Liberia
Pronunciation: /lʌɪˈbɪərɪə/
- a country on the Atlantic coast of West Africa; population 3,441,800 (est. 2009); languages, English (official), English-based pidgin; capital, Monrovia.
- Liberia was founded in 1822 as a settlement for freed slaves from the US, and was proclaimed independent in 1847. Indigenous peoples, however, form the majority of the population. In 1980 a coup overthrew the predominant Liberian-American elite, and a civil war began in 1990, ending with a ceasefire in 1996
Origin:
from Latin liber 'free'