Ten things you probably didn't know about Liberia

Two of the three Nobel peace prize winners this year were Liberians. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is the reigning president of the country, while Leymah Gbowee is a prominent women’s rights activist. But how much do you know about the country itself, let alone the Nobel peace prize winners who were recognised for their “non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work"? Here are ten quick facts about the country we’re willing to be you didn’t know: [caption id=“attachment_101645” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Image from mapsofworld.com”]  [/caption] 1. Liberia is situated in West Africa and was established in 1847 by freed American slaves with the help of the American Colonisation society. The name “Liberia” means land of the free. 2. It is Africa’s oldest republic. 3. Liberia was one of the founding members of the United Nations and the Organisation of African Unity. 4. It is one of only three countries, along with the United States and Burma, that does not exclusively use the International System of Units — the modern form of the metric system. 5. The country was embroiled in a ruinous civil war in the 1990’s that left approximately 250,000 people dead, and was later notorious for trading in blood diamonds and illegal timber exports to fund the Revolutionary United Front in the Sierra Leone Civil War. 6. It was the subject of an award winning documentary called Pray the Devil Back to Hell which is the extraordinary story of a small band of Liberian women who came together in the midst of a bloody civil war, took on the violent warlords and the corrupt Charles Taylor regime, and won a long-awaited peace for their shattered country in 2003. 7. Liberia is one of the world’s poorest countries, with a formal employment rate of only 15% and over 85% below the international poverty line. 8. The United States only recognised Liberia 15 years after they had their first president, although it was instrumental in forming the nation. 9. Liberia has long served as a “flag of convenience” for ship owners looking for a lightly regulated port to call home. 10. The official language of the country is English, but only about a fifth of the population speak it. There are over 30 indigenous African languages spoken in the country as well. Bonus: It is the only country to be featured in the title of a Michael Jackson song. (Listen to Liberian girl)