Monrovia is the capital and largest city of the African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and, as of the 2022 census, had a population of 1,761,032 residents. Its largely urbanized metropolitan area, including Montserrado and Margibi counties, was home to 2,225,911 inhabitants as of the 2022 census, representing 33.5% of Liberia’s total population.
As the nation’s primary city, Monrovia is Liberia’s economic, financial, and cultural center. Its economy is primarily centered on its harbor and its role as the seat of the Liberian government, with the Freeport of Monrovia serving as the country’s largest and main port. Monrovia was traditionally the land of the Vai people and was founded in April 1822 by members of the American Colonization Society as a settlement for free people of color from the United States.
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Etymology
Monrovia is named in honor of U.S. President James Monroe, a prominent supporter of the colonization of Liberia and the American Colonization Society (ACS). Along with Washington, D.C., it is one of two world capitals to be named after an American president. The original name of Monrovia was Christopolis until 1824, only two years after the city's founding.
The "-via" suffix comes from either the West African Edoidi- Beninese deity Ovia who presided over peace and prosperity, or the mythological figure Ovia of the Uhen tribe, famed for her great beauty, unwavering principles, and marrying the King of the Oyo Empire.
History
Before 1816, the area around Cape Mesurado and the mouth of the Mesurado River was called Ducor. It had long been established as a crossroads and a place of trade inhabited by fishing, trading and farming communities of various ethnicities, including the Dey, Kru, Bassa, Gola, and Vai. The French cartographer and slave trader Chevalier des Marchais visited Ducor and the Cape in 1723, conducted business there and later published a map of the area.
In 1821, with the aim of establishing a self-sufficient colony for free people of color from the United States, something that had already been accomplished with British Black Loyalists in Freetown, the first group of African American settlers arrived in West Africa from the United States under the auspices of the American Colonization Society and with the support of the U.S. government. They landed on Sherbro Island, part of modern-day Sierra Leone.
On 7 January 1822, a ship took these settlers to Dazoe Island (now called Providence Island) at the mouth of the Mesurado River. They subsequently went ashore at Cape Mesurado, and established a settlement they called Christopolis.
Prior to the establishment of the settlement, representatives of the American Colonization Society negotiated the purchase of land at Cape Mesurado in December 1821 from local leaders. The agreement, which covered a relatively small coastal area and was valued at approximately $300 in trade goods, has been the subject of historical debate, with modern scholarship revisiting earlier claims about the circumstances and nature of the transaction.
In 1824, the city was renamed Monrovia after James Monroe, president of the United States at the time. Monroe was a prominent supporter of plans to create a colony of some sort as a place to relocate African Americans from the United States of America and combat the Atlantic Slave Trade. He likewise signed into law the Anti-Slave Trading Act of 1819, which funded the ACS's mission to create such a colony in West Africa.
In 1845 there was a constitutional convention in Monrovia. At this convention a document was drafted that would be adopted two years later as the constitution of the newly independent and sovereign Republic of Liberia. During World War I the city was affected by the German bombing of Monrovia.
Geography
Monrovia lies along the Cape Mesurado peninsula, between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mesurado River, whose mouth forms a large natural harbor. The harbor was significantly expanded by U.S. forces during the Second World War. The Saint Paul River lies directly north of the city and forms the northern boundary of Bushrod Island, which is reached by crossing the "New Bridge" from downtown Monrovia. Monrovia is located in Montserrado County and is Liberia's largest city as its administrative, commercial and financial center.
Climate
Monrovia's climate is classified as a tropical monsoon climate (Am) within the Köppen climate classification. It is the wettest capital city in the world, with annual rainfall averaging 182 inches (4,600 mm). It has a wet season and a dry season but gets precipitation even during the dry season. Temperatures are fairly constant throughout the year, averaging around 79.5 °F (26.4 °C). The only slight variations are in the high temperatures, which are around 81 °F (27 °C) in the winter and near 90 °F (32 °C) in the summer. Lows are usually between 72 and 75 °F (22 and 24 °C) year-round.
Neighborhoods
Monrovia comprises several districts spread across the Mesurado peninsula; the greater metropolitan area encircles the mouth of the marshy Mesurado River. The historic downtown area, centered on Broad Street, is at the very end of the peninsula; the major market district, Waterside, immediately to its north, faces the city's large natural harbor.
Northwest of Waterside is the large, low-income West Point community. To the west and southwest of the downtown area is Mamba Point, traditionally the city's principal diplomatic quarter and home to the embassies of the United States and United Kingdom, as well as the European Union delegation. South of the city center is Capitol Hill, where the major institutions of the national government, including the Temple of Justice and the Executive Mansion, are located.
Further east along the peninsula is the Sinkor section of Monrovia. Originally a suburban residential district, today Sinkor is the bustling midtown section of the city. It includes many diplomatic missions, major hotels, businesses, and residential neighborhoods, including informal communities such as Plumkor, Jorkpentown, Lakpazee and Fiamah.
Sinkor is home to the city's secondary airport, Spriggs Payne. The area immediately next to the airport, called Airfield, is a major nightlife district for the whole city. East of the Airfield is the Old Road section of Sinkor, which is predominantly residential, and includes informal settlements such as Chugbor and Gaye Town.
At the southeastern base of the peninsula is the independent township of Congo Town, and to its east is the large suburb of Paynesville. Other suburbs, such as Chocolate City, Gardnersville, Barnesville, Kaba Town, Dandawailo, and New Georgia lie to the north, across the river. On Bushrod Island, north of Monrovia, are the neighborhoods of Clara Town, Logan Town and New Kru Town. To the far east are the suburbs of Stockton Creek Bridge, Caldwell, Louisiana, and Cassava Hill.
Other neighborhoods and suburbs of Monrovia include
Notable people
Mary Antoinette Brown-Sherman (1926–2004), Liberian educator and first woman president of the University of Liberia
Prince Johnson, Liberian politician
Clarence Kparghai, Swiss ice hockey player
Mon Rovîa, Afro-Appalachian singer-songwriter from Liberia
Sio Moore, American football player
Darlington Nagbe, American soccer player
Aloysius Wleh Penie, Liberian footballer
Massimo Pigliucci (born 1964), ecological and evolutionary geneticist
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former president of Liberia
Takun J, Liberian musician
Charles Taylor, former president of Liberia
Benoni Urey, Liberian businessman
George Weah, Liberian president and former footballer
Ashton Youboty, American football player
Gus Edwards, American football player
Economy
Monrovia's economy is dominated by its expanded harbor - the Freeport of Monrovia - and as the location of Liberia's government offices. The city's main exports include latex and iron ore, and fishing makes an important economic contribution, although fishing is unsafe and local estimates state that until recently five people died each month on average off the coast.
Transport
Boats link the city's Freeport of Monrovia, the country's busiest port, with Greenville and Harper. The nearest airport is Spriggs Payne Airport, located less than four miles (6.4 km) from the city center. Roberts International Airport, the largest international airport in Liberia, is 37 miles (60 km) away in Harbel.
Monrovia is connected with the rest of the country via a network of roads and railways. Monrovia is listed as the home port by between ten and fifteen percent of the world's merchant shipping, registered in Liberia under Flag of Convenience arrangements. Both private taxis and minibuses run in the city, and are supplemented by larger buses run by the Monrovia Transit Authority.
In recent years (2005–present) the roads on many streets in Monrovia have been rebuilt by the World Bank and the Liberian Government. Private and public infrastructures are being built or renovated as reconstruction takes place.
Administration and government
Monrovia is situated in the district of Greater Monrovia in Montserrado County. Instead of being divided into clans like other districts of Liberia, Greater Monrovia is divided into 16 "zones". Like clans, these zones are subdivided into 161 communities. Greater Monrovia does not have an organized district administration like other districts, with all lower-level local authorities being directly supervised by the Montserrado County Superintendent.
Municipally, Greater Monrovia District is subdivided into two city corporations and ten other local authorities (nine townships and one borough). Established in 1973 and operational since 1976, the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) is responsible for the city's administration. The MCC provides services to the townships and borough through a revenue-sharing arrangement, but has no zoning or enforcement jurisdiction in them.
City corporations
Monrovia City Corporation
Paynesville City Corporation
Townships
Barnesville
Caldwell
Congo Town
Dixville
Gardnersville
Garworlon
Johnsonville
New Georgia
West Point
Borough
New Kru Town
Former mayors include:
W. F. Nelson, 1870s
C. T. O. King, 1880s and served three terms
Culture and media
Cultural attractions in Monrovia include the Liberian National Museum, the Masonic Temple, the Waterside Market, and several beaches. The city also houses Antoinette Tubman Stadium and the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex, with seats for 22,000.
The newspaper industry in Monrovia dates back to the 1820s, with the founding of the Liberia Herald, one of the first newspapers to be published in Africa. Today, numerous tabloid-style newspapers are printed daily or bi-weekly, most are 20 pages or less. The Daily Talk is a compilation of news and Bible quotations written daily on a roadside blackboard in the Sinkor section of Monrovia.
Monrovia also has radio and TV stations. Radio is the dominant source of news, because problems with the electric grid make watching television more difficult. UNMIL Radio has been broadcasting since October 2003, and is the only 24 hour radio station in Liberia. It reaches an estimated 2⁄3 of the population. The state-owned Liberia Broadcasting System broadcasts nationwide from its headquarters in Monrovia. STAR radio broadcasts at 104 FM.
Education
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 offered at the A.M. Dogliotti College of Medicine, 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 greater 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.
Places of worship
The places of worship in Monrovia are predominantly Christian churches and temples. These include the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Monrovia (Catholic Church), the United Methodist Church in Liberia (World Methodist Council), the Liberia Baptist Missionary and Educational convention (Baptist World Alliance) and the Assemblies of God. In October 2021, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints announced plans to construct a temple in Monrovia. The city also has Muslim mosques.
Pollution
Pollution is a significant challenge in Monrovia. Piles of household and industrial rubbish tend to build up. The World Bank pays sanitation companies to collect it, but collections are irregular.
In 2013, the problem of uncollected rubbish in the Paynesville area of Monrovia became so acute that traders and residents burnt "the huge garbage piles that seemed on the verge of cutting off the main road" out of Monrovia to Kakata.
Flooding brings additional environmental problems to residents: flood water picks up the waste that has been deposited in swamps at the edge of residential areas, and spreads it around.
In 2009, only one-third of Monrovia's 1.5 million people had access to clean toilets. Those without their own toilets defecate in the narrow alleyways between their houses, or on the beach, or into plastic bags that they dump onto nearby piles of rubbish or into the sea.
Congested housing, a lack of any requirement that landlords provide working toilets, and virtually no urban planning "have combined to create lethal sanitation conditions in the capital".
International relations
Twin towns – Sister cities
Monrovia is twinned with:
Taipei, Taiwan
Dayton, Ohio, United States