First Outside Contacts

Earliest Outside Contacts

Hanno the Navigator, a Carthaginian explorer, and his sailors were probably the first white men to arrive in Liberia in the year 520 B.C. Along the coast near Cape Mount, Hanno encountered the Gola people. There were some initial attempts at trade, but the relationship did not develop into anything long-term.[1]

Map of Hanno the Navigator's Expedition:

Map of Hanno the Navigator's Expedition
Source: By Bourrichon - travail personnel (own work) + File:Africa topography map.png (relief bitmap embedded in the svg) + File:Periplo de Hannón.jpg (data), CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6634807


Cape Mount, Liberia, where Hanno the Navigator may have landed:

Photo of Grand Cape Mount, Liberia, where Hanno the Navigator may have landed
Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/280138039291719812/

Earliest European Contacts

While the Portuguese are often considered to have had the earliest significant contact with the area that is now Liberia in the fifteenth century [2], there were other, more minor, contacts prior to that:

"About 1364 the Normans settled (temporarily) at a few places on the coast of Liberia and started trading with the coastal tribes from whom they bought ivory, pepper, gold and camwood. The Portuguese also frequented the Liberian coast as from (sic) this period and soon even controlled the trade." [3]

The Portuguese began staking their claim in North Africa and worked their way south:

"In 1415, the Portuguese captured the city of Ceuta from the Arabs on the coast of modern Morocco. The Portuguese advanced along the western, southern, and eastern coasts of Africa, including the coastal areas of pre-Liberia. By 1460, Portuguese geographers had mapped the coastal area between Senegal and Sherbro. Portugal's king, Alfonso V, established a monopoly over the Grain Coast trade of pre-Liberia in 1460, as clarified in the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas signed by Portugal and Spain." [4]

The lasting influence of the Portuguese is still evident in the names of some of the rivers, regions, and mountains of Liberia. However, their corner on the market would not last for long. Soon other European countries were vying for piece of the pie as well. France, England, Denmark, and the Netherlands all had an interest in pursuing trade in new markets. 

One major product gained in the area was the Malagueta pepper. Hence, the area became known as the "Malagueta Coast," the "Pepper Coast," and the "Grain Coast," as it was called the "Grain of Paradise" by the English and the Dutch.[5] In addition to the peppers, the presence of gold on the Gold Coast was, of course, too enticing to pass up.[6]


Photo of Malagueta peppers (Capsicum frutescens)
Source: https://worldcrops.org/crops/malagueta-pepper

Non-European Contacts

The substantial Muslim presence in Liberia comes primarily from the spread of Islam from Morocco in the tenth century. Several of the tribes, including the Mandingo, joined their king in embracing the new religion. [7] 

Later, there was an influx of Lebanese to Liberia, and today they make up a significant minority of the population.

Asian interest in Liberia has also become a significant factor in its more recent history, with China becoming a major player in Liberia's economy. 

[1] Dr. Fred P.M. Van der Kraaij, "The Grain Coast, Malaguetta Coast or Pepper Coast before 1822," Liberia Past and Present, accessed August 4, 2016, http://www.liberiapastandpresent.org/Peppercoastbefore1822.htm.
[2] Amos J. Beyan, "Transatlantic Trade and the Coastal Area of Pre-Liberia," The Historian 57, No. 4 (Summer 1995) :757, accessed August 4, 2016, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24449267.
[3]  Dr. Fred P.M. Van der Kraaij, "The Grain Coast, Malaguetta Coast or Pepper Coast before 1822," Liberia Past and Present, accessed August 4, 2016, http://www.liberiapastandpresent.org/Peppercoastbefore1822.htm.
[4] Amos J. Beyan, "Transatlantic Trade and the Coastal Area of Pre-Liberia," The Historian 57, No. 4 (Summer 1995) :760, accessed August 4, 2016, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24449267.
[5]  Dr. Fred P.M. Van der Kraaij, "The Grain Coast, Malaguetta Coast or Pepper Coast before 1822," Liberia Past and Present, accessed August 4, 2016, http://www.liberiapastandpresent.org/Peppercoastbefore1822.htm.
[6] Amos J. Beyan, "Transatlantic Trade and the Coastal Area of Pre-Liberia," The Historian 57, No. 4 (Summer 1995) :760, accessed August 4, 2016, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24449267.
 [7] http://www.muslimpopulation.com/africa/Liberia/Liberian%20Muslims%20and%20the%20African%20Napoleon.php