Bomi is a county in the northwestern portion of the West African 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 ...

. 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.

Tubmanburg Tubmanburg, also known as Bomi and formerly known as Vaitown, is the capital of Bomi County in Liberia. It lies in the Bomi Hills northwest of Monrovia and was an iron ore and diamond mining centre until it was largely destroyed in the First Liber ...

serves as the county's capital. The County has four administrive districts. Bomi is bordered on the northwest by

Grand Cape Mount County Grand Cape Mount is a county in the northwestern portion of the West African nation of Liberia. One of 15 counties that constitute the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has five districts. Robertsport serves as the capital ...

, on the northeast by Gbarpolu and Bong Counties, on the southeast by Montserrado County and on the southwest by the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2008 Liberian census, Bomi had a population of 84,119, making it the nation's eleventh most populous county.

History

From 1822 until the

Liberian Declaration of Independence The Liberian Declaration of Independence is a document adopted by the Liberian Constitutional Convention on 26 July 1847, to announce that the Commonwealth of Liberia, a colony founded and controlled by the private American Colonization Society, ...

from the American Colonization Society on July 26, 1847 some 3,198 freed slaves and slaves from the Lesser Antilles, who had escaped from their slaveholders or born free left the

Caribbean islands Almost all of the Caribbean islands are in the Caribbean Sea, with only a few in inland lakes. The largest island is Cuba. Other sizable islands include Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago. Some of the smaller islands are re ...

and came to Liberia with the help and support from the American Colonization Society and other organizations. The former Caribbean slaves came to Liberia to live a better life, to be free and for self-government. The first batch of slaves who left the Caribbean islands was from Barbados, some 500 to 1,000 freed Caribbean slaves arrived as settlers to Liberia. The second set of settlers who came from the

was 345 from Trinidad and Tobago, followed by 620 from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, another 350 from Saint Kitts and Nevis, the last two groups of settlers who left the Caribbean islands was 483 from

Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pe ...

, and the last group of settlers from

Saint Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindian ...

400 former Caribbean slaves. As job opportunities and development growth increase the former slaves moved through Grand Cape Mount, Bomi, Montserrado County, Margibi County and other regions of Liberia. Bomi County, formerly known as Bomi Territory, was once part of Montserrado County. The military regime 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 ...

established Bomi County in 1983. A legislative act later confirmed the County as being a separate entity. Bomi means “LIGHT” in the Gola language, recognizing the County's status as the first site for iron ore mining in Liberia.. The Liberia Mining Company extracted iron ore in the territory during the 1950s and 1960s. The company closed its operations in 1979..

Geography, climate and seasons

Bomi County has an area of .. The County is bordered on the northwest by

, on the northeast by Gbarpolu and Bong Counties, on the southeast by Montserrado County and on the southwest by the Atlantic Ocean.. The

Lofa River The Lofa or Loffa is a river whose headwaters originate in eastern Guinea northeast of Macenta. The river runs southwest through northeastern Liberia before draining into the North Atlantic Ocean.(1) .(2) . Historically it has also been known as ...

forms the boundary between Bomi and Grand Cape Mount Counties. A tributary of the river forms part of the boundary between Bomi and Gbarpolu Counties. The Saint Paul River forms part of the boundary between Bomi and Montserrado Counties. (1) .
(2) .
(3) . Bomi County's climate is generally warm throughout the year. There are two seasons in the year - the rainy season which begins in April and ends in October and the dry season from November to March.

Demographics

The 2008 Liberian census showed that Bomi County had a population of 84,119, making it the eleventh most populous county in Liberia. The County had at that time a population density of 113 persons per square mile (44 persons per km²). Bomi contains five chiefdoms and 18

clans A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...

. The County's principal

ethnic group An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

s are Gola, Dei,

Mandinka Mandinka, Mandika, Mandinkha, Mandinko, or Mandingo may refer to: Media * ''Mandingo'' (novel), a bestselling novel published in 1957 * ''Mandingo'' (film), a 1975 film based on the eponymous 1957 novel * ''Mandingo (play)'', a play by Jack Kir ...

and Kpelle.

Resources and economy

Bomi County's resources include diamond, rubber, timber, iron ore, gold, water, stone, sand and fertile agriculture land. 70% of the population engage in agricultural activities, including the production or exploitation of rice (the

staple food A staple food, food staple, or simply a staple, is a food that is eaten often and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a standard diet for a given person or group of people, supplying a large fraction of energy needs and ...

), cassava,

sweet potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the Convolvulus, bindweed or morning glory family (biology), family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a r ...

es, eddoes, plantains, vegetables, rubber,

palm oil Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 33% of global oils produced from ...

and livestock or in fisheries. 20% participate in business and trading. Local governments employ 10%. The Sime Darby rubber plantation, the second largest in Liberia, is located within the County.

Administrative districts

Bomi is divided into four administrative districts: * Dewoin District * Klay District *

Senjeh District Senjeh District is one of four administrative districts of Bomi 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 ...

* Seuhn Mecca District

References

External links

*
Voting Among the Ruins
{{Authority control Counties of Liberia 1984 establishments in Liberia