Li ‧ be ‧ ri ‧ a /laɪˈbɪ ə riə/ BrE AmE
a country in West Africa on the Atlantic Ocean, next to Sierra Leone. Population: 3,334,587 (2008). Capital: Monrovia. The modern country of Liberia was established in 1822 as a place for black ↑ slave s from the southern US to go and settle after they had been made free. There was a ↑ civil war in Liberia from 1989 to 1997, and in 2003 President Charles Taylor was forced to leave the country. Officially, Liberia has the world's largest ↑ merchant navy (=ships used for business, not for military purposes) . This is because many ships from all over the world are officially ↑ register ed in Liberia, where the rules for ships, for example regarding safety standards, are less strict than in most other countries.
—Liberian noun , adjective :
a Liberian-registered oil tanker