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The Country & The People
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STATISTICS INFORMATION FACTS

Shopping tips
Of particular liking to the visitor might be Liberian or west African embroidery of striking patterns and tye-dye garnments. There is 'Fanti' or 'Country cloth', a west African work od art of the loom. Custom-made tailoring of varying styles, with some finishes already on display, is available on demand. The lappa suit (for women) and the African grown/safari suit (for men) are distinctly beautiful local apparels. The visitor will find good buys in Liberian 14 to 18 karat gold and silver jewelry, and wooden artifacts. Supermarkets and shops generally have an abundance of essential merchandise.

Various other tips

Dress is casual.
When dining, smarter dress is expected in hotels.
Business dress is informal, normally a safari suit or a shirts and tie is acceptable.
In Muslim areas, visitors should respect the conventions of dress and the food laws. Failure will be taken as an insult.
The language in business circles is English.
Sending flowers or chocolates to hosts is inappropriate.
Tips are normally 10%.
Taxi-drivers are not paid tips.

Business hours:
8 - 12 a.m.
2 - 4 p.m.

Most HOTELS are found near and within Monrovia. The following are some prominent hotels near and within the city.

Ambassador Hotel: U.N. Drive
Carlton Hotel: Broad Street
Ducor Palace Hotel: Broad Street
Holiday Inn: 100 Carey Street
Boulevard Hotel: Tubman Boulevard
Robertsfield Hotel: Roberts International Airport

THE COUNTRY

Potentially, Liberia, the former 'Graincoast' or 'Peppercoast' (named after the melegueta peppers) at the western bulge of Africa, is "The Gateway to Africa" with its capital Monrovia as 'Mainport Africa'. Liberia is richly endowed with water, mineral resources, forests and a climate favorable to agriculture. Its soil is unimaginably rich. If one were to stick a broom in the ground it would grow immediately (so to speak!). A true tropical paradise with friendly and hardworking people, exotic fruits, valuable natural resources, raw materials, mountains, swamps, tropical woods, wild parks and kilometers long white sandy beaches with palm-trees.

THE PEOPLE

Liberia is a melting pot of the African Diaspora. Like many African countries, Liberia is enridged with a multi-cultural population of diverse social, economic and political backgrounds. Each population group (tribe) has a distinct language though it has affinities with one or more other languages. Cultures, customs, traditions and values mingle easily in Liberia. Still some traditional Grebo Education Societies are in excistence, but less influential then in the early days: PORO only for men and SANDE for women only. There are seventeen distinct indigenous languages with 33 dialects, but English is the official language. Liberia has developed a way of life representing the assimilation of Western culture in a manner quite different from its ex-colonial neighbors.

Other important ports/towns along the coast include Robertsport in Cape Mount, west of Monrovia; Buchanan, 88 miles east of Monrovia, seaport for exporting iron ore and timber, which boasts Africa s largest pelletizing plant; Greenville, further east of Buchanan, administrative and industrial center of Sinoe, terminal for shipping highly valuable Liberian logs; and Harper in Maryland, near Ivory Coast border, outlet for shipping locally-produced rubber.

Further north inland are important trading and administrative towns which are also centers of learning and industry.

East to West; Zwedru (Tchien) in Grand Gedeh; Tappita, Ganta, Sanniquellie and Yekepa in Nimba; Gbarnga in Bong; and Zorzor and Voinjama in Lofa. Zwedru, Tappita and Ganta are located in ma to jor logging areas. Yekepa, built at the foot of Mount Nimba, is the home of one of the major iron ore concessions in the country. Zwedru has a wood products industry. Tappita and Ganta are centers of timber production. Gbarnga has its specialty of rubber processing. All the major towns are reached by roads. They can also be reached by air from Monrovia.


15 COUNTIES

Gbarpolu County BOMI:
diamond industry in eastern part

BONG:
Orange Juice Industry (Jenneplita), Cutting College Museum (Gbarnga), Dobli Island

GPARPOLU:
Created in 2001, Gbarpolu is the youngest of Liberia's 15 counties

GRAND BASSA:
Buchanan is the 2nd biggest city in Liberia with the 2nd biggest port of the country. Pineapple in Big Joe Town, Lamco railway to Nimba/Tapeta, Firestone Rubber plantation (biggest in the world)

GRAND CAPE MOUNT:
Robertsport, Lake Piso with in it Massating Island, Cape Mount, tropical greenhills.

GRAND GEDEH:
Krahn tribe, Grebo tribe: world famous Grebo Masks, Bodio rituals, Poro & Sande societies. The Krahn and Grebo called the aboriginals: Baboo or Blewe.



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