Gbarnga
Gbarnga
Gbanga, Gbanka | |
|---|---|
  Gbarnga Location in Liberia | |
| Coordinates: 7°00′02″N 9°28′30″W / 7.0005477°N 9.4751075°W | |
| Country |  Liberia |
| County | Bong County |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Gallah Varpilah |
| Elevation | 250 m (820 ft) |
| Population (2008) | |
• Total | 34,046 |
| Time zone | UTC±00:00 (GMT) |
| Climate | Am |
Gbarnga is the capital city of Bong County, Liberia, located in the north-central part of the country northeast of Monrovia. It serves as an administrative, commercial, and educational center for Bong County and the surrounding region. Cuttington University, a private Episcopal-affiliated institution, is located near the city.
During the First Liberian Civil War, Gbarnga served as the headquarters of Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia.[1] In the post-war period, the city has remained an important regional center, with development issues including market relocation, urban trading activity, and public infrastructure.
Government and administration
[edit]Gbarnga is administered by the Gbarnga City Corporation. As of 2026, Gallah Varpilah served as mayor of the city.[2]
Demographics
[edit]According to the 2022 Liberia Population and Housing Census, the urban population of Bong County, of which Gbarnga is the capital and largest settlement, was 149,772, comprising 73,466 males and 76,306 females.[3]
The Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS) did not publish a separate city-level figure for Gbarnga in the 2022 thematic reports; at the previous 2008 census, the city itself was enumerated at 34,046, ranking it the fourth-most populous urban area in Liberia.[4] Bong County as a whole recorded 467,561 residents in 2022, making it the third-most populous county in Liberia, with a 2.4 percent annual growth rate since 2008.[3]
Economy and infrastructure
[edit]Although Gbarnga itself is not a mining town, iron ore mining has been an important economic activity elsewhere in Bong County. The Bong Range iron ore reserves were mined by the Bong Mining Company from 1965 to 1990, and China Union Investment later signed a 25-year mineral development agreement in 2009 for exploration and mining in the Bong Range.[5]
Gbarnga functions as a regional commercial center for Bong County. In June 2024, the Gbarnga General Market, formerly known as the Sirleaf Market, was dedicated following a project funded by the Government of Japan and implemented by the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment. The market project, valued at US$951,934.32, included storage spaces, offices, a power house, and toilet facilities, and was intended to support the relocation of the old Gbarnga Central Market from the city center.[6] Later that year, the Gbarnga City Corporation demolished the old market, but the relocation generated opposition from some marketers, who argued that moving away from the old market area and Broad Street reduced customer traffic and sales.[7]
Similar disputes over the demolition of informal stalls and relocation of sellers have occurred in other major Liberian markets, including Red Light Market in Paynesville, where street sellers resisted relocation to Omega Market because of concerns over distance, space, and reduced business.[8][9]
Education
[edit]- Gboveh High School
- St. Martin's Catholic High School
- Williams VS Tubman-Gray united methodist High School
- AB Francis SDA School
- St. Peter Episcopal High School
- Alexandre A. Andrews Academy High School
- Sumo Moye Memorial Institute
- St. Marks Lutheran High School
- St. Paul's Major Catholic Seminary
Climate
[edit]Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as tropical monsoon (Am).[10] Its climate is similar to the capital Monrovia, but less rainy and with cooler night temperatures.
| Climate data for Gbarnga | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 32.1 (89.8) |
33.1 (91.6) |
32.5 (90.5) |
32.3 (90.1) |
31.3 (88.3) |
30.4 (86.7) |
29.1 (84.4) |
28.1 (82.6) |
29.8 (85.6) |
31.1 (88.0) |
31.3 (88.3) |
31.5 (88.7) |
31.1 (87.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 25.1 (77.2) |
25.2 (77.4) |
25.3 (77.5) |
25.7 (78.3) |
25.3 (77.5) |
24.8 (76.6) |
24.1 (75.4) |
23.2 (73.8) |
24.5 (76.1) |
25.5 (77.9) |
25.8 (78.4) |
25.1 (77.2) |
25.0 (76.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 18.1 (64.6) |
17.4 (63.3) |
18.1 (64.6) |
19.1 (66.4) |
19.3 (66.7) |
19.2 (66.6) |
19.2 (66.6) |
18.3 (64.9) |
19.2 (66.6) |
20 (68) |
20.3 (68.5) |
18.7 (65.7) |
18.9 (66.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 20 (0.8) |
61 (2.4) |
150 (5.9) |
179 (7.0) |
194 (7.6) |
216 (8.5) |
221 (8.7) |
204 (8.0) |
384 (15.1) |
236 (9.3) |
110 (4.3) |
38 (1.5) |
2,013 (79.1) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org, altitude: 250m[10] | |||||||||||||
Places of worship
[edit]Notable people
[edit]- Tamba Hali - former professional NFL player
Sister cities
[edit]Gbarnga is twinned with Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States.[11]
References
[edit]- ↑ Stephen Ellis, The Mask of Anarchy
- ↑ Lomax, Selma (1 April 2026). "Liberia: Gbarnga Faces Burial Crisis as Mayor Varpilah Demands New Cemetery Site". FrontPageAfrica. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
- 1 2 Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (June 2024). Thematic Report on Population Size, Distribution and Structure: 2022 Liberia Population and Housing Census (PDF) (Report). Monrovia: LISGIS. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
- ↑ Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (2009). 2008 National Population and Housing Census: Final Results (Report). Monrovia: LISGIS.
- ↑ China Union Investment Liberia Bong Mines Iron Ore Project: Updated ESIA and ESMP for the Mines, Port and Railway (PDF) (Report). Mac-Africa Consultants, Inc. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
- ↑ "US$952K General Market Dedicated in Gbarnga". Liberian Observer. 21 June 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
- ↑ Gborkorquellie, Kongoi (27 November 2024). "Liberia: Marketers Threaten Protest Over Unresolved Relocation Issues in Gbarnga". FrontPageAfrica. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
- ↑ Koinyeneh, Gerald C. (17 September 2021). "Pressure Mounts On Street Sellers at Red Light Market Amid COVID-19". FrontPageAfrica. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
- ↑ Our Staff Writer (12 July 2021). "Finally: Red Light Market Removed With Demolition, Major Road Works To Progress". News Public Trust. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
- 1 2 "Climate: Gbarnga - Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
- ↑ "Baltimore City Mayor's Office of International and Immigrant Affairs - Sister Cities Program". Archived from the original on August 7, 2008. Retrieved 2009-07-18.
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