A Brief History of Liberia, and beyond...

So this title is a bit deceptive. I'm not going to write about the history, but give you some links to learn more. With the trip only a few days away, I'm busy both answering inquiries and finishing packing.

One of the more common questions is about our safety. People want to know how if Liberia and Libya are close. So...learning more about Liberia's geography is greatly comforting. Comparing Africa to North America illustrates that Monrovia, Liberia is about as far from Tripoli, Libya as Montreal, Canada is from Mexico City. In other words, the Sahara is enormous so conflict in the northern part of Africa is not likely to cross the dessert. With those reassurances in mind, I've done a lot of Web surfing and here are a few of the key sites providing up-to-date, accurate information:

— US Department of State Background Notes for Liberia Scroll up or down to get more information beyond the history.

—US Department of State Liberia Country Information

—The CIA World Factbook: Liberia

—USAID Liberia Initiative

—United Nation's Liberia Web Page

Liberia is located in West Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea and Sierra Leone. Covering an area of 111,369 sq km, it has a tropical climate, with an average annual rainfall of 170 inches. It is one of the wettest countries in the world, with a rainy season that runs from May to October.