 10 shocking facts about Liberia that you didn't know. Officially known as the Republic of Liberia, Liberia is a nation on the West African coast, bordered by Sierra Leone to the Northwest, Guinea to the North, Ivory Coast to the East, and the Atlantic Ocean to the South and Southwest. Its population is estimated to be about 5 million people, and its area is 43,000 square miles. Although over 20 indigenous languages are spoken, English is the official language representing the ethnic and cultural diversity of the nation. Monrovia is the nation's capital and largest metropolis. Liberia is a fascinating, ethnically diverse country with 29 different ethnic groups and languages. Because the nation was created by Americans, Liberia was never colonized by Europeans, and it continues to utilize the imperial system of measuring. How much do you know about Liberia, let alone the Nobel Peace Prize winners who were honored for their nonviolent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace building work? Lema Gbowee is a well-known women's rights activist, and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the country's ex-president and the first female Africa elected president. Find out more about how Liberia stands out different in West Africa due to its distinctive history, culture, and scenery. These 10 interesting facts about Liberia may surprise you, and will surely motivate you to book a trip right away. 10. 700 Bird Species Call Liberia Home There are 700 distinct bird species in Liberia, and there are many varied locations from which to see them. It should come as no surprise that Sappo National Park is home to an astounding 590 different species of birds, given that it is the second largest protected primary tropical rainforest in West Africa. These include endangered species like the white-necked rockfall and the white-breasted guinea fowl. In Sappo National Park, you can also see the African fish eagle, the gray parrot, the great blue turaco, egrets, hornbills, kingfishers, rollers, and sunbirds. The pygmy hippo, forest elephants, and chimpanzees all call Sappo National Park, the southeast region's first national park home. Count yourself among the fortunate travelers who get to stay at the brand-new Sappo Ecolodge and see the amazing birdlife and magnificent natural scenery. 9. Perfect Location for a Cycling Holiday Another odd destination for cycling tourism is Liberia. Riders in the West Africa Cycle Challenge go from Beau, enabering Sierra Leone, to Monrovia while collecting donations for the Street Child Charity. Tom Owen, who participated in the challenge the previous year, said of Liberia, Liberia is an amazing nation to visit. Cycling through the country was strange because it isn't something people do there, so we stood out a lot. People showed a lot of interest in us. Every time we came to a stop, a group of young people gathered to watch us. Being a very low-budget celebrity was how it felt. The nation is beautiful. It's like having your vision's color saturation artificially increased. The jungle's greens are extraordinarily deep and lush, and the mud is the most vivid shade of orange. 8. Liberia has more than 6.6 million hectares of tropical forest. Most of the remaining upper Guinean forest is located in Liberia. And this magnificent rainforest is one of the nation's most spectacular resources. A hotspot for biodiversity exists in West Africa's upper Guinean forest. 36 locations qualify as hotspots around the world, according to Conservation International. More than half of the world's endemic plant species, as well as 44% of its endemic birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians live in these global hotspots. 7. Airlines banned from Europe More than 100 airlines, the most of which you probably haven't heard of, are now prohibited from using EU airspace or are subject to operational limitations because they don't adhere to safety or regulatory criteria. Each airline from Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, and Sudan is represented among them. But in actuality, it doesn't really matter. There haven't been any registered airlines there since Liberia airways discontinued operations in 2006. In the past, BA offered direct flights from the UK to Monrovia, the country's capital. They must now travel with Royal Air Morric and stop in Casablanca along the way. 6. Liberia has 16 major indigenous ethnic groups At least 16 indigenous ethnic groups reside in Liberia, the largest of which, the Kalei, makes about 20% of the country's population. Bassa, Griebo, Geo, Kru, Worma, Kisi, Gola, Mano, Mandingo, Kran, Bandy, Loma, Vai, Kua, and Dei make up the remaining 15 groups. Waves of Time, an exhibit at the Liberia National Museum, takes visitors on a voyage through time to discover more about Liberia, its people, and its history. The first panel of the tale explains how historical forces have shaped and reshaped Liberia's culture, transformed its people, and made it both a major presence in Africa and the world, even as it has struggled to turn itself into a stable, vital sustaining and sustainable society. 5. Liberia has Africa's cleanest cities In 1,622 urban areas across 92 nations, the World Health Organization, who monitors air quality. The majority of the world's most polluted cities are those in Pakistan, followed by those in Afghanistan and Qatar. Cities in Serbia, Bulgaria, and Turkey are among the most polluted in Europe. Australia, Brunei, and New Zealand are the three nations with the least polluted cities out of the 92 that were considered, but Liberia ranks 10th ahead of nations like Spain, Japan, the US, and the UK. 4. The world's biggest cruise ships are registered there The cruise industry is frequently charged with flying a flag of convenience by registering its ships in nations with laxer labor standards. The majority of Ink Seal's ships, all but one, are registered in the Bahamas, whereas those of Carnival, MSC, Oceania Cruises, and P&O Cruises are registered in the Marshall Islands, Bermuda, and Panama respectively. Additionally, 13% of the world's marine fleet, including the three largest cruise ships in the world, and Royal Caribbean International are both incorporated in Liberia. 3. Liberia uses the Imperial Measurement System The international system of units, SI, which is the metric system, is not used in Liberia. The nation continues to utilize the imperial system of measurements. It is one of just three nations outside of the United States that does not employ the metric system. The United States of America and Myanmar are the other two nations that continue to utilize the imperial system of measurements. Liberia was established by the American Colonization Society, and because of its close ties to the US, it continues to utilize the imperial system of measuring. 2. Liberia elected the first female president in Africa The citizens of Liberia chose Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as their president in 2006, making her the continent's first female head of state. From 2006 to 2018, she presided over Liberia as president. The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in 2011 for her efforts in the nonviolent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace building work. The president at the moment is George Manny Apongwa. He is a politician from Liberia who also played professionally for teams like Monaco, Pesco, AC Milan, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Marseilles. 1. Liberia was created for freed slaves Liberia was established by the American Colonization Society in 1821 as a destination for free African Americans. Until Liberia proclaimed its independence in 1847, more than 10,000 people crossed the Atlantic with the Society's assistance. The first president was Joseph Jenkins Roberts, a freed slave from Virginia. Its recent history has been much more turbulent, beginning with the assassination of Samuel Doe in 1980 and continuing through years of civil war and Charles Taylor's tyrannical leadership, which ended in 2003. The 2014 Ebola outbreak, which is now officially over, set its recovery back once further. After 74 years, George Wehr, a former professional football striker and one of the greatest African players of all time, was sworn in as president of Liberia following the general election in 2017, becoming the continent's fourth youngest leader at the time. Liberia underwent its first full democratic transition during the inauguration. Wehr listed the primary goals of his presidency as eradicating corruption, overhauling the economy, eradicating illiteracy, and enhancing living conditions. These are some of the amazing facts about this beautiful nation that you didn't know. Tell us in the comments section what other interesting things you know about this nation that we have not mentioned in this video. Please take a few seconds to like, share, and subscribe. Do well too to enable the notification bell to get alerts of newly released videos.