Togo is a West African country. Located in the Gulf of Guinea, it is a small country that has a total area of 56 785 km2. It extends according to latitude, having a narrow coastal strip of beaches and lagoons. Bathed by the Gulf of Guinea to the south, it borders Ghana to the west, Burkina Faso to the north and Benin to the east. The main cities are Lomé, the capital, with 695 100 residents (2004), Sokodé (86 500 residents) And Kpalimé (78 600 residents). The northern and southern plains are separated by a small mountain range.
It has a humid tropical monsoon climate. Precipitation is reduced inland. The vegetation reflects the distribution of precipitation. The forest covers the coast, progressively passing the savanna inland.
Economy
In the North, there is subsistence agriculture based on millet, sorghum and beans and a peanut crop. In the mountains and in the South, yams, cassava, corn, vegetables and rice are grown. Commercial export crops are coffee, cocoa and cotton, but the drought has led to a decrease in exports and intervention by the World Bank to finance plantation renovation projects. Currently the products that Togo exports are minerals, mainly phosphates, but this market has also been declining due to the recession in Western Europe. Some of the development projects have not been successful, as is the case with the capital’s port, Lomé, which has been increased to transport mineral exports but without access to the sea. Togo’s main trading partners are France and Canada.
Environmental indicator: the value of carbon dioxide emissions, per capita (metric tons, 1999), is 0.3.
Population
The total population in 2006 was 5,548,702 residents. The birth and death rates are, respectively, 37.01% and 9.83%. Average life expectancy is 57.42 years. The value of the Human Development Index (HDI) is 0.501 and the value of the Gender-adjusted Development Index (IDG) is 0.483 (2001). It is estimated that, in 2025, the population will be 7 615 000 residents. Togo is distinguished by the fact that it is a French-speaking country that was a German colony. The main ethnic group is the Ewes (43%); emigrants from Nigeria between the 14th and 16th centuries, are concentrated in the south of the territory. In addition to this ethnic group, there are also Tem-kabre (27%), Gurma (16%) and Kebu-Akposo (4%). Traditional beliefs are followed by 50% of the population, while Catholicism represents 23% and Islamism 15%. The official language is French.
Art and culture
Before independence, the authors of Togo wrote in French, but after the conquest of state sovereignty, novelistic literature and new playwrights emerged. In 1967 the ballet of Togo was founded , which popularizes the traditional dances of the various ethnic groups.
History
The early colony of Togoland included part of present-day Ghana and was German protectorate between 1884 and 1914. The country later became a British and French protectorate, and in 1922 the Society of Nations divided it, leaving the vast eastern region to be administered by France. It was this region that became independent in 1960, constituting today’s Togo. After independence, this country experienced an agitated political path marked by a succession of turmoils that took place in a context of rivalries between the northern and southern regions. Despite this situation, France continued to maintain economic relations with Togo. After the military came to power in 1967, the country was led by General Gnassingbé Eyadéma who suspended the Constitution, dissolved the National Assembly and banned the formation of new political parties. He introduced a new type of regime based on the cult of personality. In 1969 he created a single party considered a fundamental institution of the State. In 1979 a new Constitution was approved, which ensures universal suffrage, and in 1985, for the first time since the 1967 coup d’état, legislative elections were held with a plurality of candidates. For Togo democracy and rights, please check getzipcodes.
Countryaah.com: Offers a full list of airports in the country of Togo, sorted by city location and acronyms.
Abbreviationfinder.org: Provides most commonly used abbreviations and initials containing the country name of Togo. Listed by popularity.
1UpTravel.com – Maps of Togo
Discover the shaded relief and country maps of Togo, a western African country, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Benin and Ghana.
