Editing Liberia (section)

== Geography ==
{{main|Geography of Liberia}}
[[File:Topographic map of Liberia-en.svg|thumb|upright=1.35|A map of Liberia]]
Liberia is situated in [[West Africa]], bordering the North Atlantic Ocean to the country's southwest. It lies between latitudes [[4th parallel north|4°]] and [[9th parallel north|9°N]], and longitudes [[7th meridian west|7°]] and [[12th meridian west|12°W]].

The landscape is characterized by mostly flat to rolling coastal plains that contain [[mangrove]]s and [[swamp]]s, which rise to a rolling plateau and low mountains in the northeast.<ref name="eowg">{{cite book|last=Bateman|first=Graham|author2=Victoria Egan |author3=Fiona Gold |author4=Philip Gardner |title=Encyclopedia of World Geography|publisher=Barnes & Noble Books|location=New York|year=2000|page=161|isbn=1566192919}}</ref>

Tropical [[rainforest]]s cover the hills, while elephant grass and [[semi-deciduous]] forests make up the dominant vegetation in the northern sections.<ref name="eowg"/>

Liberia's watershed tends to move in a southwestern pattern toward the sea as new rains move down the forested plateau off the inland mountain range of [[Guinée Forestière]], in [[Guinea]]. [[Grand Cape Mount County|Cape Mount]] near the border with [[Sierra Leone]] receives the most precipitation in the nation.<ref name="eowg"/>

Liberia's main northwestern boundary is traversed by the Mano River while its southeast limits are bounded by the [[Cavalla River]].<ref name="eowg"/> Liberia's three largest rivers are [[Saint Paul River|St. Paul]] exiting near [[Monrovia]], the river [[Saint John River (Liberia)|St. John]] at [[Buchanan, Liberia|Buchanan]], and the [[Cestos River]], all of which flow into the Atlantic. The Cavalla is the longest river in the nation at {{convert|320|mi|km}}.<ref name="eowg"/>

The highest point wholly within Liberia is [[Mount Wuteve]] at {{convert|4724|ft|m}} [[above sea level]] in the northwestern Liberia range of the West Africa Mountains and the [[Guinea Highlands]].<ref name="eowg"/> [[Mount Nimba]], near [[Yekepa]], is higher at {{convert|1752|m|ft}} [[above sea level]], but is not wholly within Liberia as Nimba is located at the point where Liberia borders both Guinea and [[Ivory Coast]]. Nimba is thus the tallest mountain in those countries, as well.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/155/ |access-date=2023-08-17 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |language=en |archive-date=September 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923080631/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/155/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Climate ===
{{See also|Climate change in Liberia}}
[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map LBR present.svg|thumb|Liberia map of Köppen climate classification.]]
The equatorial climate, in the south of the country, is hot year-round with heavy rainfall from May to October with a short interlude in mid-July to August.<ref name="eowg"/> During the winter months of November to March, dry dust-laden [[harmattan]] winds blow inland, causing many problems for residents.<ref name="eowg"/> Climate change in Liberia causes many problems as Liberia is particularly [[Climate change vulnerability|vulnerable to climate change]]. Like many [[Climate change in Africa|other countries in Africa]], Liberia both faces existing [[Environmental issues in Liberia|environmental issues]], as well as [[sustainable development]] challenges.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Building effective climate governance in Liberia – Liberia|url=https://reliefweb.int/report/liberia/building-effective-climate-governance-liberia|website=ReliefWeb|date=March 8, 2018|language=en|access-date=2020-05-21|archive-date=August 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803074644/https://reliefweb.int/report/liberia/building-effective-climate-governance-liberia|url-status=live}}</ref> Because of its location in Africa, it is vulnerable to [[extreme weather]], the coastal effects of [[sea level rise]], and changing water systems and water availability.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Climate Risk Profile: Liberia|url=https://www.climatelinks.org/resources/climate-change-risk-profile-liberia|website=Climatelinks|date=February 28, 2017|language=en|access-date=2020-05-21|archive-date=August 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803145708/https://www.climatelinks.org/resources/climate-change-risk-profile-liberia|url-status=live}}</ref> Climate change is expected to severely impact the [[economy of Liberia]], especially agriculture, fisheries, and forestry. Liberia has been an active participant in international and local policy changes related to climate change.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Blackmore|first=R.D.|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1084383140|title=Lorna Doone|publisher=Ryerson Press|isbn=0665265034|oclc=1084383140}}</ref>

Rubber production, along with Liberia’s large-scale production of palm-oil, has impacted the Country’s climate. Clearing tropical forest to create farmland has led to a loss of biodiversity and the release of large amounts of greenhouse gases. Despite this, fertilizer use has been the main contributor to the carbon footprint of latex, which is a crucial ingredient in rubber production. According to the president of the Rubber Planters Association of Liberia, Wilhelmina G. Mulbah, high prices and lack of availability of fertilizers have led to almost no fertilizer use among small farmers. Because of this, much of the carbon footprint of latex due to fertilizer use can be contributed to rubber plantations. According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the expanse of rubber production into forestland could lead to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions caused by deforestation and fertilizer use.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last=Antonanzas |first=J. |last2=Quinn |first2=J. C. |date=2024-05-12 |title=Carbon footprint assessment of natural rubber derived from Liberian hevea trees |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-024-05678-6 |journal=International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology |volume=22 |issue=2 |pages=667–678 |doi=10.1007/s13762-024-05678-6 |issn=1735-1472}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=van Straaten |first=Oliver |last2=Corre |first2=Marife D. |last3=Wolf |first3=Katrin |last4=Tchienkoua |first4=Martin |last5=Cuellar |first5=Eloy |last6=Matthews |first6=Robin B. |last7=Veldkamp |first7=Edzo |date=2015-08-11 |title=Conversion of lowland tropical forests to tree cash crop plantations loses up to one-half of stored soil organic carbon |url=https://pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1504628112 |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |language=en |volume=112 |issue=32 |pages=9956–9960 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1504628112 |issn=0027-8424|pmc=4538652 }}</ref>

Palm oil production also has impacts on the Liberian climate. Industrial oil palm plantations reduce the amount of land available to surrounding communities for sustenance agriculture. Deforestation has led to a decrease in the availability of bushmeat, impacting household diets and affecting incomes of families who sell bushmeat. Changes in water resource use have decreased water availability for local households and communities, specifically those located near palm oil plantations.<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal |last=Marshall |first=Cicely A. M. |last2=Guahn |first2=Marshall M. |last3=Jones |first3=Tiecanna |last4=Jah |first4=Morris T. |last5=Hadfield |first5=Peter M. |last6=Saputra |first6=Ari |last7=Widodo |first7=Rudy |last8=Freeman |first8=Benedictus |last9=Draper |first9=William |last10=Caliman |first10=Jean‐Pierre |last11=Turner |first11=Edgar C. |last12=Pashkevich |first12=Michael D. |date=2024-12-16 |title=Plant biodiversity, vegetation structure and provisioning services in rainforest, traditional and industrial oil palm cultivation systems in Liberia, West Africa |url=https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ppp3.10621 |journal=PLANTS, PEOPLE, PLANET |language=en |doi=10.1002/ppp3.10621 |issn=2572-2611|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Liberia’s mining industry has also been linked to changes in the Liberian environment and climate.&nbsp; The mining industry and water resources are critically linked, as mining uses substantial amounts of water, and the industry also has major impacts on surface and ground water resources. With renewed interest in Liberia’s mining sector after the end of their second civil war, there was a reopening of major mines such as the Nimba iron mine. These actions have raised concern over their potential impacts on water quality, human health, and ecosystem health due to waste rocks, water use, and increased sediment load due to high erosion potential of soil. This erosion and runoff have raised further concerns about the discharge of toxic substances, such as cyanides and heavy metals including acid mine drainage (AMD) that can cause long term impairment to watercourses and biodiversity.<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |last=Wilson |first=Samuel T. K. |last2=Wang |first2=Hongtao |last3=Kabenge |first3=Martin |last4=Qi |first4=Xuejiao |date=August 2017 |title=The mining sector of Liberia: current practices and environmental challenges |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11356-017-9647-4 |journal=Environmental Science and Pollution Research |language=en |volume=24 |issue=23 |pages=18711–18720 |doi=10.1007/s11356-017-9647-4 |issn=0944-1344}}</ref>

Communities in Liberia have experienced a significant reduction in forest reserves and access to water since oil palm operations began. This has negatively impacted access to foods such as bushmeat and native plants. The Malaysian corporation, Sime Darby, was fined by the Liberian Environmental Protection Agency for deforestation near rivers, which has impacted food and water access for locals. Rubber production has caused similar land use and food access challenges for local communities. Liberia’s mining sector has similarly inhibited access to water and arable farmland.<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal |last=Balachandran |first=L |last2=Herb |first2=E |last3=Timirzi |first3=S |last4=O’Reilly |first4=E |date=October 2012 |title=Everyone must eat? Liberia, food security and palm oil |journal=International Conference on Global Land Grabbing II, Ithaca, NY |pages=17-19}}</ref>

=== Biodiversity and conservation ===
{{Main|Wildlife of Liberia}}
{{Further|Environmental issues in Liberia}}
[[File:Liberia tropical forest.jpg|thumb|A Liberian tropical forest]]
[[Forest]]s on the coastline are composed mostly of salt-tolerant [[mangrove]] trees, while the more sparsely populated inland has forests opening onto a plateau of drier [[grassland]]s. The climate is [[Tropical rainforest climate|equatorial]], with significant [[rain]]fall during the May–October [[rainy season]] and harsh [[harmattan]] winds the remainder of the year. Liberia possesses about forty percent of the remaining [[Upper Guinean forest|Upper Guinean rainforest]]. It was an important producer of [[rubber]] in the early 20th century.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last=Ghoshal |first=Animesh |title=Multinational Investment and the Development of an Export Industry: Rubber in Liberia |date=1982 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24328535 |journal=Transafrican Journal of History |volume=11 |pages=92–111 |jstor=24328535 |issn=0251-0391 |access-date=July 26, 2022 |archive-date=July 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220726144431/https://www.jstor.org/stable/24328535 |url-status=live }}</ref> Liberian rubber production became a major economic driver in the early 20th century with Firestone Tire and Rubber Company’s investment in the Country in the early 1920’s. Despite its importance as an export good, Liberia’s rubber industry has faced criticism for the environmental degradation it causes. The need for land for rubber plantations has led to deforestation, reducing Liberia’s biodiversity and food access for Liberian peoples. Fertilizer use on rubber plantations has contributed to waterway pollution and an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, causing damage to aquatic ecosystems and health problems for local Liberian communities.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":2" />

Four terrestrial ecoregions lie within Liberia's borders: [[Guinean montane forests]], [[Western Guinean lowland forests]], [[Guinean forest–savanna mosaic]], and [[Guinean mangroves]].<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|display-authors=1|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287|doi-access=free}}</ref> 
[[File:U.S.DOC(1965) Liberia. Money Trees.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|Loggers and logging truck, early 1960s]]
Liberia is a global [[biodiversity hotspot]]—a significant reservoir of [[biodiversity]] that is under threat from humans.<ref name="mmg">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-29321143|title=Liberia in 'trees for cash' deal|first=Matt|last=McGrath|work=BBC News|date=September 23, 2014|access-date=July 29, 2018|archive-date=June 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210614181643/https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-29321143|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Choeropsis.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|[[Pygmy hippo]]s are among the species illegally hunted for food in Liberia.<ref name="Anne Look"/> The [[World Conservation Union]] estimates that there are fewer than 3,000 pygmy hippos remaining in the wild.<ref name="Redlist">{{cite iucn |author=Ransom, C. |author2=Robinson, P.T. |author3=Collen, B. |date=2015 |title=''Choeropsis liberiensis'' |volume=2015 |page=e.T10032A18567171 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T10032A18567171.en |access-date=November 11, 2021}} Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of endangered.</ref>]]

Endangered species are hunted for human consumption as [[bushmeat]] in Liberia.<ref name="Anne Look"/> Species hunted for food in Liberia include [[elephant]]s, [[pygmy hippopotamus]], [[chimpanzee]]s, [[leopard]]s, [[duiker]]s, and other monkeys.<ref name="Anne Look"/> Bushmeat is often exported to neighboring Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast, despite a ban on the cross-border sale of wild animals.<ref name="Anne Look">Anne Look, [https://www.voanews.com/a/370590.html "Poaching in Liberia's Forests Threatens Rare Animals"], [[Voice of America]] News, May 8, 2012.</ref>

Bushmeat is widely eaten in Liberia, and is considered a delicacy.<ref name="Wynfred Russell"/> A 2004 public opinion survey found that bushmeat ranked second behind fish amongst residents of the capital Monrovia as a preferred source of protein.<ref name="Wynfred Russell"/> Of households where bushmeat was served, 80% of residents said they cooked it "once in a while," while 13% cooked it once a week and 7% cooked bushmeat daily.<ref name="Wynfred Russell"/> The survey was conducted during the last civil war, and bushmeat consumption is now believed to be far higher.<ref name="Wynfred Russell">Wynfred Russell, [http://www.frontpageafricaonline.com/index.php/op-ed/commentaries-features/380-extinction-is-forever-a-crisis-that-is-liberia-s-endangered-wildlife "Extinction is forever: A crisis that is Liberia's endangered wildlife"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303191753/http://www.frontpageafricaonline.com/index.php/op-ed/commentaries-features/380-extinction-is-forever-a-crisis-that-is-liberia-s-endangered-wildlife |date=March 3, 2016 }}, [[Front Page Africa]], January 15, 2014.</ref>

''[[Trypanosoma brucei gambiense]]'' is [[endemism (epidemiology)|endemic]] in some animal hosts here including both [[domestic animal|domestic]] and [[wild animal|wild]].<ref name="Trypanosoma-brucei-gambiense"/> This causes the disease ''[[nagana]]''.<ref name="Trypanosoma-brucei-gambiense"/> In [[pig]]s here and in [[Ivory Coast]], that includes [[Trypanosoma brucei gambiense group 1|''Tbg'' group 1]]. ''Tbg'' and its vector ''[[Glossina palpalis gambiense]]'' are a constant presence in the rainforests here.<ref name="Trypanosoma-brucei-gambiense"/> Much research into ''Tbg'' was performed in the 1970s by Mehlitz and by Gibson, both working in [[Bong mine|Bong Mine]] with samples from around the country.<ref name="Trypanosoma-brucei-gambiense"/> The [[Pye-dog|West African pariah dog]] is also a host for ''Tbg''.<ref name="Trypanosoma-brucei-gambiense">{{cite journal | year=2019 | volume=6 | publisher=[[Elsevier]] | first1=D. | journal=[[Parasite Epidemiology and Control]] | issn=2405-6731 | last1=Mehlitz | last2=Molyneux | first2=D. H. | title=The elimination of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense? Challenges of reservoir hosts and transmission cycles: Expect the unexpected | doi=10.1016/j.parepi.2019.e00113 | page=e00113| pmid=31528738 | pmc=6742776 }}</ref>

The Desert Locust (''[[Schistocerca gregaria]]'') is a constant presence here.<ref name="Bulletin-2021">{{cite web | year=2021 | location=[[Rome]] | publisher=UN FAO (United Nations [[Food and Agriculture Organization]]) | url=https://www.fao.org/ag/locusts/common/ecg/1914/en/DL516e.pdf | author=[[Desert Locust Information Service]] | title=Desert Locust Bulletin – General situation during September 2021 – Forecast until mid-November 2021 | access-date=September 13, 2022 | archive-date=October 15, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211015065215/https://www.fao.org/ag/locusts/common/ecg/1914/en/DL516e.pdf | url-status=live }}</ref>

The Hairy Slit-Faced Bat (''[[Nycteris hispida]]'') suffers from [[malaria]] here.<ref name="Manwell">{{cite journal | publisher=[[Society for Epidemiologic Research]] & [[Johns Hopkins University|Johns Hopkins]] ([[Oxford University Press]]) | journal=[[American Journal of Epidemiology]] | last=Manwell | first=Reginald D. | volume=43 | issue=1 | date=January 1946 | issn=1476-6256 | doi=10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a119047 | pages=1–12 | title=Bat Malaria| pmid=21011556 }}</ref>

According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), about 99.5% of Liberian peoples rely on biomass (firewood, charcoal and palm oil) for their energy needs. This trend poses a threat to biodiversity and forests, since the production of these fuels is done in an unsustainable manner. Much of this fuel is obtained through deforestation or mining, both of which have been shown to have negative impacts on the Liberian environment. This production is largely driven by foreign multinational corporations.<ref name=":4">Brandolini, G., & Tigani, M. (2006). Liberia environmental profile. ''Report for the European Commission and the'', 1-110.</ref> Pre-colonial Liberia was largely a self-sufficient society. However, according to scholar Aminesh Ghoshal, colonists and multinational corporations altered Liberian labor and economic systems in order to secure a labor force for commercial activities like mining or plantation agriculture.<ref name=":2" />

[[Illegal logging]] has increased in Liberia since the end of the [[Second Liberian Civil War|Second Civil War in 2003]].<ref name="mmg"/> In 2012, President Sirleaf granted licenses to companies to cut down 58% of all the primary rainforest left in Liberia.<ref name="mmg"/> After international protests, many of those logging permits were canceled.<ref name="mmg"/> In September 2014, Liberia and Norway struck an agreement whereby Liberia ceased all logging in exchange for $150 million in development aid.<ref name="mmg"/>

Palm oil production has motivated deforestation of large swaths of Liberian rainforests. Industrial oil palm plantations boast lower levels of plant and animal biodiversity and have lower ecological and social values than the rainforests which they replace. These values include communal space, health, and ecological health. Industrial palm oil production often uses oil palm plants that are not native to Liberia, though native plants have been used in palm oil production, largely by indigenous or small-scale farmers. These changes have impacted the food supply and livelihoods of Liberian communities and households through depleting food sources and abilities of Liberians to acquire and sell natural resources.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Marshall |first=Cicely A. M. |last2=Guahn |first2=Marshall M. |last3=Jones |first3=Tiecanna |last4=Jah |first4=Morris T. |last5=Hadfield |first5=Peter M. |last6=Saputra |first6=Ari |last7=Widodo |first7=Rudy |last8=Freeman |first8=Benedictus |last9=Draper |first9=William |last10=Caliman |first10=Jean‐Pierre |last11=Turner |first11=Edgar C. |last12=Pashkevich |first12=Michael D. |date=2024-12-16 |title=Plant biodiversity, vegetation structure and provisioning services in rainforest, traditional and industrial oil palm cultivation systems in Liberia, West Africa |url=https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ppp3.10621 |journal=PLANTS, PEOPLE, PLANET |language=en |doi=10.1002/ppp3.10621 |issn=2572-2611|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Liberia’s mining sector has been criticized by environmental scholars and the Liberian Environmental Protection Agency for its effects on conservation and biodiversity. In contrast to the abundance of mineral wealth in Liberia, water resources are vulnerable to environmental impacts from mining activities. Unless appropriate corrective actions are taken, the mining sector is expected to place further degradation on the country’s undeveloped water resources.<ref name=":5" /> Forest areas are used for the deposit of waste rocks from many Liberian mines, especially after the end of the second civil war.&nbsp; Overburden, rocks and tailings are deposited in the surrounding forest areas, especially around major mines such as the Nimba mine. This poses a threat to wildlife and ecological balance in these areas.<ref name=":4" />

A large contributor to pollution has been foreign involvement in industrial mining and agriculture industries.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":5" />

=== Administrative divisions ===
{{main|Administrative divisions of Liberia}}
{{Counties of Liberia Image Map}}
[[File:Bomi lake.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|A view of a lake in [[Bomi County]]]]
Liberia is divided into fifteen [[Counties of Liberia|counties]], which, in turn, are subdivided into a total of 90 [[district]]s and further subdivided into ''clans''. The oldest counties are Grand Bassa and Montserrado, both founded in 1839 prior to Liberian independence. Gbarpolu is the newest county, created in 2001. Nimba is the largest of the counties in size at {{convert|11551|km2|abbr=on}}, while Montserrado is the smallest at {{convert|737.069|sqmi|abbr=on}}.<ref name="census2008"/> Montserrado is also the most populous county with 1,144,806 residents as of the 2008 census.<ref name="census2008"/>

The fifteen counties are administered by superintendents appointed by the president. The Constitution calls for the election of various [[Tribal chief|chiefs]] at the county and local level, but these elections have not taken place since 1985 due to war and financial constraints.<ref name=polls>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7187906.stm |title=Liberia cannot afford local polls |newspaper=BBC News |date=January 14, 2008 |access-date=July 23, 2011 |archive-date=July 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701105140/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7187906.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Parallel to the administrative divisions of the country are the local and municipal divisions. Liberia currently does not have any constitutional framework or uniform statutes which deal with the creation or revocation of local governments.<ref name="GCL">{{cite web |last1=Kieh, Jr. |first1=George Klay |title=The Model City Statute for the Liberian City |url=http://governancecommissionlr.org/pg_img/THE_STATUTE_FOR_THE_MODEL_LIBERIAN_CITY[1].pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412091817/http://governancecommissionlr.org/pg_img/THE_STATUTE_FOR_THE_MODEL_LIBERIAN_CITY%5b1%5d.pdf |url-status=usurped |archive-date=April 12, 2019 |website=Governance Commission of Liberia |publisher=Governance Commission of the Republic of Liberia |access-date=July 20, 2018 }}</ref> All existing local governments—cities, townships, and a borough—were created by specific acts of the Liberian government, and thus the structure and duties/responsibilities of each local government vary greatly from one to the other.<ref>{{cite web |title=Simplified Version of LGM 2018 |url=https://naymote.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Simplified-Version-of-LGA-2018-.pdf |access-date=11 June 2024}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Map #
! County
! Capital
! Population<br>(2022 Census)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Liberia: Counties, Major Cities, Towns & Urban Areas - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/liberia/ |access-date=2024-01-16 |website=www.citypopulation.de |archive-date=January 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240119102116/https://www.citypopulation.de/en/liberia/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
! Area<br>(mi<sup>2</sup>)<ref name="census2008">{{cite web |year=2008 |title=2008 National Population and Housing Census: Preliminary Results |url=http://www.emansion.gov.lr/doc/census_2008provisionalresults.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213110308/http://www.emansion.gov.lr/doc/census_2008provisionalresults.pdf |archive-date=February 13, 2012 |access-date=October 14, 2008 |publisher=Government of the Republic of Liberia}}</ref>
! Number of<br>districts
! Date<br>created
|-
|align="center"| 1
|align="left"| {{flagicon image|Flag of Bomi County.svg}} [[Bomi County|Bomi]]
|align="center"|[[Tubmanburg]]
|align="center"|133,668
|align="center"|{{convert|749|mi2|abbr=on}}
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|1984
|-
|align="center"| 2
|align="left"| {{flagicon image|Flag of Bong County.svg}} [[Bong County|Bong]]
|align="center"|[[Gbarnga]]
|align="center"|467,502
|align="center"|{{convert|3386|mi2|abbr=on}}
|align="center"|12
|align="center"|1964
|-
|align="center"| 3
|align="left"| {{flagicon image|Flag of Gbarpolu County.svg}} [[Gbarpolu County|Gbarpolu]]
|align="center"|[[Bopolu]]
|align="center"|95,995
|align="center"|{{convert|3740|mi2|abbr=on}}
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|2001
|-
|align="center"| 4
|align="left"| {{flagicon image|Flag of Grand Bassa County.svg}} [[Grand Bassa County|Grand Bassa]]
|align="center"|[[Buchanan, Liberia|Buchanan]]
|align="center"|293,557
|align="center"|{{convert|3064|mi2|abbr=on}}
|align="center"|8
|align="center"|1839
|-
|align="center"| 5
|align="left"| {{flagicon image|Flag of Grand Cape Mount County.svg}} [[Grand Cape Mount County|Grand Cape Mount]]
|align="center"|[[Robertsport]]
|align="center"|178,798
|align="center"|{{convert|1993|mi2|abbr=on}}
|align="center"|5
|align="center"|1844
|-
|align="center"| 6
|align="left"| {{flagicon image|Flag of Grand Gedeh County.svg}} [[Grand Gedeh County|Grand Gedeh]]
|align="center"|[[Zwedru]]
|align="center"|216,692
|align="center"|{{convert|4047|mi2|abbr=on}}
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|1964
|-
|align="center"| 7
|align="left"| {{flagicon image|Flag of Grand Kru County.svg}} [[Grand Kru County|Grand Kru]]
|align="center"|[[Barclayville]]
|align="center"|109,342
|align="center"|{{convert|1503|mi2|abbr=on}}
|align="center"|18
|align="center"|1984
|-
|align="center"| 8
|align="left"| {{flagicon image|Flag of Lofa County.svg}} [[Lofa County|Lofa]]
|align="center"|[[Voinjama]]
|align="center"|367,376
|align="center"|{{convert|3854|mi2|abbr=on}}
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|1964
|-
|align="center"| 9
|align="left"| {{flagicon image|Flag of Margibi County.svg}} [[Margibi County|Margibi]]
|align="center"|[[Kakata]]
|align="center"|304,946
|align="center"|{{convert|1010|mi2|abbr=on}}
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|1985
|-
|align="center"|10
|align="left"| {{flagicon image|Flag of Maryland County.svg}} [[Maryland County|Maryland]]
|align="center"|[[Harper, Liberia|Harper]]
|align="center"|172,202
|align="center"|{{convert|886|mi2|abbr=on}}
|align="center"|2
|align="center"|1857
|-
|align="center"|11
|align="left"| {{flagicon image|Flag of Montserrado County.svg}} [[Montserrado County|Montserrado]]
|align="center"|[[Bensonville]]
|align="center"|1,920,914
|align="center"|{{convert|737|mi2|abbr=on}}
|align="center"|17
|align="center"|1839
|-
|align="center"|12
|align="left"| {{flagicon image|Flag of Nimba County.svg}} [[Nimba County|Nimba]]
|align="center"|[[Sanniquellie]]
|align="center"|621,841
|align="center"|{{convert|4459|mi2|abbr=on}}
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|1964
|-
|align="center"|13
|align="left"| {{flagicon image|Flag of Rivercess County.svg}} [[Rivercess County|Rivercess]]
|align="center"|[[River Cess]]
|align="center"|90,777
|align="center"|{{convert|2,159|mi2|abbr=on}}
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|1985
|-
|align="center"|14
|align="left"| {{flagicon image|Flag of River Gee County.svg}} [[River Gee County|River Gee]]
|align="center"|[[Fish Town]]
|align="center"|124,653
|align="center"|{{convert|1974|mi2|abbr=on}}
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|2000
|-
|align="center"|15
|align="left"| {{flagicon image|Flag of Sinoe County.svg}} [[Sinoe County|Sinoe]]
|align="center"|[[Greenville, Liberia|Greenville]]
|align="center"|150,358
|align="center"|{{convert|3913|mi2|abbr=on}}
|align="center"|17
|align="center"|1843
|}