Gbarpolu County
Gbarpolu County | |
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UTC+0 (GMT) | |
| HDI (2018) | 0.405[1] low · 11th of 15 |
Gbarpolu is a
Created in 2001 when it was split from Lofa County, Gbarpolu is the youngest county in Liberia. As of 2013[update], the County Superintendent was Allen Gbowee.[3]
The county is bordered by Grand Cape Mount County to the west, Bomi County to the southwest, Bong County to the south, and Lofa County to the east and north. The northwest part of Gbarpolu borders the nation of Sierra Leone. The Gola Forest straddles this border and is home to the Gola Forest community.
The majority of Gbarpolu County consists of forests. Mining was the primary economic activity prior to the Liberian Civil War, in addition to subsistence farming. However, the war devastated all sectors of the county.
Gbarpolu County also produces timber and coal.
The county flag features a diamond, a tree, and the flag of Liberia on a yellow background.
Districts
The districts of Gbarpolu County, with their 2008 populations, include:[2]
- Belleh District (17,288)
- Bokomu District (10,460)
- Bopolu District (18,298)
- Gbarma District (15,972)
- Gounwolaila District (8,115)
- Kongba District (13,625)
Gola Forest community
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The Gola Forest straddles the border between Liberia and Sierra Leone and is home to diverse species of importance to the country. In Sierra Leone, the forest is incorporated into the Gola National Forest, and because of the unity of the forest with Liberia, considerations of conservation must consider a collaborative management with Liberian inhabitants as well.
Within the Liberian portion of the forest reside four clans: the Sorkpo Clan in Porkpa District, the Tonglay and Zuie clans within Kongba District, and the Jawijah Chiefdom. There are 24 villages within the Liberian portion of the forest, most of which are accessible by road, but several are accessible only by footpath. Residents of these remote villages use footpaths to bring their commodities and services to the other towns with motor roads.
Leadership within the community is purely by traditional authorities, but centers of such authority are very few in relation to the number of temporary mining camps. The landlord-stranger system is the main means to regulate the activities of migrants to the forest (mainly miners), but the system is currently weak due to the town being distant and limited roads, transportation, and communications. Some chiefs are not correctly installed or properly elected and therefore lack authority amongst disgruntled illegal miners.
Most of the original Gola inhabitants became refugees during the
See also
- 2014 Ebola virus epidemic in Liberia
References
- ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- ^ a b c "2008 National Population and Housing Census: Preliminary Results" (PDF). Government of the Republic of Liberia. 2008. Retrieved 14 October 2008.
- ^ Dennis, Edwood (1 August 2008). "Liberia: Mano Resources Company Targets Modern Seaport". The Analyst. allAfrica.com. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
- "Humanitarian Information Centre for Liberia". Humanitarianinfo.org. Accessed August 2010.
