Area:

111 369 km2

Population:

4 Million

Climate:

Liberia is comprised of 4 distinct relief zones: the coastal belt, rolling hills, plateaus and northern highlands. Liberia has two weather seasons: dry and rainy. The Dry Season runs from November through March, while the Rainy Season runs from April through October. The average rainfall ranges between 4770 mm along the coast and 2030 mm in the interior. Throughout the year, the overhead sun  produces a temperature range of 28° C to 32° C.

Natural Resources:

Agriculture averagely accounts for 54% of GDP; forestry 22%; services 21%, industry less than 4%, and mining less than 0.1%. The agriculture and forestry sectors accounted for most of export earnings in n the country. Prior to the civil war, the main export commodity was iron ore followed by rubber, agriculture and forestry (logging).

Agriculture:

Before the civil war, agriculture was the main source of livelihood for the great majority of Liberians. Except on plantations operated by foreign concessionaires and wealthy Liberians. The rest of Liberians mostly used old farming techniques like bush clearing. The most common plants grown are rice or cassava as the rainy season begins. Others include sugarcane and wheat productions which are grown in scales insufficient to meet local needs. The major rubber, rice, coffee, cocoa, vegetable, and fruit producing areas lie outside of Monrovia. Rubber is the leading cash crop. The principal export crops produced by small farmers are coffee, oil palm nuts, sugarcane, and fruits.

Climate Vulnerabilities:

Much of the effects of increasing climatic variability and climatic change threaten key economic sectors in Liberia, namely agriculture, fisheries, forestry, energy, health, and hydrology. Production systems in each of these sectors have already experienced reduced productivity that is linked to changing climatic patterns. Rainfall changes have also resulted in more pests, weeds, and animal diseases in the near-term. In the long-term, these changes are expected to contribute to species extinction, narrowing genetic pool and promote pest development. Changes in rainfall and temperature patterns are expected to lead to increased levels of water-borne diseases, particularly among Liberia’s rural populations. These diseases, which are more prevalent during the rainy season, include but are not limited to: cholera, dysentery, giardiasis, amebiasis, typhoid fever, and malaria.

Source:

http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/napa/lbr01.pdf

Terminologies: