Grand Bassa is a

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

in the west-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, M ...

n 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 the area of the county measuring . As of the 2008 Census, it had a population of 224,839, making it the fifth most populous county in Liberia. Grand Bassa's County Superintendent is Janjay Baikpeh. The county is bordered by

Margibi County Margibi is a county on the north to central coast of Liberia. One of 15 counties that constitute the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has five districts. Kakata serves as the capital with the area of the county measuring ...

to the northwest, Bong County to the north,

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 co ...

to the east, and

Rivercess County Rivercess County is a county in the south-central portion of the West African nation of Liberia. One of 15 counties that compose the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has six districts. Cesstos City serves as the capital ...

to the south and east. The western part of Grand Bassa borders the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

History

The port of Buchanan was constructed by LAMCO to serve the export of iron ore carried through the railway from Nimba. The

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

destroyed the port, railway and the township built by LAMCO. In 2005, LAMCO's facilities were taken over by

Arcelor-Mittal ArcelorMittal S.A. is a Luxembourgian multinational steel manufacturing corporation headquartered in Luxembourg City. It was formed in 2006 from the takeover and merger of Arcelor by Indian-owned Mittal Steel. ArcelorMittal is the second larg ...

, which has begun a gradual reconstruction. The once bustling port became a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by All ...

, until the arrival of Arcelor-Mittal and the consequent prospects of employment. Under terms of a 2005 agreement with the national government, Arcelor-Mittal will give $1 million each year to the county for iron ore exploitation, though these terms were revised in 2007.

Notable people from Grand Bassa

Stephen Allen Benson Stephen Allen Benson (May 21, 1816 – January 24, 1865) was a Liberian politician who served as the second president of Liberia from 1856 to 1864. Prior to that, he served as the third vice president of Liberia from 1854 to 1856 under President J ...

, President of Liberia (1856-1864) * Joseph James Cheeseman, President of Liberia (1892-1896) *

Lewis Penick Clinton Lewis Penick Clinton (also known as Louis Penick Clinton and Prince Somayou Zea Clayou) (born 1865 or 1866) was a Prince of the Bassa people in West Africa (Liberia) and later an African American missionary and lecturer.The Literary Digest, Volu ...

, Bassa prince, and missionary *

Gbehzohngar Findley Gbehzohngar Milton Findley (born July 2, 1960) is a Liberian politician and businessman. He is a former President Pro Tempore of the Liberian Senate and also the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the administration of President Weah until 28th July ...

, Minister of Foreign Affair (2018–Present) and Former Senate Pro-Tempore (2005-2014) *

Anthony Gardiner Anthony William Gardiner (January 24, 1820 – 1885) served as the ninth president of Liberia from 1878 until 1883. He was the first of a series of True Whig presidents who held power uninterruptedly until 1980. Early years Gardiner was born in ...

, President of Liberia (1878-1883) *

Jonathan Lambort Kaipay Jonathan may refer to: *Jonathan (name), a masculine given name Media * ''Jonathan'' (1970 film), a German film directed by Hans W. Geißendörfer * ''Jonathan'' (2016 film), a German film directed by Piotr J. Lewandowski * ''Jonathan'' (2018 ...

, Senator (2015–Present) *

James Skivring Smith James Skivring Smith (February 26, 1825 – 1892) was a Liberian politician who served as the sixth president of Liberia from 1871 to 1872. Prior to this, he served as the eighth vice president of Liberia from 1870 to 1871 under President Edward ...

, President of Liberia (1871-1872) *

James Skivring Smith Jr. James Skivring Smith Jr. (1891–1950) was a Liberian politician who served as the 21st vice president of Liberia from 1930 to 1944 under President Edwin Barclay. Prior to this, Smith served as superintendent of Grand Bassa County from 1924 to ...

, Vice President of Liberia (1930-1944) *

Etweda Cooper Etweda Ambavi Gbenyon Cooper, known as Sugars, is a Liberian politician and peace activist. She has been described as "the doyenne" and "the godmother" of the Liberian women's movement. In 2010, she was elected mayor of Edina, Liberia. She then ...

, peace activist and superintendent of Grand Bassa (2012-2015)

Districts

Districts of Grand Bassa County include (2008 population): * Commonwealth District (34,270) * District #1 (25,180) * District #2 (28,469) * District #3 (47,721) * District #4 (33,180) * Neekreen District (32,058) * Owensgrove District (13,687) * St. John River District (10,274)

References

External links

Place name codes
{{Authority control Counties of Liberia

History

Notable people from Grand Bassa

Districts

See also

References

External links