Liberia

Liberia is the oldest republic in Africa, founded in 1847 by freed American slaves who returned across the Atlantic to build a new nation. The capital, Monrovia, is the only African capital named after a U.S. president - James Monroe. The settlers modeled their constitution, flag, and government on the United States, creating a surreal cultural echo that persists to this day. The Liberian flag looks almost identical to the American one, just with a single star instead of fifty.

The country's history since then has been turbulent. Tensions between the Americo-Liberian settlers and indigenous groups shaped politics for over a century, and two devastating civil wars between 1989 and 2003 left the country shattered. But Liberia's recovery has been remarkable. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became Africa's first elected female head of state in 2006, and the country survived the 2014 Ebola epidemic that tested its fragile healthcare system to the limit. Today, Monrovia is slowly rebuilding, its beaches are beautiful, and the rainforests of the interior - home to pygmy hippos, forest elephants, and chimpanzees - remain among the most biodiverse in West Africa.