Tubmanburg, also known as Bomi and formerly known as Vaitown, is the capital of

Bomi County Bomi is a county in the northwestern portion of the West African nation of Liberia. The county was established in 1984. The county's area is . Bomi is one of 15 counties that comprise the first-level of administrative division in the nation ...

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 ...

. It lies in the

Bomi Hills Bomi may refer to: * Yoon Bo-mi, an idol singer in the South Korean group A Pink * Bomi County, county in Liberia * Tubmanburg, also known as Bomi, capital of Bomi County in Liberia * Bomi, Sierra Leone * Bomi County, Tibet, county in Tibet * Bomi ...

northwest of

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 ...

and was an

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...

and

diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the Chemical stability, chemically stable form of car ...

mining centre until it was largely destroyed in the

First Liberian Civil War The First Liberian Civil War lasted from 1989 to 1997. President Samuel Doe had established a regime in 1980 but totalitarianism and corruption led to unpopularity and the withdrawal of support from the United States by the late 1980s. The Nat ...

. During the

Second Liberian Civil War The Second Liberian Civil War was a conflict in the West African nation of Liberia lasted from 1999 to 2003. It was preceded by the First Liberian Civil War, which ended in 1996. President Charles Taylor came to power in 1997 after victory in t ...

, it was the headquarters of the

Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy The Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) was a rebel group in Liberia that was active from 1999 until the resignation of Charles Taylor ended the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003. While the group formally dissolved after the ...

rebel group. Most residents are members of the Vai tribe. A key attraction is Blue Lake, also known as

Bomi Lake Bomi may refer to: * Yoon Bo-mi, an idol singer in the South Korean group A Pink * Bomi County, county in Liberia * Tubmanburg, also known as Bomi, capital of Bomi County in Liberia * Bomi, Sierra Leone * Bomi County, Tibet, county in Tibet * Bomi ...

. Blue Lake is about 300 feet deep. It is suspended midway between the peaks of the surrounding mountains which, with the sun’s reflection, give the lake its blue hue. The waters spring from a huge pit dug by the Liberia Mining Company, an American-owned company that ceased operations in the country because of the presumed depletion of iron ore in the area. As of the 2008 census, Tubmanburg has an estimated population of 13,144. Of this, 6,555 were male and 6,559 female. The town is populated predominantly by the Gola ethnic group, which hails from Bomi County. The town also has a significant Mandingo and Vai population. 104th Engineers maintain well operation 150113-A-MK470-071

104th Engineers maintain well operation 150113-A-MK470-071

During the

Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa The 2013–2016 epidemic of Ebola virus disease, centered in West Africa, Western Africa, was the most widespread List of Ebola outbreaks, outbreak of the disease in history. It caused major loss of life and Socioeconomics, socioeconomic disr ...

a treatment center was opened in the town with the assistance of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

.Tubmanburg Liberia Ebola Treatment Unit brings partnership through critical mission November 14, 2014, Written by Staff Sgt. Terrance Rhodes, http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2014/11/14/tubmanburg-liberia-ebola-treatment-unit-brings-partnership-critical-mission/

History

Long associated with the

Liberian Mining Company Liberian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Liberia, a country on the west coast of Africa * A person from Liberia, or of Liberian descent, see Demographics of Liberia **Americo-Liberians * Liberian culture * Liberian cuisine * ...

(LMC; a subsidiary of

Republic Steel Corporation Republic Steel is an American steel manufacturer that was once the country's third largest steel producer. It was founded as the Republic Iron and Steel Company in Youngstown, Ohio in 1899. After rising to prominence during the early 20th Centu ...

), which closed down mining operations in the late 1970s. LMC built a hospital, schools, housing, and an electric generating plant. The city was renamed Tubmanburg after former Liberian president

William Tubman William Vacanarat Shadrach Tubman (29 November 1895 – 23 July 1971) was a Liberian politician. He was the 19th president of Liberia and the longest-serving president in the country's history, serving from 1943 Liberian general election, his e ...

References

{{Coord, 6, 52, N, 10, 49, W, region:LR_type:city, display=title Bomi County County capitals in Liberia