Monrovia << muhn ROH vee uh >> (pop. 479,000), is the capital and chief city of Liberia. It stands on the Atlantic Coast at the mouth of the St. Paul River and has a modern harbor. It is the educational and cultural center of the country. The University of Liberia is in the city.
Monrovia was named for James Monroe, president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. The city was founded in 1822 by the American Colonization Society as a place to resettle freed slaves from the United States. Monrovia suffered heavy damage during Liberian civil wars in the 1990’s and early 2000’s.
