When Liberia declared its independence in 1847, the country contained 11 towns. Caldwell was one of them.
By prevailing European and Asian standards, a country that small was unusual. But it was the typical size of nearby polities. Most polities in the area at the time were composed of non-continuous towns. In other words, they consisted of settlements widely separated by unclaimed forest and mangrove swamp.
Of the various neighboring examples, Liberia at independence most resembled the Kru polity, which consisted of widely dispersed settlements along the coast.
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