Ganta

Ganta Gompa
Queen's Theatre
Ganta Location in Liberia
Coordinates: 7°14′15″N 8°58′53″W / 7.23750°N 8.98139°WCoordinates: 7°14′15″N 8°58′53″W / 7.23750°N 8.98139°W
Country	Liberia
County	Nimba County
Government
• Type	City Council
• Mayor/Mayoress	Hon. D. Dorr Cooper
Population (2008)
• Total	41,106
• Religions	Christian

Ganta, also known as Gompa City, is a town in Nimba County of northern Liberia, lying just south of the Guinea border. It is the second largest city in Liberia, with a population of 41,106 as of 2008.^[1] A bustling market town, it contains a prominent white mosque, noted for its decorated minarets of carved stars.^[2]

Geography

It is connected by highway to Zwedru, some 238 kilometres (148 mi) to the southeast.^[3][4] The Mani River passes through the northern part of the town, marking the border between Liberia and Guinea.

Economy

Ganta is an emerging city with a population of 41,106 as of 2008.^[1] As early as 1983 it was observed by the Foreign Broadcast Information Service that it had the potential to become "one of the most developed and commercial cities in rural Liberia".^[5] As of 2007 there are five banks in Ganta with other financial institutions. The city contains Jackie's Guest House, the Alvino Hotel,^[2] the Beer Garden, Justina Bar and Restaurant etc. In 2004, some 20 acres of land near Ganta were purchased to build a new college, costing $13,500.^[6]

Healthcare

American Methodist missionary and physician George Way Harley began working in Ganta in October 1925, where he established a new hospital, dispensary, church, school, and a number of residences.^[7] He found a leper colony there at the time,^[7] and established a new Mission in Ganta in 1926.^[8] Ganta Hospital serves 450,000 people in Nimba County and surrounding areas. as of 2008 it had 32 beds, with the expectation to grow to 50.^[9] In September 2014 it was reported that two female victims of the Ebola virus in Ganta, Dorris Quoi and Ma Kebeh, had been "resurrected".^[10]

References

1. "2008 Liberia National Population and Housing Census" (PDF). Government of Liberia. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
2. West Africa. Lonely Planet. 2009. p. 469. ISBN 978-1-74104-821-6.
3. Africa South of the Sahara 2004. Europa Publications, Psychology Press. 2003. p. 616. ISBN 978-1-85743-183-4.
4. Google (8 November 2014). "Ganta" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
5. Sub-Saharan Africa Report. Foreign Broadcast Information Service. 1983.
6. Buor, Sei (October 2009). No More War: Rebuilding Liberia Through Faith, Determination and Education. iUniverse. p. 123. ISBN 978-1-4401-5655-7.
7. Powell, William S. (28 October 1988). Dictionary of North Carolina Biography: Vol. 3, H-K. Univ of North Carolina Press. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-8078-6713-6.
8. Seamands, Stephen (8 March 2012). Give Them Christ: Preaching His Incarnation, Crucifixion, Resurrection, Ascension and Return. InterVarsity Press. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-8308-6983-1.
9. Megill, Esther L. (2008). Return to Africa: A Journal. AuthorHouse. p. 112. ISBN 978-1-4343-7528-5.
10. "Liberia Paper:Two Ebola victims have been resurrected, locals fear they are now ghosts". Breitbart.com. 25 September 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2014.