Maryland County is a
county in the southeastern portion 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 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, Il ...
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 to it ...
in the United States, it was an independent country as the
Republic of Maryland from 1854 until it joined Liberia in 1857. The most populous city in the county is
Pleebo, with 22,963 residents, while Maryland's County Superintendent is Nazarine Tubman.
The county is bordered by
Grand Kru County to the west and
River Gee County to the north. The eastern part of Maryland borders the nation of
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
(''Côte d'Ivoire''), separated by the
Cavalla River.
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 and formed the
Republic of Maryland. 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 peoples who were resisting the Maryland settlers' efforts to control their trade in slaves. Liberian President
Joseph Jenkins Roberts 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, Illin ...
*
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 measu ...
*
Karluway District
Details
Farming is the main economic activity in Maryland County, accounting for the employment of approximately 60% of residents.
Rice and
cassava 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 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 d ...
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