Robertsport

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Robertsport is a town in western Liberia, about 10 miles (16 km) from the Sierra Leone border. It is named after Joseph Jenkins Roberts, the first president of Liberia.<ref name=eb>"Robertsport", Britannica Online Encyclopedia</ref>

The town lies on Cape Mount peninsula, a spit of land separating the brackish lagoon Lake Piso from the Atlantic Ocean,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Template:Cvt north-west of Monrovia. It serves as the capital of Grand Cape Mount County and is the home of the city corporation.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

History

In the mid-15th century, the Portuguese navigator Pedro de Sintra reached the cape, a 1,000-foot high granite promontory, which he named Cabo do Monte (Cape Mount).<ref name=eb/> Cape Mount was the site of Dutch trading post, which turned out to be very hard to defend. The post never became self-sufficient, and habitually required assistance from the station at Elmina, about 750 miles away by sea.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Théodore Canot, a writer and slave-trader, established a settlement in the area in 1840.<ref name=histdict>Template:Cite book</ref> In 1849 the Liberian government signed a treaty with the Vai people,<ref name=eb/> acquiring the territory of Cape Mount and subsequently founding Robertsport in 1856.<ref name=histdict />

Robertsport used to host the Tubman Center of African Culture, which was built in 1964 to commemorate William V.S. Tubman's sixty-ninth birthday.<ref name=Zetterstrom>Template:Cite journal</ref> The institution was meant to be a world-wide center of research,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and to support and promote African studies.<ref name=Zetterstrom /> The civil war destroyed the structure, and only the ruins remain.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Since the Second Liberian Civil War, the town, still mostly a fishing village, is being developed as a seaside resort for surfing. American visitors coming to the area after 2003 met up with a local, Robert Lomax, whom they taught to surf. Lomax taught others how to surf, including Philip Banini, who became a surfing teacher and owner of a guesthouse for surfers. Template:As of, the Robertsport Surf Club was expected to start owning its own beach property for surfing lessons and fishing trips.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The film “We The Surfers” about the annual African national Surfing titles held in Robertstown and it’s participants including women surfers Faith and Butterfly from Robertstown was showcased at the Ocean Film Festival 2025.

Geography

Robertsport's coast contains five point breaks, including three main points known for surfing: Fisherman's Point, closest to town; Cotton Trees; and Cassava Point.Template:Contradict-inline<ref name=lp>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2009, Liberia's surfer, Alfred Lomax, took a reporter to see what he considered the best surfing spots, "'This here,' he says pointing out to the waves surging down the beach, 'we call this Camp Point. Then, up the beach, is Cutting Point — that’s where they break both ways.'"<ref>Leitch, Luke. "Alfred Lomax: the man who could be Liberia's first professional surfer." The Times (London). May 27, 2009Template:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Nearby towns and villages include Bassa Community (0.6 nm), Kru Town (0.3 nm), Bombotown (0.3 nm) and Gomboja (0.3 nm).Template:Cn

• IMRAY(1884) p0575 LIBERIA, CAPE MOUNT RIVER.jpg

  Map of Robertsport (1884)

• Robertsport.jpg

  Cape Mount Bay

• Church in Robertsport, 2009.jpg

  Mount Zion Baptist Church

• Robertsport Liberia.jpg

  Beach

• Robertsport2.jpg

  Hillside view

• Fanti Town Port, Robertsville.jpg

  Port of Fanti Town

Climate

Robertsport has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am) with a short dry season from January to March and a long, persistent wet season covering the rest of the year. At the peak of the wet season from July to September rainfall is exceedingly heavy, with monthly averages of around Template:Convert. Template:Weather box

Demographics

As of the 2008 census, Robertsport has a population of 3,933. Of this, 1,994 were male and 1,939 female.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Robertsport was founded in 1856 as a settlement for recently arrived African American immigrants. The Vai are the dominant indigenous ethnic group, but other groups are present as well, notably the Gola, Mende, Mandingo, Fante, Klao [Kru], and Bassa.

Economy

Liberia is a war torn country. Despite looting, the town has remained structurally intact. The town's architecture includes now-decrepit, plantation-style houses reminiscent of the Southern United States - a historical influence on Liberia - which line wide avenues that lean against the hills on the town's edge.<ref name=lp/>

Robertsport residents are mainly rice farmers and fishermen,<ref name=eb/> with 30% of the population engaging in fishing.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Notable residents

• Johann Büttikofer (1850-1927), Swiss zoologist
• Florence Chenoweth (1945-2023), politician and agriculture and food security specialist
• Amymusu Jones (c. 1948-2018), jurist and magistrate
• Varney Sherman (born 1953), politician
• Victoria Tolbert (1916–1997), Former First Lady of Liberia<ref name="diction">Template:Cite book</ref>