expedition. Sacagawea was very helpful
to the explorers. She knew which plants
were good to eat. She also knew Native
American languages.
In the spring of 1805 the explorers continued
up the Missouri to its source, in
what is now southwestern Montana.
They then followed another river, the
Lewis and Clark kept journals during their
expedition. In the journals they made
sketches and took notes about everything
that they observed during their journey.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Lewis and Clark Expedition 137
Jefferson, westward into the Rocky
Mountains.
The group was now in the land of
Sacagawea’s people, the Shoshone. As a
child Sacagawea had been kidnapped
and taken away from her home. The
explorers met her brother, who was a
chief. He gave the explorers horses and
a guide to help them cross the
Bitterroot Range of the northern Rocky
Mountains.
The group then left the horses behind
and made the rest of the trip by river in
canoes they built. They finally reached
the Pacific Ocean on November 15,
1805. They had traveled more than
4,100 miles (6,600 kilometers). They
built a stockade called Fort Clatsop a
few miles from the coast, south of what
is now Astoria, Oregon. They spent the
rainy winter there.
Homeward Bound
The return trip began on March 23,
1806. The group crossed the Rocky
Mountains in June. Clark then followed
the Yellowstone River to the Missouri.
Lewis went northeast to explore the
Marias River. There the expedition had
its only fight with Native Americans.
Two members of the Blackfoot tribe
were killed.
The party reunited downriver. The men
left Sacagawea and her family at the
Mandan villages. The explorers reached
Saint Louis on September 23, 1806.
Lewis and Clark brought back diaries
and maps. These provided much information
about the land, plants, animals,
and people of the western territory.
#More to explore
Americas, Exploration and Settlement
of the • Louisiana Purchase • Sacagawea
138 Lewis and Clark Expedition BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Liberia
The oldest republic in Africa is Liberia,
whose name means “land of the free.”
Freed U.S. slaves settled the country in
the 1820s. The capital and largest city is
Monrovia.
Liberia borders Sierra Leone, Guinea,
and Cote d’Ivoire. The Atlantic Ocean
lies to the southwest. Along the coast are
low, sandy plains. Farther inland are hills
and low mountains.
Tropical rain forest covers about one
fifth of Liberia. The country’s rich wildlife
includes monkeys, chimpanzees,
antelope, and rare pygmy hippopotamuses.
Liberia’s many ethnic groups include the
Kpelle, the Bassa, the Grebo, the Gio,
the Kru, and the Mano peoples. People
descended from U.S. slaves form a small
group. The common language is
English, but different groups have their
own languages. Most people practice
traditional African religions, but there
are many Christians and Muslims.
Liberia is a poor country. Most people
grow rice, cassava, and vegetables and
raise livestock for their families. Liberia
also produces natural rubber, coffee,
cocoa, and palm oil. Its natural resources
include iron ore, diamonds, and timber.
African peoples lived in what is now
Liberia when the first European explorers
reached the coast in the 1400s. In the
early 1800s the land was chosen as a
home for freed U.S. slaves. Liberia
became an independent republic in 1847.
In 1980 the military overthrew the government.
In 1989 rebels began a brutal
civil war. The war finally ended in 2003.
..More to explore
Monrovia
Liberian president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf
gives a speech. In 2005 Johnson-Sirleaf was
elected the first woman president in Africa.
Facts About
LIBERIA
Population
(2008 estimate)
3,543,000
Area
37,743 sq mi
(97,754 sq km)
Capital
Monrovia
Form of
government
Transitional
government
Major cities
Monrovia,
Zwedru, Buchanan,
Yekepa,
Harper
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Liberia 139
Liberty, Statue of
Since 1886 the Statue of Liberty has
stood in New York Bay as a symbol of
the United States. The statue has
welcomed millions of people to the
country.
The Monument
The Statue of Liberty stands on Liberty
Island, just off the southern tip of Manhattan
Island, a part of New York City.
The statue is about 151 feet (46 meters)
tall.With its concrete base, it stands 305
feet (93 meters) high. The statue is made
of thin sheets of pounded copper. A steel
framework supports the copper.
The formal name of the statue is Liberty
Enlightening theWorld. Liberty is shown
in the form of a woman wearing a
crown. The light comes from a torch she
holds.
The base displays a poem by Emma
Lazarus entitled The New Colossus. It
reads:
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to
breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming
shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempesttost
to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
History
The statue was a gift from the people of
France. The French sculptor Frederic-
Auguste Bartholdi designed the statue.
Workers in France completed it in 1884.
The statue was then taken apart and
shipped to the United States, where it
was reassembled on its base. The base
was designed in the United States.
The statue became a national
