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Maryland County is a county in the southeastern portion of Liberia. One of 15 counties that comprise the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has two
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 ...
.
Harper Harper may refer to: Names * Harper (name), a surname and given name Places ;in Canada *Harper Islands, Nunavut *Harper, Prince Edward Island ;In the United States *Harper, former name of Costa Mesa, California in Orange County * Harper, Illi ...
serves as the capital with the area of the county measuring . As of the 2008 Census, it had a population of 136,404, making it the seventh most populous county in Liberia. Named after the
State of Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean ...
in the United States, it was an independent country as the
Republic of Maryland The Republic of Maryland (also known variously as the Independent State of Maryland, Maryland-in-Africa, and Maryland in Liberia) was a country in West Africa that existed from 1834 to 1857, when it was merged into what is now Liberia. The area ...
from 1854 until it joined Liberia in 1857. The most populous city in the county is
Pleebo Pleebo (or Plibo) is a city located in Maryland County, 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 ...
, with 22,963 residents, while Maryland's County Superintendent is Nazarine Tubman. The county is bordered by
Grand Kru County Grand Kru County is a Counties of Liberia, county in the southeastern portion of Liberia. One of 15 counties that comprise the Administrative division, first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has eighteen Districts of Liberia, di ...
to the west and
River Gee County River Gee is a county in the southern portion of Liberia. One of 15 counties that constitute the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has six districts. Fish Town serves as the capital with the area of the county measuring . ...
to the north. The eastern part of Maryland borders the nation of Ivory Coast (''Côte d'Ivoire''), separated by the
Cavalla River The Cavalla River (also known as the Cavally, the Youbou and the Diougou) is a river in West Africa running from north of Mont Nimba in Guinea, through Côte d'Ivoire, to Zwedru in Liberia, and back to the border with Côte d'Ivoire. It ends in ...
.


History

Maryland was first established as a colony of the Maryland State Colonization Society in 1834, but was not granted independence until 1854. The Maryland Society had played a pivotal role on the formation of the larger American Colonization Society years before. Following a referendum in 1853, the colony declared its independence from the Colonization Society across 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#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...
and formed the
Republic of Maryland The Republic of Maryland (also known variously as the Independent State of Maryland, Maryland-in-Africa, and Maryland in Liberia) was a country in West Africa that existed from 1834 to 1857, when it was merged into what is now Liberia. The area ...
. It held the land along the south coast between the Grand Cess and San Pedro Rivers. In 1856, the Republic of Maryland requested military aid from nearby Liberia in a war with the Grebo and
Kru KRU was a Malaysian pop boy band formed in 1992. The group comprises three brothers, namely Datuk Norman Abdul Halim, Datuk Yusry Abdul Halim and Edry Abdul Halim'. Apart from revolutionising the Malaysian music scene with their blend of pop, ...
peoples who were resisting the Maryland settlers' efforts to control their trade in slaves. Liberian President
Joseph Jenkins Roberts Joseph Jenkins Roberts (March 15, 1809 – February 24, 1876) was an African-American merchant who emigrated to Liberia in 1829, where he became a politician. Elected as the first (1848–1856) and seventh (1872–1876) president of Liber ...
assisted the Marylanders, and a joint military campaign resulted in victory. Following a referendum in February 1857 the Republic of Maryland joined Liberia as Maryland County on 6 April 1857. As of May 2004, a DRC census estimated the county's population to be 107,100. During the 1970s, Maryland County was terrorized by ritual killings. The crimes have been regarded as "Liberia's most notorious ritual killing case" due to the number of murders, the involvement of high ranking government officials and their subsequent public executions.


Districts

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 ...
of Maryland County include (2008 population): *
Harper District Harper may refer to: Names * Harper (name), a surname and given name Places ;in Canada * Harper Islands, Nunavut * Harper, Prince Edward Island ;In the United States *Harper, former name of Costa Mesa, California in Orange County * Harper, Il ...
*
Barrobo District Barrobo District is a district of Liberia, one of the three located in Maryland County. Barrobo is the largest of the various Grebo sub-tribes in Maryland County, Republic of Liberia. In the days of tribal wars they fought surrounding tribes ...
*
Pleebo/Sodeken District Maryland County is a county in the southeastern portion of Liberia. One of 15 counties that comprise the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has two districts. Harper serves as the capital with the area of the county mea ...
* Karluway District


Details

Farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...
is the main economic activity in Maryland County, accounting for the employment of approximately 60% of residents. Rice and
cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...
are the main crops raised in the county. It is roughly estimated that about 98% of the county's population is Christian, 1% Muslim, and 1% Animist.https://www.emansion.gov.lr/doc/MarylandCDA.pdf The flag of Maryland County, Liberia, consists of a drawing of a tree and a lighthouse on a cliff with a small Liberian flag in the upper left corner. In 2007,
WBAL-TV WBAL-TV (channel 11) is a television station in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is the flagship property of Hearst Television, which has owned the station since its inception, and is sister to the company's sole radio ...
in
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...
produced a documentary special titled '' Africa's Maryland'', which focused on this region and its cultural roots to the American state of Maryland.


References


External links


CIA World Factbook
*WBAL-TV's documentary
County Development AgendaPlace name codes
{{Authority control Counties of Liberia 1850s establishments in Liberia 1857 establishments in Africa