Greenville, Liberia
Encyclopedia
Greenville, also known as Sinoe, is the capital of Sinoe County
in southeastern Liberia
and lies on a lagoon
near the Sinoe River
and the Atlantic Ocean
. It is located about 150 miles southeast of Monrovia
.
The town was built in about 1838 by colonists of the Mississippi Colonization Society.Part of what was then the Mississippi-in-Africa
colony, (now Sinoe County
), Greenville was named after Judge James Green, one of the first Mississippi Delta
planters to send a group of former slaves to Liberia.
The town was destroyed in the Liberian Civil War
but has since been rebuilt around a port
for the local logging
industry. Before the civil war, the town's main exports were lumber, rubber, and agricultural products.
The Sapo National Park
lies near the town. Boats sail from Greenville to Monrovia
and Harper
.
Greenville experiences 185 rainy days per year. The mean temperature of the town's coolest month is 24 degrees Celsius and 27 degrees Celsius for its warmest month.
Greenville has the third largest port in Liberia, the port has two quays (70m and 180m long respectively) on the inner side of the breakwater for berthing facilities, with an existing water depth of 6m below chart datum.
Sinoe County
Sinoe is one of Liberia's 15 counties and it has 17 districts. Greenville is the county's capital.As of the 2008 Census, it had a population of 104,932, making it one of the least populous counties in Liberia....
in southeastern Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
and lies on a lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
near the Sinoe River
Sinoe River
The Sinoe River is a river of Liberia located in Sinoe County. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean east of Greenville at .The river forms the western boundary of Sapo National Park....
and the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. It is located about 150 miles southeast of Monrovia
Monrovia
Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately...
.
The town was built in about 1838 by colonists of the Mississippi Colonization Society.Part of what was then the Mississippi-in-Africa
Mississippi-in-Africa
In the history of Liberia, Mississippi-in-Africa was a colony settled by freed African-American slaves in present-day Sinoe County, Liberia. It existed from 1835 until 1842, when it was incorporated into the Commonwealth of Liberia. It is also the title of a nonfiction book about the recolonization...
colony, (now Sinoe County
Sinoe County
Sinoe is one of Liberia's 15 counties and it has 17 districts. Greenville is the county's capital.As of the 2008 Census, it had a population of 104,932, making it one of the least populous counties in Liberia....
), Greenville was named after Judge James Green, one of the first Mississippi Delta
Mississippi Delta
The Mississippi Delta is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi that lies between the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers. The region has been called "The Most Southern Place on Earth" because of its unique racial, cultural, and economic history...
planters to send a group of former slaves to Liberia.
The town was destroyed in the Liberian Civil War
Liberian Civil War
The First Liberian Civil War was an internal conflict in Liberia running from 1989 until 1996. The conflict killed over 200,000 people and eventually led to the involvement the Economic Community of West African States and of the United Nations...
but has since been rebuilt around a port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
for the local logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
industry. Before the civil war, the town's main exports were lumber, rubber, and agricultural products.
The Sapo National Park
Sapo National Park
Sapo National Park is a national park in Sinoe County, Liberia. It is the country's largest protected area of rainforestand its only national park,...
lies near the town. Boats sail from Greenville to Monrovia
Monrovia
Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately...
and Harper
Harper, Liberia
Harper, situated on Cape Palmas, is the capital of Maryland County in Liberia. It is a coastal town situated between the Atlantic Ocean and the Hoffman River. Harper is Liberia's 11th largest town, with a population of 17,837....
.
Greenville experiences 185 rainy days per year. The mean temperature of the town's coolest month is 24 degrees Celsius and 27 degrees Celsius for its warmest month.
Greenville has the third largest port in Liberia, the port has two quays (70m and 180m long respectively) on the inner side of the breakwater for berthing facilities, with an existing water depth of 6m below chart datum.