| FishBase | Complete | Literature | Reference | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Families | Species | Families | |||
| Marine | 470 | 150 | No | Quéro, J.-C., J.-C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.), 1990 | ||
| Freshwater | 157 | 29 | No | Daget, J., J.-P. Gosse and D.F.E. Thys van den Audenaerde, 1984 | ||
| Total | 623 | 171 | No | |||
| Conservation | The following information is to be sought: - Status of knowledge of the freshwater fauna; - Existence of conservation plans; - Information on major aquatic habitats or sites within the country; - Current major threats to species; - Future potential threats to species; - Contact(s) for further information. |
| Geography and Climate |
Liberia has a surface area of 111,370 sq. km. Apart from a narrow coastal strip, Liberia consists of a series of plateau of moderately high altitude within a few higher hills of up to 1,500 m. The country is densely forested.
The climate is hot and humid, with one major extended rainy season between April and November. There is very little variation in temperature, which averages about 30°C.
Liberia exports iron, rubber and timber. Apart from these commodities the country is wholly devoted to small-scale agriculture. Ref. Vanden Bossche, J.-P. and G.M. Bernacsek, 1990 |
| Hydrography |
Lakes: there are no important natural lakes in Liberia.
Rivers, floodplains and reservoirs: Six main rivers flow across the country from the Fouta Djallon Mountains of Guinea. These are the rivers Loffa, Saint Paul, Saint John and Cestos (which have their lower courses entirely within the country); the Mano River (which forms the frontier with Sierra Leone); and the Cavalla (Cavally) River (which forms the frontier with Côte d'Ivoire). In addition, there are several smaller streams such as the Grand Cess River, the Sino River and the Farmington River. Total river length is about 3,000 km (Aubray, 1978) (Ref. 12112).
The coastal plains tend to be very flat, often only at 1-2 m altitude. They are thus susceptible to flooding during the rains, in particular where a sandbar blocks the river mouth. Most rivers exhibit floodplains along their course, but the extent of these is not known.
Reservoirs: a hydroelectric plant (HEP) near Monrovia on the Saint Paul River, a proposed HEP dam on the Mona River, a HEP scheme at Yondahun, Loffa River and the Fangunda Dam in Lofa country represent the total inland reservoirs.
Coastal lagoons: coastal lagoons are of two types namely
Marine Lagoons - occur where a sandbar forms on a river coastline, sealing off a bay (cut-off lagoon), or where tidal flow erodes an area of low ground (cut-in lagoon).
Freshwater lagoons - occur where a river outlet is blocked by a beach sandbar, creating a reservoir. This is a common feature of a large number of the coastal rivers, especially those with a slow flow. It is also a characteristic feature of the strong offshore currents. Ref. Vanden Bossche, J.-P. and G.M. Bernacsek, 1990 |