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Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, and the Atlantic Ocean. Liberia has a hot equatorial climate with most rainfall arriving in summer with harsh harmattan winds in the dry season. Liberia'spopulated Pepper Coast is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the sparse inland is forested, later opening to a plateau of drier grasslands. Since 1989,Liberia has been in a state of flux witnessing two civil wars, the First Liberian Civil War (1989–1996), and the Second Liberian Civil War (1999–2003),displacing hundreds of thousands of people and devastating the country's economy.The Liberian Census estimates the population in 2008 as 3,489,072 people.  As of 2006, Liberia has the highest population growth rate in the world (4.50%). Similar to its neighbors, it has a largeyouth population, with half of the population being under the age of 18.

Civil war and government mismanagement destroyed much of Liberia'seconomy, especially the infrastructure in and around the capital, Monrovia.Many businesses fled the country, taking capital and expertise with them, but with the conclusion of fighting and the installation of ademocratically-elected government in 2006, some have returned. Richly endowedwith water, mineral resources, forests, and a climate favorable to agriculture,Liberia had been a producer and exporter of basic products - primarily rawtimber and rubber. Local manufacturing, mainly foreign owned, had been small inscope. Embargos on timber and diamond exports have been lifted, opening newsources of revenue for the government. The reconstruction of infrastructure and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economy will largely depend on generous financial and technical assistance from donor countries and foreign investmentin key sectors, such as infrastructure and power generation.

Liberia currently has an approximate 85% unemployment rate,the second highest in the world. It continues to suffer with poor economic performance due to a fragile security situation, the devastation wrought by its long war, its lack of infrastructure, and necessary human capital to help the country recover fromthe scourges of conflict and corruption. Freehold properties can only beacquired by Liberian citizens. However, foreigners may obtain long-term leases subject to government approval.