Togo

Republic of TogoRepublique Togolaise

republic under transition to multipartyIndependence 27 April 1960 (from French-administered UN

Togo as the 1996 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 87 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

Position8 00 N, 1 10 E

Area56,790 sq km

LocationWestern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,

Populationas each edition published it

4.57 million July 1996 est. · 3.67m in 1990

Population growth% a year

3.56% 1996 est. · 3.61% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 17.3 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

57.87 years 1996 est. · 56.46 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

6.75 children per woman 1996 est. · 7.2 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

84.3 deaths per 1,000 live births 1996 est. · 112 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$900 1995 est. · $400 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

6% 1995 est. · 0% in 1993

Geography

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

14 fields

Land useshare of 56,790 sq km

arable land 25%permanent crops 1%meadows and pastures 4%forest and woodland 28%other 42%irrigated 70 sq km (1989 est.)

Area

56,790sq km

land area: 54,390 sq kmcomparative area: slightly smaller than West Virginia

Coastline

56km

exclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 30 nm

Land boundaries

1,647km

border countries: Benin 644 km, Burkina Faso 126 km, Ghana 877 km

Location

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

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

lowest point:: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point:: Pic Baumann 986 m

Environment

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; periodic droughts
international agreements:: party to - Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83;
signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Tropical Timber 94

People

15 fields

Population

4,570,530

(July 1996 est.)growth rate: 3.56% (1996 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1996 est.)

Birth

46.23Death

10.66Net migration

Male · female(1996 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years57.87

55.7 · 60.1

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy51.7%

67% · 37%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)

Religions

indigenous beliefs 70%Christian 20%Muslim 10%

Age structure

0-14 years:: 49% (male 1,116,030; female 1,105,957)
15-64 years:: 49% (male 1,085,774; female 1,163,374)
65 years and over:: 2% (male 46,089; female 53,306) (July 1996 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.86 male(s)/female
all ages:: 0.97 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate

84.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Nationality

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

Ethnic divisions

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), Dagomba and Kabye (sometimes spelled Kabiye; the two major African languages in the north)

Government

Republic under transition to multiparty; President Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA (since 14 April 1967) reelected for a five-year term by universal suffrage; Prime Minister Edem KODJO (since April 1994) appointed by the president

22 fields

Legislature, 81 seatsone dot, one seat

CAR 36RPT 35UTD 7UJD 2CFN 1

Name of country

conventional long form:: Republic of Togo
conventional short form:: Togo
local long form:: Republique Togolaise
local short form:: none
former:: French Togo

Data code

Type of government

republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule

Capital

Lome

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 (singular - prefecture) and reported name changes for individual units are included in parentheses

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

Suffrage

NA years of age; universal adult

Executive branch

chief of state:: President Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA (since 14 April 1967) reelected for a five-year term by universal suffrage; election last held 25 August 1993 (next 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) appointed by the president
cabinet:: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and the prime minister

Legislative branch

unicameral

National Assembly

elections last held 6 and 20 February 1994 (next to be held NA);
results - percent of vote by party NA;
seats - (81 total) CAR 36, RPT 35, UTD 7, UJD 2, CFN 1

note: the Supreme Court ordered new elections for three seats of the Action Committee for Renewal (CAR) and the Togolese Union for Democracy (UTD),

lowering their total to 34 and six seats, respectively; the remaining three seats have not been filled

Judicial branch

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

Political parties and leaders

Rally of the Togolese People (RPT), President Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA; Coordination des Forces Nouvelles (CFN), Joseph KOFFIGOH; Togolese Union for Democracy (UTD), Edem KODJO; Action Committee for Renewal (CAR), Yao AGBOYIBOR; Union for Democracy and Solidarity (UDS), Antoine FOLLY; Pan-African

Sociodemocrats Group (GSP), an alliance of three radical parties

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

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

International organization participation

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MINURSO, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIH, UPU, WADB, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Kossivi OSSEYI
chancery:: 2208 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:: [1] (202) 234-4212

FAX

[1] (202) 232-3190

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:: Ambassador Johnny YOUNG
embassy:: Rue Pelletier Caventou and Rue Vauban, Lome
mailing address:: B. P. 852, Lome
telephone:: [228] 21 77 17, 21 29 91 through 21 29 94

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

This small sub-Saharan economy is heavily | dependent on subsistence agriculture, which provides employment for | more than 60% of the labor force.

21 fields

GDP per capita, PPP

$900

(1995 est.)

Real growth rate

(1995 est.)industrial production growth: NA%

Inflation, consumer prices

8.8%

(1995 est.)

Labor force

1.538million

(1993 est.)by occupation: agriculture 64%, industry 9%, services 21%. unemployed 6% (1981 est.)

GDP composition by sector(1993 est.)

agriculture 49.2%industry 17.7%services 33.1% (1993 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$165 millionExpenditures

$274 million (1995 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

Installed generating capacity, 34,000 kW

Electricity production

41.004 millionElectricity consumption per capita

9 (1990)

Economic overview

This small sub-Saharan economy is heavily dependent on subsistence agriculture, which provides employment for more than 60% of the labor force. Cocoa, coffee, and cotton together generate about 30% of 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 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.

Political unrest, including private and public sector strikes throughout 1992 and 1993, has jeopardized the reform program, shrunk the tax base, and disrupted vital economic activity. Although strikes had ended in 1994, political unrest and lack of funds prevented the government from taking advantage of the 50% currency devaluation of 12 January 1994.

Resumption of World Bank and IMF flows will depend on implementation of several controversial moves toward privatization and on downsizing the military, on which the regime depends to stay in power.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $4.1 billion (1995 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Industries

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

Agriculture

coffee, cocoa, cotton, yams, cassava (tapioca), corn, beans, rice, millet, sorghum;
meat;
annual fish catch of 10,000-14,000 tons

Illicit drugs

increasingly used as transit hub by heroin traffickers

Exports

$162.2 (f.o.b., 1994)

commodities:: phosphates, cotton, cocoa, coffee
partners:: EC 40%, Africa 16%, US 1% (1990)

Imports

$212 million (c.i.f., 1994)

commodities:: machinery and equipment, consumer goods, food, chemical products
partners:: EC 57%, Africa 17%, US 5%, Japan 4% (1990)

External debt

$1.3 billion (1991)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $NA

Currency

1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates

CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 500.56 (January 1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992), 282.11 (1991) note: 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