Liberia is divided into fifteen first-level administrative divisions calledcounties, which, in turn, are subdivided into a total of 136 second-level administrative divisions calleddistricts and further subdivided into third-level administrative divisions calledclans.
After its independence in 1847, and over the course of the nineteenth century, Liberia's administrative divisions grew from the original three counties —Montserrado,Grand Bassa, andSinoe — to the addition ofMaryland andGrand Cape Mount, extending along the windward coast between Cape Mount and Cape Palmas.[1] Under PresidentArthur Barclay's administration (1904–1912), a new system was established in response to British and French demands that the Liberian government effectively occupy the territory Liberia had claimed. Three inland provinces were created — Western, Central, and Eastern — and each province was divided into several districts. The administrative districts were further sub-divided into clans. The districts were administered by the newly created office of district commissioner and the clans by the newly created office of paramount chief, all appointed by the president. In 1964, under PresidentWilliam Tubman's 'Unification' policy, the three inland provinces were disestablished, and the inland administrative divisions were reconstituted into four new counties:Grand Gedeh,Nimba,Bong, andLofa, administered by superintendents who were appointed by the president.
In 1984, under PresidentSamuel Doe,Grand Kru andBomi counties were established. In 1985, two more counties were created:Margibi andRivercess. The last two current counties were created under PresidentCharles Taylor:River Gee in 2000 andGbarpolu in 2001.
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The fifteen counties are administered by superintendents, and the districts by commissioners, all appointed by the president. The cabinet office with responsibility for the management of the superintendents, commissioners and chiefs is the Minister of Internal Affairs. The 1985 Constitution calls for the election of variouschiefs at the county and local level. These elections have not taken place since 1985 due to war and financial constraints.[2]
There are 15 counties inLiberia.
| Map # | County | Date Created | Capital | Area (mi2)[3] | Population (2022 Census)[4] | Parent County |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bomi | 1984 | Tubmanburg | 749 sq mi (1,940 km2) | 133,668 | Montserrado County |
| 2 |  Bong | 1964 | Gbarnga | 3,386 sq mi (8,770 km2) | 467,502 | Bong County[a] |
| 3 |  Gbarpolu | 2001 | Bopolu | 3,740 sq mi (9,700 km2) | 95,995 | Lofa County |
| 4 |  Grand Bassa | 1839 | Buchanan | 3,064 sq mi (7,940 km2) | 293,557 | Grand Bassa County[b] |
| 5 |  Grand Cape Mount | 1844 | Robertsport | 1,993 sq mi (5,160 km2) | 178,798 | Grand Cape Mount County[b] |
| 6 |  Grand Gedeh | 1964 | Zwedru | 4,047 sq mi (10,480 km2) | 216,692 | Grand Gedah County[c] |
| 7 |  Grand Kru | 1984 | Barclayville | 1,503 sq mi (3,890 km2) | 109,342 | Maryland County |
| 8 |  Lofa | 1964 | Voinjama | 3,854 sq mi (9,980 km2) | 367,376 | Lofa County[d] |
| 9 |  Margibi | 1985 | Kakata | 1,010 sq mi (2,600 km2) | 304,946 | Montserrado County |
| 10 |  Maryland | 1857 | Harper | 886 sq mi (2,290 km2) | 172,202 | Maryland County[b] |
| 11 |  Montserrado | 1839 | Bensonville | 737 sq mi (1,910 km2) | 1,920,914 | Montserrado County[b] |
| 12 |  Nimba | 1964 | Sanniquellie | 4,459 sq mi (11,550 km2) | 621,841 | Nimba County[a] |
| 13 |  Rivercess | 1985 | River Cess | 2,159 sq mi (5,590 km2) | 90,777 | Grand Bassa County |
| 14 |  River Gee | 2000 | Fish Town | 1,974 sq mi (5,110 km2) | 124,653 | Grand Gedah County |
| 15 |  Sinoe | 1843 | Greenville | 3,913 sq mi (10,130 km2) | 150,358 | Simoe County[b] |
TheClans of Liberia were local political units created by the central government as part of its efforts to extend its authority and influence into the interior of the country.[7]As the tier of administrative government beneath thedistricts ofLiberia, the clan structure only loosely corresponded to historic local political entities. Clans were legally recognized through legislation in 1905 and 1912.[8]In a number of cases the clans, each under a chief, were combined under larger units called chiefdoms and headed by a paramount chief.[7] Clans and chiefdoms were in some cases parts of a limited number of officially-recognized tribes.[7] Under that system, indigenous Africans were regarded as corporate members of their respective groups rather than as individual citizens of Liberia. Clan land was owned communally and could be alienated only with the agreement of the chiefs.[7] Over time, the units of clans and chiefdoms gradually merged into the state. The County Council, affirmed in the Budget Act of 2012, has now replaced informal town hall meetings and includes a broad representation of citizen groups, districts, chiefdoms and clans.[8]