City Africa
Monrovia
Monrovia is the capital of Liberia, in West Africa. It sits by the sea, and it gets a lot of rain.
Monrovia is the capital of Liberia and its only large city: 1,761,032 people lived there at the 2022 census. It was founded in 1822 by settlers from the United States and stretches along a narrow sandy strip of coast around Cape Mesurado. It is one of the rainiest capitals in Africa.
Monrovia, founded in 1822 by freed slaves who settled from the United States, grew slowly until a free port drove its growth: from 45,000 people in 1956 to 1,761,032 at the 2022 census. It lies on a narrow sandy strip cut off from the interior by mangroves, with about 4.9 meters of rain a year.
Photo: blk24ga, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Monrovia
Monrovia is the capital city of Liberia. It is on the coast of West Africa, by the Atlantic Ocean.
More than a million people live there.
Monrovia is the capital of Liberia, on the Atlantic coast of West Africa. Universalis calls it the country's only large city. At the 2022 census, 1,761,032 people lived in Monrovia, out of 5,250,187 in all of Liberia.
The city lies on a narrow strip of sand between the ocean and mangrove swamps. It stretches for about 15 kilometers on both sides of its old business center on Cape Mesurado, a headland pushing out into the sea.
The Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services counted 1,761,032 people in Monrovia at the census of 11 November 2022 (final results, via City Population), against 1,021,762 in 2008 and 204,210 in 1974; Montserrado County, which contains it, had 1,920,965, and Liberia 5,250,187.
Universalis (Pierre Vennetier): Monrovia is the capital and the only large city of Liberia. The built-up area sits on a narrow sandy strip, cut off from the interior by mangroves, and stretches about 15 km on either side of the commercial core on Cape Mesurado.
- Country
- Liberia (capital), Montserrado County
- People in Monrovia (census, 11 November 2022)
- 1,761,032
- People in Montserrado County (same census)
- 1,920,965
- Founded
- 1822
Rooftops and water
Look down over the green treetops! A long, straight street runs between many buildings.
Far away, wide water shines, with green land beyond.
This photo was taken on 15 July 2013 about 1 kilometer northwest of Wikidata's point for Cape Mesurado, near Monrovia's old business center. Green treetops fill the front. Behind them, a long, straight street lined with trees runs between rows of offices and houses, past a tall building wrapped in blue and a red-and-white mast.
In the distance a wide stretch of water shines, with low green land on the far side.
Commons: 'Liberia, Africa', taken 15 July 2013 by the Panoramio user blk24ga, CC BY 3.0 (license confirmed by the Panoramio upload bot on 28 February 2017); camera location 6.3203° N, 10.8131° W, about 0.96 km NW of Wikidata's point for Cape Mesurado.
The view looks over the city toward wide water and low grassy land. Wikidata places Cape Mesurado Lighthouse 1.33 km NW of the cape's point.
- Photo
- Monrovia from above, 15 July 2013
- Camera place
- about 1 km northwest of the Cape Mesurado point (Commons and Wikidata)
- Cape Mesurado Lighthouse
- about 1.3 km northwest of the cape's point
From settlement to capital
Long ago, in 1822, settlers from America started Monrovia.
For many years it was a small town. Then it grew into a big city.
Universalis says Monrovia was founded in 1822, when a first group of settlers from the United States made their home there. For a long time it grew slowly: it had about 45,000 people in 1956. Then it grew faster, to 100,000 people in 1967 and 208,600 in 1978, and Universalis says its free port was what drove that growth.
The city suffered during Liberia's civil war, which lasted from 1990 to 2005. Since then it has grown again: the 2022 census counted 1,761,032 people.
Universalis: Monrovia was founded in 1822 by the arrival of a first group of freed slaves, the American settlers. Its growth came late: 45,000 inhabitants in 1956, 100,000 in 1967 and 208,600 in 1978, driven by the creation of a free port; Wikidata dates the Freeport of Monrovia to 1943 and records that the city is named after James Monroe, a president of the United States.
The city suffered in the civil war of 1990 to 2005 and became a place of refuge for people who had fled their homes. Census counts since then (via City Population): 1,021,762 in 2008 and 1,761,032 in 2022.
- Founded
- 1822, by settlers from the United States
- People in 1956
- 45,000
- People in 1978
- 208,600
Port, bridges and airport
Ships come to Monrovia's port. The international airport is far away, 60 kilometers from the city.
Monrovia's port is on Bushrod Island, to the north of the old center, Universalis says. Wikidata says the Freeport of Monrovia opened in 1943; it lies about 3.7 kilometers north-northeast of Cape Mesurado.
The city is long and thin: it stretches along the coast for about 15 kilometers. The international airport is 60 kilometers away, and heavy rains often make roads and transport hard to use, Universalis says.
Universalis: Bushrod Island, to the north, holds the port and industrial sites; the city's growth was driven by the creation of a free port; the international airport is 60 km away. Its Liberia article adds that the very heavy rains often cause serious damage and badly disrupt transport.
Wikidata: Freeport of Monrovia (opened 1943) 3.66 km NNE of the Cape Mesurado point; Bushrod Island 5.61 km NNE.
- Freeport of Monrovia
- opened 1943 (Wikidata); about 3.7 km north-northeast of Cape Mesurado
- Bushrod Island
- port and factories, north of the old center
- International airport
- 60 km from the city
One of Africa's rainiest capitals
Monrovia gets a huge amount of rain. From May to October, the rainy season brings rain again and again.
The rest of the year is drier.
Monrovia is one of the wettest capital cities in Africa, Universalis says. In an average year about 4.9 meters of rain fall there, and in some years 7 to 8 meters.
Liberia has two seasons: a rainy season from May to October and a dry season from November to April. The heavy rains help crops grow, but they also cause damage and make travel difficult.
Universalis ('Liberia', physical setting): lying in a zone more equatorial than tropical, Liberia has two seasons, rainy from May to October and dry from November to April. On the coast the rainfall, exceptional for Africa, makes Monrovia one of the wettest capitals of the continent: an annual average of 4.90 m, with peaks of 7 to 8 m. The rains favor staple crops but often cause serious damage and badly disrupt transport.
The article 'Monrovia' gives the same 4.9 m a year and calls the rainfall very heavy.
- Rain in an average year
- about 4.9 m
- Wettest years
- 7 to 8 m
- Seasons in Liberia
- rainy May to October; dry November to April
Neighborhoods and work
Monrovia has many neighborhoods. Some people work at the port and in factories. Others live in Sinkor, to the east.
Monrovia's old business center is on Cape Mesurado. To the north, on Bushrod Island, are the port, factories and neighborhoods such as Logan Town and New Kru Town, Universalis says. The factories include oil refineries, sawmills and makers of medicines and cloth.
To the east lies Sinkor, a residential area, and the houses and streets continue as far as Congo Town.
Universalis: the commercial core on Cape Mesurado has an old colonial-style look, with a few modern buildings rising from it. To the north, Bushrod Island groups the port, industrial sites (oil refineries, pharmaceutical, textile and sawmill industries) and neighborhoods such as Logan Town and New Kru Town. To the east a more prosperous residential district, Sinkor, has formed, and the built-up area continues to Congo Town.
Wikidata places Sinkor about 4.8 km ESE of the Cape Mesurado point.
- Bushrod Island industries
- oil refining, medicines, textiles, sawmills
- Sinkor
- a residential area to the east
- Congo Town
- where the built-up area reaches, to the east
Monrovia on the map
Find West Africa on the globe. Monrovia is on the coast of Liberia, by the Atlantic Ocean.
Monrovia lies at about 6.3° north, close to the equator, on the Atlantic coast of Liberia. Measured from the point of Cape Mesurado, the port is about 3.7 kilometers north-northeast, Bushrod Island about 5.6 kilometers north-northeast and Sinkor about 4.8 kilometers east-southeast.
The photo was taken about 1 kilometer northwest of that point.
Monrovia lies at about 6.31° N and 10.80° W (Natural Earth point). From Wikidata's point for Cape Mesurado: the photo's camera location 0.96 km NW, Cape Mesurado Lighthouse 1.33 km NW, Freeport of Monrovia 3.66 km NNE, Sinkor 4.78 km ESE, Bushrod Island 5.61 km NNE.
Universalis (Liberia): the coastal strip, 20 to 30 km wide, is a chain of lagoons broken by rocky headlands, among them Cape Mesurado, which shelters the capital.
- Latitude
- about 6.3° north
- Longitude
- about 10.8° west
- Setting
- a narrow sandy strip between the ocean and mangroves
Amazing facts
-
Monrovia is one of the rainiest capital cities in Africa!
About 4.9 meters of rain fall on Monrovia in an average year, which makes it one of the wettest capitals in Africa, Universalis says.
Universalis: an annual average of 4.90 m, with peaks of 7 to 8 m, makes Monrovia one of the continent's wettest capitals.
-
Monrovia is long and thin, like a ribbon along the sea.
Monrovia stretches for about 15 kilometers along a narrow strip of sand, with mangroves behind it, Universalis says.
Universalis: the city sits on a narrow sandy strip cut off from the interior by mangroves and stretches about 15 km on either side of its core on Cape Mesurado.
-
Monrovia was a small town for a long time. Then it grew fast!
Monrovia had about 45,000 people in 1956 and 208,600 in 1978, and its free port drove that growth, Universalis says.
Universalis: 45,000 inhabitants in 1956, 100,000 in 1967, 208,600 in 1978; the motor of this growth was the creation of a free port.
-
Monrovia started in 1822.
Monrovia was founded in 1822 by a first group of settlers who came from the United States, Universalis says.
Universalis: founded in 1822 with the settlement of a first group of freed slaves, the American settlers.
Words to know
- capital
- the city where a country's government meets
- cape
- a piece of land that points out into the sea
- mangrove
- a tree that grows in salty water along tropical coasts, with roots above the mud
- free port
- a port where goods can be landed and stored without paying the usual taxes
- settler
- a person who moves to a new place to live there
- rainy season
- the part of the year when most of the rain falls
Discovery challenge
-
Monrovia is the capital of which country?
Monrovia is the capital and only large city of which country?
Montserrado County, home of Monrovia, is in which country?
- Liberia
- Kenya
- Peru
Show the answer
Liberia
Liberia!
Liberia.
Liberia.
-
In which year was Monrovia started?
In which year was Monrovia founded by settlers from the United States?
Universalis dates the founding of Monrovia to which year?
- 1622
- 1822
- 1922
Show the answer
1822
1822!
1822.
1822.
-
Which ocean is next to Monrovia?
Monrovia lies on the coast of which ocean?
Cape Mesurado, where Monrovia's center lies, points into which ocean?
- The Pacific Ocean
- The Atlantic Ocean
- The Arctic Ocean
Show the answer
The Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean!
The Atlantic Ocean.
The Atlantic Ocean.
-
When is the rainy season in Liberia?
Which months make up Liberia's rainy season?
Universalis gives Liberia's rainy season as which months?
- May to October
- December to February
- There is no rainy season
Show the answer
May to October
May to October!
May to October.
May to October; the dry season runs from November to April.
-
Where is Monrovia's port?
On which island are Monrovia's port and factories?
Universalis says the port, industry and neighborhoods such as Logan Town are on which island?
- Bushrod Island
- Easter Island
- Greenland
Show the answer
Bushrod Island
Bushrod Island!
Bushrod Island.
Bushrod Island.
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Monrovia on the Atlantic coast of West Africa.
- Explain how a port can help a town grow into a city.
- Describe a long, thin city shaped by the sea and mangroves.
- Compare a rainy season and a dry season.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Monrovia grew fast after a free port was built. Why might a port bring jobs and people?
- Monrovia is long and thin. How might the shape of a city change how people travel around it?
- Heavy rain helps crops but can make travel hard. How does weather change life where you live?
Try at home or in class
- Rain tower: mark 4.9 meters on a wall or a long rope to see one year of Monrovia's rain.
- Population line: plot Monrovia's 1956, 1967, 1978, 2008 and 2022 numbers on a line graph.
- Rain gauge: put a straight-sided jar outside for a week and measure the rain in millimeters.
Key vocabulary: capital, cape, mangrove, free port, settler, rainy season
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Natural Earth vector data , Natural Earth (NACIS) (Public domain)
- Liberia: Counties, Cities and Urban Areas , City Population (Thomas Brinkhoff), from the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services
- Monrovia , Encyclopaedia Universalis (Pierre Vennetier)
- Liberia , Encyclopaedia Universalis
- File:Liberia, Africa - panoramio (256).jpg (blk24ga, 15 July 2013) , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.