Map of Togo | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

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Background: French Togoland became Togo in 1960. General Gnassingbe EYADEMA installed as military ruler in 1967 is Africa's longest-serving head of state. Despite the facade of multiparty elections that resulted in EYADEMA's victory in 1993 the government continues to be dominated by the military. In addition Togo has come under fire from international organizations for human rights abuses and is plagued by political unrest. Most bilateral and multilateral aid to Togo remains frozen.


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Location: Western Africa bordering the Bight of Benin between Benin and Ghana

Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N 1 10 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 56,785 km²
Land: 54,385 km²
Water: 2,400 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than West Virginia

Land boundaries
Total: 1,647 km
Border countries: (3) Benin 644 km; , Burkina Faso 126 km; , Ghana 877 km

Coastline: 56 km

Maritime claims
Exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Territorial sea: 30 NM

Climate: tropical; hot humid in south; semiarid in north

Terrain: gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern plateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Mont Agou 986 m

Natural resources: phosphates limestone marble arable land

Land use
Arable land: 38%
Permanent crops: 7%
Permanent pastures: 4%
Forests and woodland: 17%
Other: 34% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 70 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: hot dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during winter; periodic droughts

Geography


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Population
Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2001 est.)
Growth rate: 2.6% (2001 est.)
Below poverty line: 32% (1989 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Togolese (singular and plural)
Adjective: Togolese

Ethnic groups: native African (37 tribes; largest and most important are Ewe Mina and Kabre) 99% European and Syrian-Lebanese less than 1%

Languages: French (official and 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)

Religions: indigenous beliefs 59% Christian 29% Muslim 12%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 45.63% (male 1,179,650; female 1,171,748)
15-64 years: 51.92% (male 1,302,197; female 1,373,247)
65 years and over: 2.45% (male 54,651; female 71,595) (2001 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 2.6% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 37.04 births/1000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 11.24 deaths/1000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.15 migrant(s)/1000 population (2001 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation attributable to slash-and-burn agriculture and the use of wood for fuel; water pollution presents health hazards and hinders the fishing industry; air pollution increasing in urban areas
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.01 male/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male/female
Total population: 0.97 male/female (2001 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 70.43 deaths/1000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 54.35 years
Male: 52.38 years
Female: 56.38 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.32 children born/woman (2001 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 5.98% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: 130,000 (1999 est.)
Deaths: 14,000 (1999 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 51.7%
Male: 67%
Female: 37% (1995 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Togolese Republic
Conventional short form: Togo
Local long form: Republique Togolaise
Local short form: none
Former: French Togoland

Government type: republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule

Capital: Lome

Administrative divisions: 5 regions (regions singular - region); De La Kara Des Plateaux Des Savanes Du Centre Maritime

Dependent areas

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

National holiday: Independence Day 27 April (1960)

Constitution: multiparty draft constitution approved by High Council of the Republic 1 July 1992; adopted by public referendum 27 September 1992

Legal system: French-based court system

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: NA years of age; universal adult

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA (since 14 April 1967)
Head of government: Prime Minister Agbeyome KODJO (since 29 August 2000)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and the prime minister
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 21 June 1998 (next to be held NA 2003); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: Gnassingbe EYADEMA reelected president; percent of vote - Gnassingbe EYADEMA 52.13%, Gilchrist OLYMPIO 34.12%, other 13.75%

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 21 March 1999 (next due to be held NA October 2001)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RPT 79, independents 2
Note: Togo's main opposition parties boycotted the election because of EYADEMA's alleged manipulation of 1998 presidential polling; in March of 1999, opposition parties entered into negotiations with the president over the establishment of an independent electoral commission and a new round of legislative elections, now scheduled for October 2001

Judicial branch: Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

Political parties and leaders
Note: Rally of the Togolese People or RPT, led by President EYADEMA, was the only party until the formation of multiple parties was legalized 12 April 1991

International organization participation: ACCT ACP AfDB CCC ECA ECOWAS Entente FAO FZ G-77 IBRD ICAO ICC ICFTU ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Intelsat Interpol IOC ITU MIPONUH NAM OAU OIC OPCW UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WADB WAEMU WCL WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Akoussoulelov BODJONA
In the us chancery: 2,208 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 234-4,212
In the us fax: [1] (202) 232-3,190
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Karl HOFMANN
From the us embassy: Angle Rue Kouenou and Rue 15 Beniglato, Lome
From the us mailing address: B. P. 852, Lome
From the us telephone: [228] 21 29 91 through 21 29 94
From the us fax: [228] 21 79 52

Flag description: five equal horizontal bands of green (top and bottom) alternating with yellow; there is a white five-pointed star on a red square in the upper hoist-side corner; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: This small sub-Saharan economy is heavily dependent on both commercial and subsistence agriculture which provides employment for 65% of the labor force. Some basic foodstuffs must still be imported. Together cocoa coffee and cotton generate some 40% of export earnings with cotton being the most significant cash crop despite falling prices on the world market. In the industrial sector phosphate mining is by far the most important activity. Togo is the world's fourth largest producer and geological advantages keep production costs low. The recently privatized mining operation Office Togolais des Phosphates (OTP) is slowly recovering from a steep fall in prices in the early 1990's but continues to face the challenge of tough foreign competition exacerbated by weakening demand. Togo serves as a regional commercial and trade center. It continues to expand its duty-free export-processing zone (EPZ) launched in 1989 which has attracted enterprises from France Italy Scandinavia the US India and China and created jobs for Togolese nationals. The government's decade-long effort supported by the World Bank and the IMF to implement economic reform measures encourage foreign investment and bring revenues in line with expenditures has stalled. Progress depends on following through on privatization increased openness in government financial operations progress towards legislative elections and possible downsizing of the military on which the regime has depended to stay in place. Lack of foreign aid deterioration of the financial sector energy shortages and depressed commodity prices continue to constrain economic growth; however Togo did realize a 3% gain in GDP in 1999. The takeover of the national power company by a Franco-Canadian consortium in 2000 should ease the energy crisis and if successful legislative elections pave the way for increased aid growth should rise to 5% a year in 2001-02.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 3.4% (2000 est.)

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 42%
Industry: 21%
Services: 37% (1997)

Agriculture products: coffee cocoa cotton yams cassava (tapioca) corn beans rice millet sorghum; livestock; fish

Industries: phosphate mining agricultural processing cement; handicrafts textiles beverages

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 1.74 million (1996)
By occupation agriculture: 65%
By occupation industry: 5%
By occupation services: 30% (1998 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 32% (1989 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $232 million
Expenditures: $252 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.5% (2000 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $336 million (f.o.b. 2000)
Commodities: cotton phosphates coffee cocoa
Partners: Nigeria Brazil Canada Philippines (1999)

Imports: $452 million (f.o.b. 2000)
Commodities: machinery and equipment foodstuffs petroleum products
Partners: Ghana China France Cote d'Ivoire (1999)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $1.5 billion (1999)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 699.21 (January 2001) 711.98 (2000) 615.70 (1999) 589.95 (1998) 583.67 (1997) 511.55 (1996); note - from 1 January 1999 the XOF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF per euro


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 92 million kWh (1999)
By source fossil fuel: 97.83%
By source hydro: 2.17%
By source nuclear: 0%
By source other: 0% (1999)

Electricity consumption: 511.6 million kWh (1999)

Electricity exports: 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity imports
Note: electricity supplied by Ghana (1999)

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular: 2,995 (1997)

Telephone system
General assessment: fair system based on a network of microwave radio relay routes supplemented by open-wire lines and a mobile cellular system
Domestic: microwave radio relay and open-wire lines for conventional system; cellular system has capacity of 10,000 telephones
International: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Symphonie

Broadcast media

Internet country code: .tg

Internet users: 10,000 (2000)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $27 million (FY96)
Percent of gdp: 2% (FY96)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 9 (2000 est.)
With paved runways total: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2 (2000 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 7
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 5
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.)

Airports with paved runways
Total: 2
2438 to 3047 m: 2 (2000 est.)

Airports with unpaved runways
Total: 7
914 to 1523 m: 5
Under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 525 km (1995)
Narrow gauge: 525 km 1.000-m gauge

Roadways

Waterways: 50 km (Mono river)

Merchant marine
Total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,603 GRT/2,800 DWT
Ships by type: specialized tanker 1 (2000 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs