Liberia,
officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African
coast.
Liberia means "Land of the Free" in Latin. It is bordered by Sierra
Leone to its west, Guinea to its north and Ivory Coast to its east. It
covers an area of 111,369 square kilometres and has a population of 4,5
million people. English is the official language and over 20 indigenous
languages are spoken, representing the numerous tribes who make up more
than 95% of the population.
Liberia is the only African republic to have self-proclaimed
independence without gaining independence through revolt from any other
nation, being Africa's first and oldest republic.
About 85% of the population live below the international poverty line. [R1]
The first stamps of Liberia
were issued in 1860. The set
consisted of three stamps, one each of 6c, 12c and 24c in red, blue and
green, respectively, and all with the same allegorical design of
Liberty. From 1945 onward, nearly all stamp issues were printed by the
E.A. Wright Company, Philadelphia, until the firm went into liquidation
in 1972. [R2]
Official
stamps of Liberia related to Paleontology: dinosaurs and other
prehistoric animals, Charles Darwin
[R1] More information about Liberia are on WikipediaWikiTravelFlag
Counter [R2] Some information about
postal history of Liberia is on Wikipedia
and Philib
Links to Liberia post authority and stamps catalog
websites are here