Geography of Liberia
Template:Short description Template:Use Liberian English Template:Infobox country geography
Liberia is a sub-Saharan nation in West Africa located at 6 °N, 9 °W.
Area and boundaries
[edit]- Area
-
- total: Template:Convert<ref name=Atlas>Template:Cite book</ref>
- country rank in the world: 102nd
- land: Template:Convert
- water: Template:Convert
- total: Template:Convert<ref name=Atlas>Template:Cite book</ref>
- Area — comparative
-
- Australia comparative: approximately Template:Sfrac larger than Tasmania
- Canada comparative: approximately twice the size of Nova Scotia
- United Kingdom comparative: slightly more than Template:Sfrac larger than Scotland
- United States comparative: slightly larger than Virginia
- EU comparative: approximately the size of Bulgaria
- Land boundaries
-
- total: Template:Convert
- border countries: Sierra Leone (Template:Convert), Guinea (Template:Convert), Ivory Coast (Template:Convert)
- Coastline
Physical geography
[edit]Liberia extends from between 4.21°N and 8.34°N to 7.27°W and 11.31°W. It is roughly rectangular measuring about Template:Convert in length from northwest to southeast, with a width of about Template:Convert. The coastline is about Template:Convert, including river mouths and inlets up to one kilometre wide.<ref name=Hughes>Template:Cite book</ref>
Drainage of the whole country is direct to the sea, with a series of short rivers flowing directly into the sea. These are, from west to east, the Mano River on the border with Sierra Leone, the Mafa River, the Lofa River, the Saint Paul River, the Mesurado River, the Farmington River, the Saint John River, the Timbo River, the Cestos River, the Sehnkwehn River, the Sinoe River, the Dugbe River, the Dubo River, the Grand Cess River and the Cavalla River on the border with Ivory Coast.<ref name=Atlas/>
In the west, the coast is low and sandy, but in the central and eastern parts of the country it is sandy and rocky and of moderate relief, frequently broken by the mouths of the rivers. The coastal plain varies in width, being narrow between Monrovia and Buchanan, but being much wider in the west and in the Cestos Valley in the centre, narrowing again in the eastern end of the country.<ref name=Atlas/>
Further inland the land rises, sometimes with escarpments, to a plateau some Template:Convert above sea level. This is divided by the river valleys and there are hilly ridges between some of the river valleys. The land rises further in the north and northwest of the country, with mountains that exceed Template:Convert in several places, the highest point in the country being in the Wologizi Range at Template:Convert.<ref name=Hughes/>
Extreme points
[edit]This is a list of the extreme points of Liberia, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location.
- Northernmost point – unnamed location on the border with Guinea in the Sodia river immediately north of the town of Voinjama, Lofa County.
- Easternmost point – unnamed headland at the confluence of the Cavally river and the Hana river, River Gee County.
- Southernmost point – Kablaké headland, Maryland County.
- Westernmost point - unnamed headland immediately west of the town of Sewulu at the mouth of the Mano River, Grand Cape Mount County.
Borders and maritime claims
[edit]The total length of Liberia's land borders is Template:Convert: Template:Convert with Sierra Leone on the northwest, Template:Convert with Guinea to the north, and Template:Convert with Ivory Coast. Liberia claims an Exclusive Economic Zone of Template:Convert and Template:Convert.
Terrain
[edit]Liberia has a mostly hilly terrain, it also has rolling plains along the coast to a rolling plateau and low mountains in the northeast.
Elevation extremes
[edit]The lowest point on Liberia is at sea level on the Atlantic Ocean. The highest point on Liberia is Template:Convert above sea level at Mount Wuteve.
Natural resources
[edit]Natural resources that are found in Liberia include iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold and hydropower.
Mining
[edit]Land use and agriculture
[edit]arable land:
5.2%
permanent crops:
2.1%
permanent pastures:
20.8%
forest:
44.6%
other:
27.3% (2011)
Irrigated land
[edit]30 square kilometres of Liberia's land was irrigated as of 2012.
Natural hazards
[edit]The natural hazard that occurs in Liberia is a dust-laden harmattan wind that blows from the Sahara (December to March).
Environmental issues
[edit]Climate change
[edit]See also
[edit]- Administrative divisions of Liberia
- List of cities in Liberia
- List of rivers of Liberia
- List of Liberian national forests
References
[edit]External links
[edit]Template:CIA World FactbookTemplate:Liberia topics Template:Geography of Africa Template:Africa topic