Bong County | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
 Location in Liberia | |
| Coordinates:07°00′00″N09°40′00″W / 7.00000°N 9.66667°W /7.00000; -9.66667 | |
| Country |  Liberia |
| Capital | Gbarnga |
| Districts | 12 |
| Established | 1964 |
| Government | |
| • Superintendent | Hawa Loleyah Norris |
| Area | |
• Total | 8,754 km2 (3,380 sq mi) |
| Population (2022 census) | |
• Total | 467,502 |
| • Density | 53.40/km2 (138.3/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
| ISO 3166 code | LR-BG |
| HDI (2021) | 0.434[1] low ·9th of 15 |
Bong is acounty in the north-central portion of theWest African nation ofLiberia. One of 15 counties that comprise thefirst-level of administrative division in the nation, it has twelvedistricts.Gbarnga serves as the capital. The area of the county measures 8,772 square kilometres (3,387 sq mi).[2] As of the 2022 Census, it had a population of 467,502, making it the third-most populous county in Liberia.[3][2] The county was organized in 1964 and is important for itsmining industry. Bong produces mostlyiron ore, for example at theBong Mine, located inBong Town.
Named after Mount Bong in the southern portion of the county, it is bordered byLofa andGbarpolu counties to the north,Margibi andMontserrado counties to the west,Grand Bassa County to the south, andNimba County to the east. The northeast part of Bong borders the nation ofGuinea. Bong County's flag is purple, signifying the dawn, and orange, signifying the county's newness.[4] The two geological instruments in the white field portion of the flag symbolize Bong County'smining industry.
Bong County is situated in the central part of Liberia. The main paved road that runs fromMonrovia toSanniquellie inNimba County traverses Bong County.
Bong County has twelve districts (2008 population):[2]
The population of Bong from the 1984 Census was 255,813 for the 8,772 square kilometres (3,387 sq mi) county.[2] In July 2005, the population was estimated to be around 804,000.[5] In 2008, the Census placed the figure at 328,919, ranking it third in Liberia afterMontserrado andNimba.[2] The main ethnic groups include theKpelle,Mandingo (who are mostly Muslim), andMano.[6]
1.Cuttington University is a private institution established in the late 19th century by the Episcopal Church of the US as part of its educational mission in Liberia. It is located in Suacoco.
2.United Methodist University (UMU) is a private institution of higher learning in Monrovia. It was established in 1998 and opened in 2000.
3. Bong Technical College.
Bong County is represented in theSenate bySenators. Henrique Tokpa, the formerCuttington University President, and also the former Minister of Internal Affairs, was senator in 2018.[6] Current senator (2023) is Johnny K. Kpehe.
Bong County was created in 1964, along withNimba,Lofa andGrand Gedeh, when theadministrative sub-divisions of Liberia were increased to a total of thirteen. The capital isGbarnga, named after an old farm in the location.[7] Gbarnga was used byCharles Taylor as the base for his rebellion against the Presidency ofSamuel Doe in the early 1990s. Having failed to capture Monrovia, in early 1991, he established an unofficial provisional government (the (National Patriotic Reconstruction Assembly Government, or NPRAG) afterECOMOG forces arrived for peacekeeping and were based in the Liberian capital.[8] NPRAG continued to operate out of Gbarnga until 1994.
After the1980 coup d'état, J. Fulton Dunbar Sr, the Superintendent ofNimba County, reportedly fled to his farm nearPalala in Bong County.[19] He and Bong County Superintendent Yorwatei reportedly subsequently surrendered together.[19] Yorwatei had previously been Private Secretary to PresidentTolbert, who was ousted by the coup and murdered.[11] Yorwatei was a member of theTrue Whig Party and reportedly continued to support Tolbert after he became Superintendent of Bong County.[20] His wife Frances, her mother Louise Rose and her sister Majorie King were also arrested and detained shortly after the coup.[21]
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