Togo

Full name of country: Togolese Republic

Region: Africa

Official language: French

Population: 8,917,994 (2024 est.)

Nationality: Togolese (singular and plural) (noun), Togolese (adjective)

Land area: 54,385 sq km (20,998 sq miles)

Water area: 2,400 sq km (927 sq miles)

Capital: Lomé

National anthem: "Salut a toi, pays de nos aieux" (Hail to Thee, Land of Our Forefathers), by Alex Casimir-Dosseh

National holiday: Independence Day, April 27(1960)

Population growth: 2.41% (2024 est.)

Time zone: UTC +0

Flag: Togo’s flag has five equal and horizontal stripes of green and yellow (three green and two yellow) with a red square on the upper hoist side emblazoned with a white five-pointed star. The stripes represent the five regions in Togo, the red square stands for the people’s loyalty to the country, and the white star stands for life, purity, peace, and dignity. The yellow in the stripe recalls the country’s mineral wealth and the faith of its people, while green symbolizes hope, fertility, and agriculture.

Motto: “Travail, Liberte, Patrie” (Work, Liberty, Homeland)

Independence: April 27, 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship)

Government type: republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal system: customary law system

The Togolese Republic, commonly known as Togo, is a former French colony on the southern coast of West Africa. It was once a center of the slave trade. In the decades following independence, the country has struggled with political corruption and economic development. Elections held in Togo beginning in 2007 have been praised by international observers, but violence erupted in 2017 over calls for official presidential term limits, amid other reforms.

Note: unless otherwise indicated, statistical data in this article is sourced from the CIA World Factbook, as cited in the bibliography.

People and Culture

Population: Togo's population consists overwhelmingly (about 95 percent) of members of at least thirty-seven regional ethnic groups. Major groups include the Adja-Ewe, Mina, and Kabye (or Kabre) peoples. European and Syrian Lebanese people represent less than 1 percent of the population.

The largest ethnic group is the Adja-Ewe people. They live mainly in the south, where most of the country's population is concentrated. Many Ewe work as civil servants, merchants, and professionals.

The second-largest ethnic group is the Kabye people, who, in contrast to the Ewe, live on the poor land in the northern Kara region and traditionally have served as soldiers and police officers. Kabye youths often leave home for better opportunities in the south.

While French is the country's official language and the language of business, the Ewe and Mina (or Gen) languages are commonly spoken in the southern part of the country, while Kabye and Dagomba (the language of the Dagomba people) predominate in the north. Many Togolese also speak English, as it is taught in secondary schools.

About 36.9 percent of Togolese adhere to Indigenous beliefs, including animism, polytheism, and voodoo. Approximately 42.3 percent of the population is Christian, and 14 percent is Muslim (2020 estimates).

The largest city is Lomé, the capital, on the southern coast, with an estimated population of 1.98 million in 2023. Sokodé is another major city in the south. Kpalimé is the only major city in the northern part of the country.

Togo's HDI value for 2022 is 0.547— which put the country in the Low human development category—positioning it at 163 out of 193 countries and territories.

Education: The adult literacy rate (age fifteen and older) among Togolese was estimated at 66.5 in 2019, higher among men (80 percent) than women (55.1 percent).

Education in Togo is based on the French system. Primary education lasts for six years, and lower secondary education lasts for four years. Students then spend three years completing their upper secondary (lycée) education before going on to university.

The University of Lomé, founded as a branch of the University of Benin in 1970, operates in the capital on the coast, as does the private University of Science and Technology of Togo. The University of Kara, established in 1999, operates in the northern city of Kara.

Health: In 2024, the infant mortality rate in Togo was estimated at 38.4 deaths per 1,000 live births, and life expectancy at birth was estimated at 72.1 years.

The major cause of early childhood deaths is malaria, followed by other causes such as respiratory infections and intestinal parasites. About 40 percent of the nation's health expenditure is spent on malaria. Many of the poorest and least uneducated Togolese do not know that malaria is caused by mosquitoes. Only about 15 percent of children slept under mosquito nets until a United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) program began providing nets treated with repellent.

The UNICEF program in Togo has also treated children from nine months to five years old with pills for intestinal worms, administered polio vaccine and measles vaccine, and provided health education to parents. Such programs have reduced deaths from measles by 94 percent.

Improved drinking water is available to about 74.6 percent of the population, with 93.8 percent coverage in urban areas but only 60.3 percent in rural areas. Improved sanitation facilities are available to only about 45.5 percent of the population—81.9 percent in urban areas and just 18.3 percent in rural areas (2020 estimates).

Food: Having been a colony of Germany and then a trust territory administered by France, Togo provides a variety of European-influenced foods. French food is popular in Togo, and even many of the regional foods such as yams and maize are pounded and formed into pâtés and served with sauces. Some favorites are akume (maize pâté), fufu (pâté made with yams), and kokonte (cassava flour pâté). German beer is also popular.

Roadside stalls sell such items as prawns, omelets, peanuts, corn on the cob, and brochettes (similar to shish kebab). Also, in the major cities there are many kinds of restaurants.

Arts & Entertainment: Togolese literature is considered to have begun with novelist Félix Couchoro. Though he was born in Dahomey (now Benin) and did not move to Togo until at least 1939, Couchoro's literary output, beginning with his novel L'esclave (The slave, 1929), reflects a characteristically Togolese—and, more broadly, West African—point of view.

Since then, numerous novelists, nonfiction writers, and playwrights have flourished in Togo. Kossi Efoui is a prominent Togolese playwright and novelist who self-exiled himself to France in 1992, after the government quashed the student uprising of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Togolese women writers have been scarce, but their number is growing. The first published Togolese woman writer was Pyabèlo Chaold Kouly (or Kouli), whose debut work, Souvenirs de douze années passées en République Fédérale d'Allemagne (Memories of twelve years spent in the German Federal Republic), first appeared in 1975.

Music in Togo is widely varied and usually involves drums. Other percussion instruments, such as bells, gongs, and lithopohones (made from stones), accompany singing fishermen at work and villagers celebrating the millet harvest. Other traditional instruments include flutes and musical bows (played while holding an arrow).

High-life, soukous, and reggae have become popular music forms. Among the most famous Togolese singers is Bella Bellow, who died in 1973. Other Togolese music stars include King Mensah, Nimon Toki Lala, Fifi Rafiatou, and Afia Mala, who are well known throughout West Africa.

Football (soccer) and wrestling are the two main sports in Togo, and the Togolese have formed several football leagues. Also, a number of Togolese play on various European football teams.

Wrestling is so popular that there is a yearly national wrestling festival in Kara. The sport originated as a Kabiye test of manhood, but now wrestlers from all over the country compete in the festival every July. Wrestling is part of the fitness training program for members of the armed forces.

Basketball and handball are played by many, and, as a result of French influence, cycling is also popular.

The many tribes of Togo have retained much of their original culture and rituals, and numerous folk festivals are celebrated throughout the country. At the Festival of Cutlasses in the third month of the Islamic calendar, men dance with swords. And about one month later, at the Dance of Fire, individuals prove their strength by dancing in a fire and swallowing coals.

The Taberma, or "good masons," build unique mud-brick homes with connected towers which resemble miniature European castles. The unique homes are included on the United Nations World Heritage list.

Holidays: Independence Day is April 27. Other holidays include Meditation Day (January 13), Day of Victory (January 24), and Day of the Martyrs (June 21).

Environment and Geography

Topography: Togo is a tiny, narrow country bounded on the west by Ghana, on the north by Burkina Faso, on the east by Benin, and on the south by the Bight of Benin (a bay in the Gulf of Guinea).

The country's north-south length is 579 kilometers (360 miles) At its broadest point, Togo is only 160 kilometers (200 miles) from west to east, with a mere 56 kilometers (34.8 miles) of coastline.

While the country is slightly smaller than West Virginia, the terrain varies widely from north to south. The sandstone Oti Plateau dominates the extreme north of the country, bounded by the Chaine du Togo, a range of hills stretching from the southwest to the northeast. This range is composed of the Togo and Atakora mountains.

South of the mountains lies the clay-soil Mono Tableland, and south of that is a region of fertile clay soil. Finally, a fringe of lagoons and creeks borders the southern coastal plain. The tableland is drained by the 400-kilometer (250-mile) Mono River, which rises near Benin at Sokodé. The lower part of the river forms the border between Togo and Benin.

The country's highest point is Mont Agou, at 986 meters (3,235 feet). Hydroelectric power is supplied by the Nangbeto Dam on the Mono River and by hydroelectric plants on Lake Volta in Ghana.

Natural Resources: Marble, limestone, and phosphates are found throughout the country.

Togo faces a number of ecological and conservation concerns. There are few protected areas, and those that do exist have often been poorly managed. As a result, the animal population has declined. Deforestation has resulted from slash-and-burn agriculture and wood burning for fuel.

Water pollution is a hazard to the health of the people, and coastal pollution has hurt the fishing industry. Air pollution is increasing in cities, while desertification and erosion have reduced the amount of arable land.

In an effort to save its dwindling resources, the Togolese government has signed a number of agreements regarding biodiversity, climate change, desertification, endangered species, the ozone layer, ship pollution, tropical timber and wetlands.

Plants & Animals: Savannah (grassy plains) covers most of the country. In the coastal regions, mangrove swamps are prevalent, and the remains of the country's tropical forest can be found in the southwest. Pineapples grow in the plateau region.

The tropical oak grows in the extreme north, and the mango abounds in the Kara region. Other trees found in Togo, many of them in forest reserves, include mahogany, cashew, wawa, and linen wood.

The rivers are home to crocodiles and hippopotamuses. Various species of snakes and monkeys are also common. Animals found in the north (though some are scarce) include hippos, giraffes, waterbucks, deer, buffalo, bush pigs, warthogs, cheetahs, antelope, hyenas, lions, baboons, and elephants. Among the birds of Togo are storks, marabou, cranes, parrots, kingfishers, the Senegal bird, and the comic bird.

Climate: The climate is tropical, with the south experiencing high humidity and temperatures ranging from 23 to 32 degrees Celsius (75 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit). The semiarid north has a greater temperature range, from 18 to 38 degrees Celsius (65 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit) and even higher.

The country experiences droughts periodically. The hot, dry harmattan wind blows across the north in the winter and reduces visibility.

Economy

Industry: Most Togolese are extremely poor, with an estimated 45.5 percent living beneath the poverty line in 2018. Unemployment was estimated at 2 percent in 2023. Togo's gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated at US$25.75 billion in 2023, or $2,800 per capita.

The primary industry in Togo is phosphate mining. With an estimated sixty million metric tons of phosphate reserves, Togo is one of the world's main producers of phosphate, but production dropped somewhat in the early twenty-first century. Causes of the reduction included the drop in prices on the world market, foreign competition, and the industry's lack of the capital needed to make improvements in the recovery of phosphate deposits.

Other major industries include agricultural processing, cement production, and the manufacture of handicrafts, textiles, and beverages. Substantial amounts of limestone and marble are also mined.

Agriculture: Less than half of the land is arable. On farms with an average size of one to three hectares, the Togolese are able to grow sufficient crops and livestock for the country's domestic needs, plus some for export. Main agricultural products include coffee, cocoa, cotton, yams, cassava, corn, beans, rice, millet and sorghum.

Coffee, cocoa, cotton, and phosphates account for a large portion of the country’s export revenue. In the twenty-first century, cotton surpassed coffee and cocoa as the main cash crop.

Sheep, goats, chickens and cattle are typical livestock on Togolese farms. On the rocky northern plateau, livestock is especially important.

More than twenty-three thousand metric tons of fish are landed yearly by the fishing industry in Togo.

Tourism: Togo's formerly thriving tourist industry was badly damaged by the political disturbances of the 1990s. In an effort to rebuild the tourism industry, Togo joined with Benin and Ghana to develop procedures to increase security for travelers and facilitate movement among the three countries.

Cultural tourism, ecotourism, and traditional tours are available for visitors to Togo. The varied landscape and diversity of flora and fauna are important attractions. The country's many lagoons and waterfalls—the latter including Kpimé, Yikpa, Womé, and Amegapé, all in the vicinity of Kpalimé—are popular with tourists.

There are several forest preserves, from the tiny Fosse aux Lions in Tandjouaré Prefecture, only 1.6 hectares (3.9 acres), to the 195-hectare (481.8-acre) Fazao-Malfacassa in Sotouba-Bassar. The reserves and their surroundings provide beautiful vistas and wildlife.

Lake Togo is the number one tourist site in the country, offering a variety of water sports and some fishing. In nearby Lomé, the Fetish Market is a popular place to buy voodoo souvenirs.

Government

In the eleventh and fourteenth centuries, the Ewe people moved into what is now Togo from the Niger River Valley. Portuguese traders and explorers came to the area in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Because of its location in the middle of an area formerly known as the Slave Coast, Togo became a center for the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

In the ensuing centuries, the area was threatened by tribes in surrounding kingdoms. So when German representative Gustav Nachtigal arrived in the village of Togo (now Togoville) in 1884, he was able to obtain a treaty from Chief Mlapa III, giving Germany control. The country was then called German Togoland.

After Germany's defeat in World War I, France and Great Britain took control of Togoland as a trusteeship. Western Togo, administered by the British, eventually became part of Ghana. Eastern Togo was known as French Togoland. In 1960, Togo became an independent republic.

For several years after independence, politics in Togo were marked by assassinations, exiles, and coups, with each change of government accompanied by a new constitution. Stability came when Gnassingbé Eyadéma, who had taken over in a coup two years earlier, was elected president in a national referendum. He remained in power for more than three decades, until his death on February 5, 2005. He was succeeded by his son, Faure Gnassingbé, who was elected to a third five-year term in 2015. The extended rule of the Gnassingbé family prompted mass protests beginning in 2017, with Togolese protesters calling for presidents to be limited to just two terms in office, as in other West African nations. In 2019, the National Assembly unanimously approved an amendment that limited presidents to two five-year terms.

The Togolese president is elected by popular vote to a term of five years and serves as the head of state. The president appoints the prime minister, who is the head of government, and the cabinet, known as the Council of Ministers. The legislative branch consists of the unicameral National Assembly, whose ninety-one members are directly elected by popular vote. The judicial branch is headed by the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court.

Student protests against the one-party rule were answered with harsh government suppression, which resulted in riots in the early 1990s. As a result, a constitution allowing multiple parties was adopted in 1992. Political parties now include the Action Committee for Renewal (Comité d'action pour le renouveau, or CAR), the Alliance of Democrats for Integral Development (Alliance des démocrates pour le développement intégral, or ADDI), the Democratic Convention of African Peoples (Convention démocratique des peuples africains, or CDPA), the National Alliance for Change (Alliance nationale pour le changement, or ANC), the Pan-African Patriotic Convergence (Convergence patriotique panafricaine, or CPP), and the Union of Forces for Change (Union des forces du changement, or UFC), as well as the ruling party, the Union for the Republic (Union pour la république, or UNIR).

Togo has universal adult suffrage. It consists of thirty political prefectures within five administrative regions.

Interesting Facts

• Some popular Togolese proverbs include "Don't butter the skillet before catching the fish," "The fox that arrives early gobbles up all the hens," and "Absence polishes passion, presence reinforces it."
• Togo received its first Olympic medal in 2008, when Benjamin Boukpeti won bronze in the Men's K1 Kayak Slalom.
• Togo signed the UN treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in 2017.

Bibliography

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