Liberia Destination Guide & Country Overview

Updated: 2018-05-13.

Republic of Liberia

First of all, where is Liberia? Liberia is located on the western coast of Africa, bordering  Sierra Leone to its west, Guinea to its north and the Ivory Coast to its east. The Atlantic Ocean makes up its long, southwestern border.

Liberia has a weird and controversial history, directly related to some bad events from the United States’ own past.

See, Liberia as the country we know today was set up as a settlement of the American Colonization Society (ACS). The ACS believed black people would face better chances for freedom and prosperity in Africa than in the United States, and they sent over any free or freed African slaves to Liberia.

So, many of those who became the new Liberians were Africans and those of African descent most likely from other parts of Africa. Many Afro-Caribbeans also immigrated there, taking their young culture with them. Liberia declared independence from the US in 1847, and it was recognized finally 15 years later. The US fingerprint can be seen with the official language being English and their similarly-designed flag.

Today, Liberia is proud to be not only the first African republic to proclaim its independence, but also Africa’s first republic and oldest modern one.

Monrovia, its capital and largest city, is located in the northwest on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado. The Pepper Coast (Grain Coast) encompasses the country of Liberia.