Monrovia

• Location: Liberia, USA

Liberia: founded in 1822 by the American Colonization Society (ACS), a charity which helped slaves freed in North America to return to Africa (see Liberia). Laid out on land bought from a local chief by a young Methodist clergyman, Jehudi Ashmun, he called it Christopolis 'City of Christ', but in 1824 the ACS recommended that it should be renamed Monrovia in honour of James Monroe (1758–1831), President of the USA (1817–25). It is the capital of Liberia.

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