Hi uphill I have some info on Liberia - I was there four weeks at the beginning if the year and enjoyed my stay - visiting my wife's family there.
Big UN presence keeping law and order but they are aiming to withdraw by 2015. The people in Monrovia are pretty much westernised - English is official language, vast majority are practising Christians - much less secular than oz, but liberal when it comes to nightclubs and party time. Used to be a popular tourist destination for Americans and Europeans in the 70's.
Biggest problem now is about 85pc unemployment, although the rest make a living mostly selling stuff on the streets. Centre of Monrovia is very congested due to illegal street markets, but govt knows this is the only way many people can survive, so are relatively lenient.
Business district, Sinkor has a fair amount of construction - office buildings and banks. There were only 3 ATMs in the vicinity of Monrovia that I could withdraw money from using my Visa card. Master card doesn't work anywhere. Shops accept only cash.
Most houses have their own generator as the power supply is very limited and expensive unit cost. They have a hydro power station that hasn't worked since the war, but should be fixed within a couple of years (much talk anyway!).
Best news source I have found on web is frontpageafrica.com which despite the name only covers news in Liberia. Written by Liberians in US. Some interesting articles on African Petroleum there, which is a Perth based company with exploration blocks offshore from Liberian coast.
Cheers, Murky
WPI Price at posting:
3.0¢ Sentiment: Hold Disclosure: Held
