Togo

republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule

Togo as the 1994 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 124 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalLome
LocationWestern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean beween Benin and
1994

Every edition of Togo

Populationas each edition published it
4.26 million July 1994 est. · 3.67m in 1990
Population growth% a year
3.59% 1994 est. · 3.61% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 17.3 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 56.46 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
6.9 children per woman 1994 est. · 7.2 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
88.9 deaths per 1,000 live births 1994 est. · 112 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$800 1993 est. · $400 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
Not in this edition 0% in 1993

Geography

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean beween Benin and | Ghana

22 fields
Land boundaries
1,647km
total · Benin 644 km, Burkina 126 km, Ghana 877 km
Irrigated land
70sq km
(1989 est.)

Location

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean beween Benin and Ghana

Map references

Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

total area

56,790 sq km

land area

54,390 sq km

comparative area

slightly smaller than West Virginia

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

Natural resources

phosphates, limestone, marble

arable land

25%

permanent crops

1%

meadows and pastures

4%

forest and woodland

28%

other

42%

current issues

deforestation attributable to slash-and-burn agriculture and the use of wood for fuel; recent droughts affecting agriculture

natural hazards

hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during winter

international agreements

  • party to - Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber;
  • signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change

People

22 fields
Population
4,255,090
(July 1994 est.)growth rate: 3.59% (1994 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1994 est.)

Birth
47.3Death
11.39Net migration
0

Religions

indigenous beliefs 70%Christian 20%Muslim 10%
Literacy
15and over can read and write
age · (1990 est.)

Infant mortality rate

88.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

total population

56.93 years

male

54.87 years

female

59.06 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate

6.9 children born/woman (1994 est.)

noun

Togolese (singular and plural)

adjective

Togolese

Ethnic divisions

37 tribes; largest and most important are Ewe, Mina, and Kabye, European and Syrian-Lebanese under 1%

Languages

French (official and the language of commerce), Ewe (one of the two major African languages in the south), Mina (one of the two major African languages in the south), Dagomba (one of the two major African languages in the north), Kabye (one of the two major African languages in the north)

total population

43%

male

56%

female

31%

by occupation

agriculture 78%, industry 22%

note

about 88,600 wage earners, evenly divided between public and private sectors; 50% of population of working age (1985)

Government

Republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule

35 fields

conventional long form

Republic of Togo

conventional short form

Togo

local long form

Republique Togolaise

local short form

none

former

French Togo

Type

republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule

Administrative divisions

  • 23 circumscriptions (circonscriptions, singular - circonscription);
  • Amlame (Amou), Aneho (Lacs), Atakpame (Ogou), Badou (Wawa), Bafilo (Assoli), Bassar (Bassari), Dapango (Tone), Kande (Keran), Klouto (Kloto), Pagouda (Binah), Lama-Kara (Kozah), Lome (Golfe), Mango (Oti), Niamtougou (Doufelgou), Notse (Haho), Pagouda, Sotouboua, Tabligbo (Yoto), Tchamba, Nyala, Tchaoudjo, Tsevie (Zio), Vogan (Vo)

note

the 23 units may now be called prefectures (prefectures, singular - prefecture) and reported name changes for individual units are included in parentheses

Independence

27 April 1960 (from UN trusteeship under French administration)

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

Suffrage

universal adult at age NA

chief of state

President Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA (since 14 April 1967); election last held 25 August 1993 (next election to be held NA 1998); all major opposition parties boycotted the election; Gen. EYADEMA won 96.5% of the vote

head of government

Prime Minister Edem KODJO (since April 1994)

cabinet

Council of Ministers; appointed by the president and the prime minister

National Assembly

  • elections last held on 6 and 20 February 1994 (next to be held NA);
  • results - percent of vote by party NA;
  • SEATS - (81 total) RPT and allies (pro government) 38, CAR, UTD (the opposition) 40, still contested as of 3 May 1994

Judicial branch

Court of Appeal (Cour d'Appel), Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

pro-government

Rally of the Togolese People (RPT), President Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA; Coordination des Forces Nouvelles (CFN), Joseph KOFFIGOH

moderate

The Togolese Union for Democracy (UTD), Edem KODJO; The Action Committee for Renewal (CAR), Yao AGBOYIBOR

radical

The Union for Democracy and Solidarity (UDS), Antoine FOLLY; The Pan-African Sociodemocrats Group (GSP), an alliance of three radical

parties:
  • The Democratic Convention of African Peoples (CDPA), Leopold GNININVI;
  • The Party for Democracy and Renewal (PDR), Zarifou AYEVA;
  • The Pan-African Social Party (PSP), Francis AGBAGLI;
  • The Union of Forces for Change (UFC), Gilchrist OLYMPIO (in exile)

note

Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) led by President EYADEMA was the only party until the formation of multiple parties was legalized 12 April 1991

Member of

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEAO (observer), ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

chief of mission

Charge d'Affaires Edem Frederic HEGBE

chancery

2208 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone

(202) 234-4212

chief of mission

Ambassador Harmon E. KIRBY (Ambassador Johnny YOUNG to replace Ambassador KIRBY during the summer of 1994)

embassy

Rue Pelletier Caventou and Rue Vauban, Lome

mailing address

B. P. 852, Lome

telephone

[228] 21-29-91

FAX

[228] 21-79-52

Flag

  • 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

Economy

The economy is heavily dependent on subsistence agriculture, which | accounts for about 33% of GDP and provides employment for 78% of the | labor force.

27 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$800
(1993 est.)
External debt
$1.3billion
(1991)

Overview

The economy is heavily dependent on subsistence agriculture, which accounts for about 33% of GDP and provides employment for 78% of the labor force. Primary agricultural exports are cocoa, coffee, and cotton, which together generate about 30% of total export earnings. Togo is self-sufficient in basic foodstuffs when harvests are normal.

In the industrial sector phosphate mining is by far the most important activity, although it has suffered from the collapse of World phosphate prices and increased foreign competition. Togo serves as a regional commercial and trade center. The government's decade-long IMF and World Bank supported effort to implement economic reform measures to encourage foreign investment and bring revenues in line with expenditures has stalled.

Political unrest, including private and public sector strikes throughout 1992 and 1993, has jeopardized the reform program and has disrupted vital economic activity.

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $3.3 billion (1993 est.)

revenues

$284 million

expenditures

$407 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1991 est.)

Exports

$558 million (f.o.b., 1991)

commodities

phosphates, cotton, cocoa, coffee

partners

EC 40%, Africa 16%, US 1% (1990)

Imports

$636 million (f.o.b., 1991)

commodities

machinery and equipment, consumer goods, food, chemical products

partners

EC 57%, Africa 17%, US 5%, Japan 4% (1990)

capacity

179,000 kW

production

209 million kWh

consumption per capita

60 kWh (1990)

Industries

phosphate mining, agricultural processing, cement, handicrafts, textiles, beverages

Agriculture

  • accounts for 33% of GDP;
  • cash crops - coffee, cocoa, cotton;
  • food crops - yams, cassava, corn, beans, rice, millet, sorghum;
  • livestock production not significant;
  • annual fish catch of 10,000-14,000 tons

Illicit drugs

increasingly used as transit hub by heroin traffickers

recipient

  • US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-90), $142 million;
  • Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-90), $2 billion;
  • OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $35 million;
  • Communist countries (1970-89), $51 million

Currency

1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 592.05 (January 1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992), 282.11 (1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989)

note

the official rate is pegged to the French franc, and beginning 12 January 1994, the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

14 fields

Networkskm

Railroads
570Inland waterways
50
Railroads: , single track

Railroads

570 km 1.000-meter gauge, single track

total

6,462 km

paved

1,762 km

unpaved

unimproved earth 4,700 km

Ports

Lome, Kpeme (phosphate port)

Merchant marine

2 roll-on/roll-off cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 11,118 GRT/20,529 DWT

total

9

usable

9

with permanent-surface runways

2

with runways over 3,659 m

0

with runways 2,440-3,659 m

2

with runways 1,220-2,439 m

0

Telecommunications

  • fair system based on network of radio relay routes supplemented by open wire lines;
  • broadcast stations - 2 AM, no FM, 3 (2 relays) TV;
  • satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 SYMPHONIE

Defense Forces

Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie

4 fields

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 898,448; fit for military service 471,807

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $43 million, about 3% of GDP (1989)

Affiliation

(territory of New Zealand)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Togo.” The World Factbook 1994. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/togo/1994.

How to cite ← 1993 edition 1995 edition →