Togo

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Togo's Information


Capital	Lome
Languages	French (official, the language of commerce), Ewe and Mina (the two major African languages in the south), Kabye (sometimes spelled Kabiye) and Dagomba (the two major African languages in the north)
Ethnic Groups	African (37 tribes; largest and most important are Ewe, Mina, and Kabre) 99%, European and Syrian-Lebanese less than 1%
Religion	Christian 29%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 51%
Government	Presidential republic
Independance	27 April 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship)
Area	56,785.00 km²
Water Area	2,400.00 km²
Land Area	54,385.00 km²
Population	7,756,937.00
Location	Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Benin and Ghana
No. Bordering Countries	3
Bordering Countries	Benin 651 km, Burkina Faso 131 km, Ghana 1,098 km
GDP(PPP)	$11,610,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$1,500.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are India, Burkina Faso, and China.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are reexports, cotton, phosphates, coffee, and cocoa.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are China, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include machinery, foodstuffs, and petroleum products.
Climate	Tropical; moderated by trade winds (April to November)
Terrain	Gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern plateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes

Where is Togo?

Located in Western Africa, Togo has a 1,880.00 km border with Benin (651 km), Burkina Faso (131 km) and Ghana (1,098 km). It has a 56.00 km coastline. In 2001, Benin claimed Togo moved boundary monuments, and talks about the matter continue.

The capital of Togo is Lomé, which is located along the Atlantic coast in an area referred to as the Gulf of Guinea. This city also shares a border with the city of Aflao in Ghana. Lomé has been the administrative capital of Togo since 1897, when it was designated as the capital of the then German-controlled Togoland. The population of Lomé is estimated at around 837,437, although the entire metropolitan area has a population size of 1,477,660. This size makes Lomé the largest city in the country. Many of these individuals work in the oil refinery, coffee, and cocoa industries that the economy here relies on. Lomé is home to the only international airport in Togo, so any visitors coming to this country must first pass through this city. Some interesting attractions include the Grand Market, Voodoo Market, and the Togo National Museum.

Geography

Togo has a mean elevation of 236 m above sea level.

It has a tropical climate that is moderated by trade winds. The terrain consists of gently roling savanna in the north, with low marshland elsewhere.

Population

Togo has a population of 7,756,937 making it the 99th largest in the world.

French is the official language, and Ewe and Mina are commonly spoken. The majority of the population identifies their ethnicity as African. The majority of the country has Christian, Muslim, or indigenous beliefs.

The official language of Togo is French, which belongs to the Indo-European language family. This language is left over from the colonial era and continues to be the primary language used by government administration. Of the 2.643 million individuals who speak French, the vast majority report it as a second language rather than their native tongue. Two indigenous languages have been given national recognition:Kabiyé and Ewé. Both of these belong to the Niger-Congo language family, however each is classified under a different subgroup. Kabiyé is more widely used than Ewé, with 975,000 speakers concentrated in the northern regions of the country. Because Togo is considered a multilingual country, traveling here and successfully communicating with the local population may be difficult. For this reason, learning some basic phrases in French is recommended. In addition to the official and national languages of Togo, other minority, indigenous languages are also used throughout the country. Some of these include: Lukpa, Adele, Ditammari, Fula, Mina, and Kotokoli.

Government

Togo is an independent country. it gained independence from French-administered United Nations trusteeship in 1960. Its constitution was last ratified in 1992.

The government of Togo is considered a presidential republic, which means the citizens of the country are actively involved in choosing their political representation. The President of this country acts as both the Head of Government and the Head of State, sharing legislative powers with the National Assembly. The National Assembly is a unicameral body administered by 91 representatives and lead by the Prime Minister, who is appointed by the President. The President is elected to serve a 5-year term based on plurality voting. Members of the National Assembly, however, are elected by a closed list system in which citizens can only vote for the political party, rather than the candidate. These members serve 30 constituencies which have between 2 and 10 representatives depending on population size. The judicial branch is considered independent of the executive and legislative branches. All federal government activity takes place in Lomé, the capital of the country and home to the congressional palace and the presidential residence. The Union for the Republic political party holds majority power.

Economy

Factoring in Purchasing Power Parity, Togo's GDP is $11,610,000,000.00 (USD) with $1,500.00 (USD) per capita. This makes it the 153rd largest economy and its citizens the 209th richest in the world. The currency of Togo is the Franc (XOF).

Its major export partners are India, Burkina Faso, and China. Its main exports are reexports, cotton, phosphates, coffee, and cocoa. Its major import partners are China, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Its major imports include machinery, foodstuffs, and petroleum products.

Flag

The current flag of Togo was adopted on April 28, 1960, the day after this country gained its independence from France. Its design is said to look like that of the flag of Libya. The flag of Togo has 5 horizontal and stripes of equal width. The top stripe is green, resulting in 3 green stripes and 2 yellow stripes. A red square with a white, 5-pointed star at its center is located in the top left corner of the flag. Although the colors of this flag are the same as the pan-African movement, each color has a different meaning to Togo. The golden yellow and green colors are said to symbolize the labor and produce of the agricultural workers in this country. The red represents love, but according to some accounts, it also stands for the blood shed during the war for independence. The white star stands for purity and hope for the future.