How Much Do You Know About Liberia?

Which country is Liberia?

• A

• B

• C

• D

Answer explanation

Liberia borders the Atlantic Ocean in Western Africa, between Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast. It has a population of about 5.5 million.

History

A small crescent-shaped country on the West African coast, Liberia was established in 1847 by ______________ .

• a confederation of more than a dozen Indigenous ethnic groups

  
  

• European merchants in the diamond trade

  
  

• formerly enslaved people from the United States

  
  

• Muslim traders from Mali

  
  

Answer explanation

The country was named Liberia by its founders, formerly enslaved Africans from the United States who returned to the continent in the early 19th century.

To learn more, read “Marking a Different Thanksgiving Tradition, From West Africa.”

Geography

_______ is Liberia's sprawling capital city that was named after the American president _______ .

• Adams City; John Quincy Adams

  
  

• Monrovia; James Monroe

  
  

• Jeffersonia; Thomas Jefferson

  
  

• Jacksonia; Andrew Jackson

  
  

Answer explanation

The country relies heavily on iron ore exports and agriculture, but more than 80 percent of Liberians are food-insecure, according to the World Bank, and the prices of basic goods have soared recently.

To learn more, read “What to Know About the Presidential Election in Liberia.”

Politics

Liberia’s back-to-back  _________between 1989 and 2003 left this once moderately prosperous country in ruins.

• civil wars

  
  

• earthquakes

  
  

• locust infestations

  
  

• severe droughts

  
  

Answer explanation

Liberia’s economy remains fragile after a 14-year period of civil war that ended in 2003 and left 250,000 people dead. An Ebola epidemic between 2013 and 2016 also killed thousands.

To learn more, read the essay "My Liberia: A Vacation Paradise."

Food

______ is a thick sauce that Liberians typically serve for lunch, the largest meal of the day.

• Palm butter

  
  

• Aloo gobi

  
  

• Lobio

  
  

• Galinhada

Answer explanation

Helene Cooper writes, “Palm butter is our national dish. In this case, the vegetable star is palm nut, which we pound into a mash, and then cook the heck out of, extracting the beautiful buttery sauce, which holds together — you guessed it — crawfish, dried fish, chicken, beef, pig feet, even suck-suck, which is what we call a snail-like creature that we put in our stews. (Its name comes from the method of consuming it: you’ve got to suck the meat out of the shell, along with all those delicious palm butter juices.)”

Read "Palm Butter and Liberian Peanut Soup" to learn more.