Montserrado County, Liberia

This is the flag of Montserrado County, a county in western LIBERIA with about 1.5 million residents and home to Liberia’s national capital, Monrovia. Each of the 15 counties in Liberia has a miniature version of the Liberian flag in the top-left corner of its flag. The light blue circle in the center of Montserrado County’s flag contains a whimsical depiction of a small house surrounded by towering trees.

This county is one of the smallest in Liberia. Its geographic area is 1809.4 square kilometers and 1057.9 square miles, or about 2.5% of Liberia’s area. In addition to Monrovia, cities and communities in Montserrado County include Arthington, Bensonville (county capital), Careysburg, Jimoliba, Mount Coffee, Nyehn, Paynesville, and Zannah.

Independence Day in Liberia

People all across LIBERIA are celebrating their country's Independence Day today. On July 26th in 1847, the territory administered by the American Colonization Society became a sovereign republic. With the exception of Ethiopia which was never truly colonized, Liberia achieved independence before any other colonized African country. Happy Independence Day!

Liberia is Known for...

●    Having Africa’s first female president
●    Rubber plantations
●    George Weah, athlete
●    Rainforests
●    Charles Taylor
●    Gela and Gunyege masks
●    Child soldiers, unfortunately

Most items were listed in The Africa Book; the MLA citation is below. What are other "trademarks" of this African country? Feel free to share your thoughts with a comment!

Phillips et al. The Africa Book: A Journey through Every
          Country in the Continent. Lonely Planet, 2007.

— #AfricaWeek —

Liberia Exports

According to National Geographic MapMaker (mapmaker.nationalgeographic.org), the following items are major exports of LIBERIA: bananas, cassava, cocoa, coffee, diamonds, gold (small amounts), iron, palm oil, rice, rubber, sugarcane, and timber. According to the International Monetary Fund (data.imf.org), countries and territories buying and importing most of those exports (February 2017 statistics) include Switzerland (top importer), the United Arab Emirates, Poland, the United States, the Netherlands, Canada, India, Malaysia, Belgium, Pakistan, China, Guinea, Colombia, Spain, Indonesia, Vietnam, Ghana, Germany, Mexico, Yemen, and Tanzania.

Places in Liberia Worthy of UNESCO Heritage List

While the UNESCO World Heritage List aims to protect and appreciate thousands of cultural and environmental places around the world, multiple countries unfortunately are not represented on that list. One of these countries is LIBERIA, a coastal West African nation known for being settled by freed African-American slaves in the 1800s and declaring independence in 1847. Liberia boasts plenty of virgin forests, which are beneficial for native tribes to have shelter, food, and medicinal remedies. UNESCO should want to help protect the biodiversity, cultural traditions, and ways of life occurring in Liberian forests. Several relatively small forested areas are protected in natural parks and preserves, the sorts of natural sites which are typically eligible for UNESCO's goal to protect the environment. Lofa-Mano National Park (northwestern Liberia, near Sierra Leone), Nimba Nature Preserve (in the north, near Ivory Coast and Guinea), and Sapo National Park (southeast) are all fitting places for UNESCO's Heritage List. Remarkable natural features in Liberia include Kpatawee Waterfall, Lake Piso, and Providence Island. A large immigration of freed American slaves first occurred on Providence Island, in 1822.

Kpatawee Waterfall(s) in north-central Liberia

The Liberian capital city — Monrovia — boasts several cultural, societal, and historical sites that are worthy of UNESCO's protection — some of which should ideally be renovated. They include the Centennial Pavilion, Executive Mansion, and the historic but run-down Grand Masonic Lodge. Named after American abolitionist and activist Harriet Tubman, the war-ravaged Tubman Center of African Culture sits in a ruined and emptied state in Robertsport (western Liberia) — but it surely has reinvigorated potential. The Episcopal Missionary Church is a Robertsport site still in use while many buildings in the city remain abandoned. Keeping these and other places in mind, it is astounding why UNESCO have not included Liberia on their comprehensive Heritage List. Fortunately, Providence Island will soon likely achieve Heritage Status, so Liberia may finally have a dot on UNESCO's map.

Liberia Endangered Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for LIBERIA in Western Africa lists 19 critically endangered species and 38 endangered species. There are fortunately no extinct species in Liberia, or at least none listed by the IUCN. Critically endangered species include the African Slender-snouted Crocodile, Goliath Grouper, Grandbassa River Crab, Lugbe River Crab, Mount Nimba Viviparous Toad, Spot-winged Greenbul bird, White-backed Vulture, and Wide Sawfish. The aforementioned toad occupies only about 7 square kilometers of land in the mountainous Nimba Range area, at the tri-state border of Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, and Liberia. The extent of occurrence for this toad species is about 40 sq. kilometers in area. Endangered species include the Cherry Mahogany, Jentink's Duiker antelope, Lobster Claw Crab, Pygmy Hippopotamus, Red Colobus, Spearnose Skate, and Ziama Horseshoe Bat.

Liberia

Established in the 1800s by freed slaves from the United States of America, LIBERIA is an English-speaking country located in Western Africa. The American Colonization Society helped freed slaves move to what is now Liberia. In 1847, the residents declared independence from the colonizing organization, achieving independence before any colonized country of Africa (Ethiopia was never colonized). There are 3 bordering countries: Guinea, Ivory Coast, and Sierra Leone. The capital and most-populated city is Monrovia. Christianity is the country's main religion. The currency is the Liberian Dollar, and its ISO 4217 currency code is LRD.