Geography of Liberia


Liberia is a sub-Saharan nation in West Africa located at 6 °N, 9 °W.

Area and boundaries

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;Land boundaries
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Physical geography

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 in length from northwest to southeast, with a width of about. The coastline is about, including river mouths and inlets up to one kilometre wide.
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.
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.
Further inland the land rises, sometimes with escarpments, to a plateau some 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 in several places, the highest point in the country being in the Wologizi Range at.

Extreme points

This is a list of the extreme points of Liberia, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location.

Borders and maritime claims

The total length of Liberia's land borders is : with Sierra Leone on the northwest, with Guinea to the north, and with Ivory Coast. Liberia claims an Exclusive Economic Zone of and.

Terrain

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

The lowest point in Liberia is at sea level on the Atlantic Ocean. The highest point in Liberia is above sea level at Mount Wuteve.

Natural resources

Natural resources that are found in Liberia include iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold and hydropower.

Mining


Land use and agriculture

arable land:
5.2%

permanent crops:
2.1%

permanent pastures:
20.8%

forest:
44.6%

other:
27.3%

Irrigated land

30 square kilometres of Liberia's land was irrigated as of 2012.

Natural hazards

The natural hazard that occurs in Liberia is a dust-laden harmattan wind that blows from the Sahara.

Environmental issues

Climate change