Bong is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the north-central portion of the

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

n nation of

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

. One of 15 counties that comprise the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has twelve

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

Gbarnga Gbarnga is the capital city of Bong County, Liberia, lying north east of Monrovia. During the First Liberian Civil War, it was the base for Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia. Cuttington College, a private, Episcopal-affilia ...

serves as the capital. The area of the county measures . As of the 2008 Census, it had a population of 328,919, making it the third-most populous county in Liberia. The county was organized in 1964 and is important for its mining industry. Named after Mount Bong in the southern portion of the county, it is bordered by Lofa and Gbarpolu counties to the north, Margibi and

Montserrado Montserrado County is a county in the northwestern portion of the West African nation of Liberia containing its national capital, Monrovia. One of 15 counties that comprise the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has 17 sub ...

counties to the west,

Grand Bassa County Grand Bassa is a county in the west-central portion of the West African nation of Liberia. One of 15 counties that comprise the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has eight districts. Buchanan serves as the capital with ...

to the south, and

Nimba County Nimba County is a county in northeastern Liberia that shares borders with the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire in the East and the Republic of Guinea in the Northwest. Its capital city is Sanniquellie and its most populous city is Ganta. With the count ...

to the east. The northeast part of Bong borders the nation of

Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

. In 2008, the County Superintendent was Ranney Jackson. Bong County's flag is purple, signifying the dawn, and orange, signifying the County's newness. The two geological instruments in the white field portion of the flag symbolize Bong County's

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...

industry.

Geography

Bong County is situated in the central part of Liberia. The main paved road that runs from

Monrovia Monrovia () is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents, home to 29% of Liberia’s total population. As the ...

Sanniquellie Sanniquellie is a city and the capital of Nimba County and Sanniquellie-Mahn District, Liberia. It is located in the north-east of the country at coordinates 07°21'49" N 008°42'40" W. The average altitude of the city is 420 metres above the se ...

traverses Bong County.

Districts

Bong County has twelve districts (2008 population): * Boinsen District (8,352) * Fuamah District (27,784) * Jorquelleh District (78,803) *

Kokoyah District The Kokoyah Administrative District is one of eight districts located in Bong County, Liberia. References Districts of Liberia Bong County {{Liberia-geo-stub ...

(3,707) * Kpaai District (25,127) * Panta District (16,326) *

Salala District Salala District is one of eight districts in Bong County, Liberia. Multiple internally displaced person An internally displaced person (IDP) is someone who is forced to leave their home but who remains within their country's borders. They ...

(41,982) *

Sanayea District Sanayea District is one of eight districts located in Bong County, Liberia. References Statoids.com Districts of Liberia Bong County {{Liberia-geo-stub ...

(30,932) *

Suakoko District Suakoko District (commonly spelled Suacoco abroad) is one of eight districts located in Bong County, Liberia. Moreover, it is located in the south central portion of Bong County. A majority of the residents in this district are employees with the ...

(28,277) * Tukpahblee (11,767) * Yeallequellah (36,919) *

Zota District Zota District is one of eight districts located in Bong County, Liberia. Settlements Settlements in Zota District include: * Belefuanai * Belifine *Bonia * Bunga * Gannyou *Gawata Nawata and Gawata were the Kings of Kano from 1134 to 1136. ...

(18,943)

Demographics

The population of Bong from the 1984 Census was 255,813 for the county. In July 2005, the population was estimated to be around 804,000. In 2008, the Census placed the figure at 328,919, ranking it third in Liberia after

and Nimba. The main ethnic groups include the Kpelle, Mandingo (who are mostly Muslim), and

Mano Mano may refer to: People * Mano people, an ethnic group in Liberia * Mano (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname * Mano (Mozambican footballer) (born 1984), real name Celso Halilo de Abdul * Mano (Portuguese footballer) ...

Education

Cuttington University Cuttington University is a private university in Suacoco, Liberia. Founded in 1889 as Cuttington College by the Episcopal Church of the United States (ECUSA), it is the oldest private, coeducational, four-year, degree-granting institution in sub- ...

is a private institution established in the late 19th century by the Episcopal Church of the US as part of its educational mission in Liberia.

Politics

Bong County is represented in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

by Henrique Tokpa, The former Cuttington University President, and also the former Minister of Internal Affairs

History

Bong County was created in 1964, along with Nimba, Lofa and Grand Gedeh, when the administrative sub-divisions of Liberia were increased to a total of thirteen. The capital is

, named after an old farm in the location. Gbarnga was used by Charles Taylor as the base for his rebellion against the Presidency of

Samuel Doe Samuel Kanyon Doe (6 May 1951 – 9 September 1990) was a Liberian politician who served as the 21st president of Liberia from 1980 to 1990. Doe ruled Liberia as Chairman of the People's Redemption Council (PRC) from 1980 to 1984 and then a ...

in the early 1990s. Having failed to capture Monrovia, in early 1991, he established an unofficial provisional government (the (

National Patriotic Reconstruction Assembly Government The National Patriotic Reconstruction Assembly Government (NPRAG) was a self-declared, alternative administration established in early 1991 in areas held by the rebel National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) during the country's civil war. It w ...

, or NPRAG) after

ECOMOG The Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) was a West African multilateral armed force established by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). ECOMOG was a formal arrangement for separate armies to work ...

forces arrived for peacekeeping and were based in the Liberian capital. NPRAG continued to operate out of Gbarnga until 1994.

References

External links

''Cuttington Chronicle''
- Student Newspaper
US-based United Bong County Association website
*

July 2005 Profile of Bong County
-

UNMIL The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) was a peacekeeping operation established in September 2003 to monitor a ceasefire agreement in Liberia following the resignation of President Charles Taylor and the conclusion of the Second Liberia ...

The Bong Town community on the web

Place name codes
{{Authority control Counties of Liberia 1964 establishments in Liberia