Liberia

Liberia is located on the west coast of Africa, by the equator. It is on the Atlantic ocean and it is surrounded by Sierra Leone, Guinea and the Ivory Coast. The capital of Liberia is Monrovia, which was founded in 1822. Liberia has three main regions- the coastal lowlands, plateaus and highlands. Much of the country is covered by rainforest. Liberia is very close to the equator, so it is hot and humid. The average temperature is 79-90 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Liberian climate is good for growing plants, such as rice, coffee, rubber trees and kola trees.

1000-1400 The area of Liberia was originally settled by 3 different ethic groups, the kwa-speaking people, the Mel-speaking people.

1461 Portuguese traders arrive followed by the British and the Dutch

1820 Freed American slaves are brought to Africa to make a colony

1847 Liberia becomes a country

1989-2003 civil war led by Charles Taylor

2006 Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf becomes president

In Liberia most people are bilingual. There are many tribal languages and 50% of the people speak English. It is the official government language and the language of education. Some of the people in Liberia speak Pidgin English. In Pidgin English they add the sound o to the end of words, and slur some words together,

Most meals in Liberia contain rice. That is their main food. They rarely eat meat. Whenever they do eat meat, they catch antelope, wild pigs, and even leopards. They also eat lizards, snakes, frogs, termites, and snails. Smaller animals are caught in traps. Another thing that they eat a lot of is fruit, like soursop, grapefruit, mangoes, oranges, pineapples, bananas, and watermelons. They also eat a lot of fish. The woman go out and catch them in nets and then they carry them back to their homes on top of their heads.