Monrovia

Monrovia is a city on the Atlantic coast of Africa, capital and the most populous of the entire Republic of Liberia and Montserrado County. It is named after United States President James Monroe, who was in power at the time black slaves were freed on the coast. The population is 970,284 inhabitants (2008). Its current mayor is Clara Doe-Mvogo. With 29% of the total population of Liberia, Monrovia is the most populated city in the country.

Monrovia is the cultural, political and financial center of Liberia. The body that administers the government of the metropolitan area of Monrovia (Greater Monrovia) is the Corporation of the City of Monrovia. The city is also the place where the country's governing bodies and ministries are located.

History

Monrovia's plan of the nineteenth century.

The area was inhabited when it was called Cabo Mesurado by the Portuguese in 1560, but the city was not founded until April 1822, when Providencia Island (now connected to the city center by a bridge) was first settled by the American Colonization Society as a haven for freed slaves from the United States and the British Indies, and was later named in honor of then-President of the United States James Monroe. From 1847 it became the capital of the new Liberian state.

In 1845, there was a constitutional convention in Monrovia, which produced the document that would be adopted two years later as the constitution of the newly independent and sovereign Republic of Liberia.

At the beginning of the 20th century, 2,500 of Monrovia's 4,000 residents were Americans and Liberians. Monrovia was divided into two sectors: Monrovia proper and Krutown. Monrovia proper was where the city's American-Liberian population resided; the architectural style of its buildings was reminiscent of that of the southern United States. Krutown was inhabited primarily by the Krus ethnic group, but also by Bassas, Grebos, and members of other ethnic groups. By 1926, ethnic groups from the interior of Liberia had begun migrating to Monrovia in search of work. By 1937, Monrovia's population had grown to 10,000 and had 30 police officers.

President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, and President of Liberia, William Tolbert, salute from his caravan, 1978

In 1979, the Organization for African Unity held its conference near Monrovia, chaired by then-President of Liberia, William Tolbert. During his tenure, Tolbert improved public housing in Monrovia and halved tuition at the University of Liberia. In 1980, a military coup led by Samuel Doe overthrew the Tolbert government and executed many of its members.

The First Liberian Civil War (1989 to 1997) and the Second Liberian Civil War (1999 to 2003) severely damaged many buildings and almost all of the city's infrastructure, particularly during the siege of Monrovia. There were major battles between the forces of the government of Samuel Doe and the forces of Prince Johnson in 1990, and during the assault on the city by the National Patriotic Front of Liberia in 1992. During the wars, many children and young people were forced to participate in the fighting and were deprived of all schooling and, subsequently, many of them were left homeless.

In 2002, Leymah Gbowee organized the Liberian Women's Peace Mass Action, as part of which, in Monrovia, local women gathered at a fish market to pray and sing. This move helped end the war the following year and lead to the election of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as president of Liberia, thus becoming the first African nation to have a female president.

In 2014, the city was affected by the 2014 West African Ebola outbreak. The Ebola virus epidemic in Liberia was declared over on 3 September 2015.

Geography

It is located on a peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mesurado River. Monrovia is Liberia's largest city and its most important administrative, economic, commercial and financial center. The city's economy revolves around its port, which during World War II was substantially expanded by the US Army.

The port exports iron ore and latex produced in the country. The port has shipyards. Industrial production is based on cement, oil refining, food production, bricks, tiles, furniture, and chemical products.

The main tourist attractions are the National Museum of Liberia, the Masonic Temple (currently in ruins), the Waterside Market (currently closed) and numerous beaches. It also has a zoo, and is the headquarters of the University of Liberia and the Cuttington College and Divinity School.

The city is connected by sea to Greenville and Harper, and Roberts International Airport is located 60 km from the city, in Robertsfield.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification, Monrovia has a monsoonal climate (Am). During the course of the year Monrovia sees a copious amount of rainfall. Monrovia averages 200 in (5,100 mm) of rain per year. In fact, Monrovia is the rainiest capital, receiving more annual precipitation on average than any other capital in the world. The climate features a rainy season and a dry season, but rainfall is observed even in the dry season. Temperatures remain constant throughout the year with an average of around 26 °C (79 °F).

Average weather parameters of Monrovia
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Temp. max. abs. (°C)	35.0	38.0	37.0	38.0	35.0	33.0	36.0	35.0	32.0	33.0	36.0	34.0	38.0
Average temperature (°C)	31.8	32.0	31.8	31.5	30.5	28.3	27.2	26.8	27.7	29.4	30.3	30.0	29.8
Average temperature (°C)	26.2	27.1	27.6	27.8	27.4	26.0	25.1	24.9	25.4	26.1	26.7	26.4	26.4
Temp. medium (°C)	22.0	23.4	23.7	23.8	23.9	23.4	23.0	22.9	23.3	23.2	23.5	22.5	23.2
Temp. min. abs. (°C)	15.0	18.0	18.0	21.0	20.0	20.0	20.0	20.0	17.0	20.0	20.0	16.0	15.0
Total precipitation (mm)	51	71	120	216	516	973	996	373	744	772	237	130	5199
Rainy days (≥ 0.1mm)	5	5	10	17	21	26	24	20	26	22	19	12	207
Hours of sun	158	167.	198	195	155	105	84	81	96	121	147	155	1662
Relative humidity (%)	78	76	77	80	79	82	83	84	86	84	80	79	80.7
Source No. 1: Deutscher Wetterdienst
Source No. 2: Danish Meteorological Institute

Education

Aerial view of the University of Liberia's Fendell Campus on the outskirts of the city

Monrovia is home to the University of Liberia, along with African Methodist Episcopal University, United Methodist University, Stella Maris Polytechnic, and many other public and private schools. Medical education is provided at the A.M. Dogliotti, and there is a nursing and paramedical school at the Tubman National Institute of Medical Arts.

Kindergarten through twelfth grade education is provided by the Monrovia Consolidated School System, which serves the Monrovia area. Schools include Monrovia Central High School, Bostwain High School, D. Twe High School, G. W. Gibson High School, and William V. S. Tubman High School.

The American International School of Monrovia is located in Congo Town.

Twinned cities

• Taipei, Republic of China
• Dayton, Ohio, USA. U.S.
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. U.S.
• Yonkers, New York, USA. U.S.

Additional bibliography

• Johann Büttikofer (2013, 1890). "Monrovia". In Henk Dop; Phillip Robinson, eds. Travel Sketches from Liberia: Johann Büttikofer's 19th Century Rainforest Explorations in West Africa (in English). Brill. pp. 35-54. ISBN 978-90-04-23630-1. (written in 1870s-1880s). 1890 edition in German
• Merran Fraenkel (1964). Tribe and Class in Monrovia (in English). London. OCLC 3061240.
• Paul Tiyambe Zeleza; Dickson Eyoh, eds. (2003). "Monrovia, Liberia". Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century African History (in English). Routledge. ISBN 0415234794.
• Kevin Shillington, ed. (2005). "Monrovia". Encyclopedia of African History (in English). Fitzroy Dearborn. ISBN 978-1-57958-245-6.
• Danny Hoffman (2007). «City as Barracks: Freetown, Monrovia, and the Organization of Violence in Postcolonial African Cities». Cultural Anthropology 22 (3): 400-428. JSTOR 4497779. doi:10.1525/can.2007.22.3.400.
• Urcun Aude (2010). «Gouvernance 'non souveraine' et régulation des services de l'eau à Monrovia (Liberia)». Revue Tiers Monde (in French) 203 (203): 159. doi:10.3917/rtm.203.0159 – via Cairn.info.
• Kwame Anthony Appiah; Henry Louis Gates, eds. (2010). "Monrovia". Encyclopedia of Africa. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978019537709.