Any Travels

Located on the west coast of Africa, Liberia is bordered by Guinea in the north, [[Cote d'Ivoire]] to the east, Sierra Leone on the northwest and the Atlantic Ocean to the south and southwest.

There are three distinct geographical belts lying parallel to the coast. The low coastal belt is about 50 miles wide, with tidal creeks, shallow lagoons and mangrove marshes. The land then rises abruptly, forming a great belt of high forest with elevations of 600 to 1,000 feet. Inland is a plateau 1,500 to 2,000 feet above sea level, where the forest is dense. The Nimba Mountains, near the Guinea border, rise to 4,2000 feet, and the Waulo Mountains to 4,500 feet. Of the six principal rivers, all of which are at right angles to the coast, and flow into the Atlantic Ocean, only the Cavally, which separates Liberia from the Ivory Coast, is navigable for more than a few miles. Sandbars obstruct the mouths of all rivers, making entrance hazardous.

Liberia, its name derived from the Latin liber, meaning "free," was founded by freed American slaves in the early nineteenth century. The most important city is Monrovia and was named in honour of President Monroe, who held office at the time the Republic was officially established. Red, white, and blue mailboxes, American currency, and the widespread use of English bespeak the American influence, and it is not unlike visiting part of the U.S. in the summertime.

The trade language of Liberia is english. However, this is a form of english and takes some time and practice to master. Anomalies in the word structure can make things difficult to pick out. An example of this would be silent d's. And "old road" would be pronounced "o ro".

Many of the population - especially the women - can only speak their native dialects of which many have never been written or translated. Sign language, is therefore sometimes necessary.

Warning

The mess that is Liberia's civil war seems to be on the mend but the country is still no place to go for a beach holiday. There is sporadic looting as well as bursts of shooting in pockets of the country, including Monrovia. The future for the troubled West African country is uncertain, and its security situation remains volatile.

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