Grand Kru County
Grand Kru County | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
 Location in Liberia | |
| Coordinates:4°55′N8°15′W/ 4.917°N 8.250°W | |
| Country |  Liberia |
| Capital | Barclayville |
| Districts | 4 |
| Established | 1984 |
| Government | |
| • Superintendent | Rosalind Sneh |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3,895 km2(1,504 sq mi) |
| Population (2022) | |
| • Total | 109,342 |
| • Density | 28/km2(73/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+0(GMT) |
| HDI(2018) | 0.418[1] low·8th of 15 |
Grand Kru Countyis acountyin the southeastern portion ofLiberia.One of 15 counties that comprise thefirst-level of administrative divisionin the nation, it has eighteendistricts.Organized in 1984, its capital isBarclayville.The area of the county measures 1,504 square miles (3,900 km2).[2]As of the 2008 Census, it had a population of 109,342, making it the third-least populous county in Liberia.[2][3]
Grand Kru's County Superintendent is Rosalind Sneh.[4]The county is bordered byRiver Gee Countyto the northeast,Sinoe Countyto the northwest, andMaryland Countyto the southeast. The southern part of Grand Kru borders theAtlantic Ocean.
History
[edit]Grand Kru was created in 1984/1985 by the merger of the territories ofSasstownandKru Coast.Kru Coast territory had previously been part of Maryland County, and Sasstown territory had previously been part of Sinoe county. As of the 1984 Census, the county had a population of 62,791.[2]A UN Mission in Liberia report issued in April 2005 estimated that the population was 71,000.
Demographics
[edit]The primary language isKru,which is spoken in several significantly different dialects around the county. Some areas identify their language asBuahandKplio.Liberian Englishis the language of school instruction.
Districts
[edit]The county is divided into four districts:
Economy
[edit]The area has few roads so it has had limited business or residential development. Because of the long period of war since the late 20th century, few investments were made in infrastructure. In June 2005 the UN Integrated Regional Information Network reported that the roads in Grand Kru had decayed and become overgrown by dense bush, rendering them impassable except on foot. The bridge across the Nu River near Barclayville was constructed after the warfare to link the major trade route from Pleebo to Barclayville.
The residents have a subsistence farming economy, based onslash-and-burntechniques of clearing the bush. The most important crops are uplandrice,cassava,palm nuts,and along the coast, fishing. Feedmaizeis grown at higher elevations farther inland.Sugar caneand several varieties ofbananasgrow in the wetland areas. Cash crops includecoffee,cocoa,andkola.Locally grownbambooandpiassava palmare widely used for construction, mats and baskets. Many tropical fruits, domestic and wild, grow in the region includingoranges,limes,mangos,soursop,breadfruit,andcoconut.
The people keeppoultry,cattle,sheep,andgoatto supplement their diets and to use for their products; the animals are found in and around most villages. Most animals are of pygmy variety, as larger varieties die quickly due to the heat and humidity.
Before the civil war, the region's extensiverainforestscontained a wide variety of wildlife includingwild pigs,bongo,dik-dik,pangolin,civet,pygmy hippo,African buffalo,andcolobus monkey,all of which are hunted for food and hides. Also found aresnakesand very small populations of forestelephantsandleopards.The warfare disrupted their habitats; in addition, many animals were killed in the course of the war and their populations have fallen.
Notable people
[edit]- Julius Wesseh Nah,footballer
References
[edit]- ^"Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab".hdi.globaldatalab.org.Retrieved2018-09-13.
- ^abc"2008 National Population and Housing Census: Preliminary Results"(PDF).Government of the Republic of Liberia. 2008. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2012-02-13.Retrieved2008-10-14.
- ^"Liberia: Counties, Major Cities, Towns & Urban Areas - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information".www.citypopulation.de.Retrieved2024-01-16.
- ^"Grand Kru County Development Agenda"(PDF).Government of Liberia. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2012-02-29.Retrieved2008-10-13.
External links
[edit]
- More information on Grebo and Liberian languages
- County Development AgendaArchived2012-02-29 at theWayback Machine
- Place name codes[permanent dead link],Humanitarian Info
