Monrovia

Capital and port of Liberia, at the mouth of the St Paul River; population (2002 est) 543,000 (city), 1,407,700 (urban area). Iron ore and rubber are leading exports, and industries include oil refining and the manufacture of cement, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and processed foods.

Monrovia was founded in 1822 for slaves repatriated from the USA. Originally called Christopolis, it was renamed after US president James Monroe. Civil war in the 1990s damaged much of the infrastructure in and around Monrovia.

Educational and cultural institutions include the National Museum, the University of Liberia (1892), Cuttington University College (1889), and a college of technology (1978).

Monrovia is situated on Bushrod Island and Cape Mesurado, which protrudes into the Atlantic Ocean, forming a restricted site, and is surrounded by lagoons and swamps. It is linked to the interior and the border with Guinea by a single highway, and to the iron-ore deposits of the northwest (at the Mano and Bomi Hills, and at Bong) by industrial railways.

Monrovia

City in Los Angeles County, southwestern California; population (1990) 35,800. Monrovia lies 24 km/15 mi northeast of downtown Los Angeles, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains.

Settled in the 1880s, Monrovia was for a long time a packing and market centre of an area that produced citrus fruit, avocados, poultry, and dairy goods. In addition, it now has a wide range of manufactures, including electronic equipment, plastics, chemicals, and various items of machinery.