

Liberia


1462 -- Portuguese traders arrived and established the Atlantic slave trade 1822 -- Established as a settlement for freed slaves 1847 -- Became the first black republic 1959 -- OAU (Organization of African Unity) was founded in Liberia 1980 -- Military coup in Liberia The first African Republic - Liberia - is currently under siege. Since 1989, the country has been torn by a bloody civil war against the most corrupt, most abusive government in the history of West Africa. Today over 50,000 people have died and over half a million Liberians now live as refugees in neighboring African countries. Ninety-five percent of the people of Liberia are indigenous Africans while the remainder are descendents of freed American slaves. Twenty-eight languages are spoken in Liberia, but English is used for commerce, education, and government.