Togo

Togolese RepublicRepublique togolaise

republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule

Togo as the 2008 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 133 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, UTC
Position8 00 N, 1 10 E
Area56,785 sq km
LocationWestern Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Benin and Ghana
2008

Every edition of Togo

Populationas each edition published it
5.86 million July 2008 est. · 3.67m in 1990
Population growth% a year
2.717% 2008 est. · 3.61% in 1993
Median ageyears
18.6 years 2008 est. · 17.3 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
58.28 years 2008 est. · 56.46 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
4.85 children per woman 2008 est. · 7.2 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
57.66 deaths per 1,000 live births 2008 est. · 112 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$900 2007 est. · $400 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
2.1% 2007 est. · 0% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

Background

French Togoland became Togo in 1960. Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA, installed as military ruler in 1967, ruled Togo with a heavy hand for almost four decades. Despite the facade of multiparty elections instituted in the early 1990s, the government was largely dominated by President EYADEMA, whose Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) party has maintained power almost continually since 1967 and maintains a majority of seats in today's legislature.

Upon EYADEMA's death in February 2005, the military installed the president's son, Faure GNASSINGBE, and then engineered his formal election two months later. Democratic gains since then allowed Togo to hold its first relatively free and fair legislative elections in October 2007. After years of political unrest and fire from international organizations for human rights abuses, Togo is finally being re-welcomed into the international community.

Geography

Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Benin and Ghana

20 fields

Land useshare of 56,785 sq km

arable land 44.2%permanent crops 2.11%other 53.69% (2005)irrigated 70 sq km (2003)
Area
56,785sq km
land: 54,385 sq kmwater: 2,400 sq kmslightly smaller than West Virginia
Coastline
56km
territorial sea: 30 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Highest point
986m
Mont Agoulowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Land boundaries
1,647km
border countries: Benin 644 km, Burkina Faso 126 km, Ghana 877 km

Location

Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, 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

Natural resources

phosphates, limestone, marble, arable land

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total:
0.17 cu km/yr (53%/2%/45%)
per capita:
28 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards

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

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

Environment - international agreements

party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements

Geography - note

the country's length allows it to stretch through six distinct geographic regions; climate varies from tropical to savanna

People

22 fields

Age structuremale left, female right · (2008 est.)

63,508
65 and over2.7%
96,035
1,588,354
15-6455.6%
1,666,274
1,226,320
0-1441.7%
1,218,182
MaleFemale
Population
5,858,673
growth rate: 2.717% (2008 est.)
Note
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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2008 est.)

Birth
36.66Death
9.48

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2008 est.)58.28
56.2 · 60.43Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)57.66
65.01 · 50.09Literacy (2003 est.)60.9%
75.4% · 46.9%
TotalMale · femaleMedian age years (2008 est.)18.6
18.2 · 19School life expectancy years (2000)9
11 · 7
MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Religions

Christian 29%Muslim 20%indigenous beliefs 51%

Net migration rate

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.66 male(s)/female
total population:
0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.85 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

10,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk:
very high
food or waterborne diseases:
bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases:
malaria and yellow fever
water contact disease:
schistosomiasis
respiratory disease:
meningococcal meningitis

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality

noun:
Togolese (singular and plural)
adjective:
Togolese

Ethnic groups

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)

Education expenditures

2.6% of GDP (2002)

Government

Republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule; President Faure GNASSINGBE (since 4 May 2005); Prime Minister Gilbert HOUNGBO (since 7 September 2008)

18 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

60.2%
Faure GNASSINGBE 60.2%Emmanuel Akitani BOB 38.3%Nicolas LAWSON 1%Harry OLYMPIO 0.5%election last held 24 April 2005 (next to be held by 2010)

National Assembly, 81 seats, elected 14 October 2007one dot, one seat

RPT 50UFC 27CAR 4

Percent of vote

RPT 39.4%UFC 37.0%CAR 8.2%independents 2.5%other 12.9%

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

name:
Lome
geographic coordinates:
6 08 N, 1 13 E
time difference:
UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions

5 regions (regions, singular - region); Centrale, Kara, Maritime, Plateaux, Savanes

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

Suffrage

NA years of age; universal (adult)

Executive branch

chief of state:
  • President Faure GNASSINGBE (since 4 May 2005);
  • note - Gnassingbe EYADEMA died on 5 February 2005 and was succeeded by his son, Faure GNASSINGBE, with the support of the military following international condemnation for the unconstitutional move he then stepped aside pending elections, and Abass BONFOH served as interim president;
  • Faure GNASSINGBE later won popular elections in April 2005
head of government:
Prime Minister Gilbert HOUNGBO (since 7 September 2008)
cabinet:
Council of Ministers appointed by the president and the prime minister
elections:
  • president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits);
  • election last held 24 April 2005 (next to be held by 2010);
  • prime minister appointed by the president
election results:
Faure GNASSINGBE elected president; percent of vote - Faure GNASSINGBE 60.2%, Emmanuel Akitani BOB 38.3%, Nicolas LAWSON 1%, Harry OLYMPIO 0.5%

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly (81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections:
last held on 14 October 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
election results:
percent of vote by party - RPT 39.4%, UFC 37.0%, CAR 8.2%, independents 2.5%, other 12.9%; seats by party - RPT 50, UFC 27, CAR 4

Judicial branch

Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

Political parties and leaders

  • Action Committee for Renewal or CAR [Yawovi AGBOYIBO];
  • Democratic Convention of African Peoples or CDPA;
  • Democratic Party for Renewal or PDR;
  • Juvento [Monsilia DJATO];
  • Movement of the Believers of Peace and Equality or MOCEP;
  • Pan-African Patriotic Convergence or CPP;
  • Rally for the Support for Development and Democracy or RSDD [Harry OLYMPIO];
  • Rally of the Togolese People or RPT [Faure GNASSINGBE];
  • Socialist Pact for Renewal or PSR;
  • Union for Democracy and Social Progress or UDPS [Gagou KOKOU];
  • Union of Forces for a Change or UFC [Gilchrist OLYMPIO]

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Lorempo LANDJERGUE
chancery:
2208 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
[1] (202) 234-4212
FAX:
[1] (202) 232-3190

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Patricia McMahon HAWKINS
embassy:
4332 Blvd. Gnassingbe Eyadema, Cite OUA, Lome
mailing address:
B. P. 852, Lome; 2300 Lome Place, Washington, DC 20512-2300
telephone:
[228] 261-5470
FAX:
[228] 261-5501

Flag description

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

Economy

This small, sub-Saharan economy is heavily dependent on both commercial and subsistence agriculture, which provides employment for 65% of the labor force.

47 fields
GDP, purchasing power parity
$5.042billion
(2007 est.)official exchange rate: $2.497 billion (2007 est.)
GDP per capita, PPP
$900
(2007 est.)
Real growth rate
2.1%
(2007 est.)industrial production growth: 1% (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector(2003 est.)

agriculture 40%industry 25%services 35% (2003 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

China
36.3%
16.8%
Ghana
14.5%
Burkina Faso
Estonia
9.6%
9.2%
Germany
9.1%
Benin
US
7.6%
5.9%
Netherlands
7.3%
France
7%
5.8%
Mali
4.7%
India
Exports $702 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)Imports $1.201 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)(2007)

Budget

Revenues
$466.8 millionExpenditures
$514.7 million (2007 est.)

Electricity

Electricity production
203 million (2006 est.)Electricity consumption
607 million (2006 est.)Electricity imports
505 million (2006 est.)

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. Cocoa, coffee, and cotton generate about 40% of export earnings with cotton being the most important cash crop.

Togo is the world's fourth-largest producer of phosphate. 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 moved slowly. Progress depends on follow through on privatization, increased openness in government financial operations, progress toward legislative elections, and continued support from foreign donors.

Togo is working with donors to write a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) that could eventually lead to a debt reduction plan. Economic growth remains marginal due to declining cotton production, underinvestment in phosphate mining, and strained relations with donors.

Labor force

1.302 million (1998)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture:
65%
industry:
5%
services:
30% (1998 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

24.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate

4.25% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money

$624.9 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money

$383.9 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit

$590.7 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products

  • coffee, cocoa, cotton, yams, cassava (tapioca), corn, beans, rice, millet, sorghum;
  • livestock;
  • fish

Industries

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

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption

17,770 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports

1,547 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports

16,650 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance

-$159 million (2007 est.)

Exports

$702 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities

reexports, cotton, phosphates, coffee, cocoa

Imports

$1.201 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$438 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external

$2 billion (2005)

Currency (code)

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

Exchange rates

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 482.71 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003) note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro

Communications

8 fields
Mobile cellular
1.19 million
(2007)
Fixed lines
82,100
(2006) · country code .tg

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; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 15 telephones per 100 persons
international:
country code - 228; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Symphonie

Radio broadcast stations

AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (1998)

Television broadcast stations

3 (plus 2 repeaters) (1997)

Internet users

320,000 (2006)

Transportation

8 fields

Merchant marine, 10 ships by typeone square, one ship

cargo 9refrigerated cargo 1foreign-owned: 6 (Bangladesh 1, Denmark 1, Egypt 1, Lebanon 1, Syria 2) (2008)

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

2,438 to 3,047 m
2

Airports by runway lengthunpaved only

914 to 1,523 m
4under 914 m
3

Networkskm

Roadways
7,520Railways
568Waterways
50 (2005)
Roadways: paved: 2,376 km · unpaved: 5,144 km (2000) · Railways: narrow gauge: 568 km 1.000-m gauge (2006) · Waterways: (seasonally on Mono River depending on rainfall)

Airports

9 (2007)

Railways

total:
568 km
narrow gauge:
568 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways

total:
7,520 km
paved:
2,376 km
unpaved:
5,144 km (2000)

Waterways

50 km (seasonally on Mono River depending on rainfall) (2005)

Military

Togolese Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Togolese Navy (Marine du Togo), Togolese Air Force (Force Aerienne Togolaise, FAT), National Gendarmerie (2008)

6 fields
Military expenditures
1.6%of GDP
(2005 est.)

Military branches

Togolese Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Togolese Navy (Marine du Togo), Togolese Air Force (Force Aerienne Togolaise, FAT), National Gendarmerie (2008)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for selective compulsory and voluntary military service; 2-year service obligation (2006)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49:
1,365,505
females age 16-49:
1,374,993 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49:
897,195
females age 16-49:
913,327 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male:
69,156
female:
69,200 (2008 est.)

Transnational Issues

3 fields

Disputes - international

  • in 2001, Benin claimed Togo moved boundary monuments - joint commission continues to resurvey the boundary;
  • in 2006 14,000 Togolese refugees remain in Benin and Ghana out of the 40,000 who fled there in 2005

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin):
5,000 (Ghana)
IDPs:
1,500 (2007)

Illicit drugs

transit hub for Nigerian heroin and cocaine traffickers; money laundering not a significant problem

Central Intelligence Agency. “Togo.” The World Factbook 2008. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/togo/2008.

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