Togo

• tropical;
• hot, humid in south;
• semiarid in north

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

agricultural land:

67.4%;

• arable land 45.2%;
• permanent crops 3.8%;
• permanent pasture 18.4%

forest:

4.9%

other:

27.7% (2011 est.)

• 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

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

noun:

Togolese (singular and plural)

adjective:

Togolese

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.99 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.89 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.76 male(s)/female

total population:

0.98 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

degree of risk:

very high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever

respiratory disease:

meningococcal meningitis

water contact disease:

schistosomiasis

animal contact disease:

rabies (2016)

total:

12 years

male:

NA

female:

NA (2011)

conventional long form:

Togolese Republic

conventional short form:

Togo

local long form:

Republique Togolaise

local short form:

none

former:

French Togoland

etymology:

• derived from the Ewe words "to" (water) and "go" (shore) to give the sense of "by the water";
• originally, this designation applied to the town of Togo (now Togoville) on the northern shore of Lake Togo, but the name was eventually extended to the entire nation

name:

Lome

geographic coordinates:

6 07 N, 1 13 E

time difference:

UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

history:

several previous; latest adopted 27 September 1992, effective 14 October 1992

amendments:

• proposed by the president of the republic or supported by at least one-fifth of the National Assembly membership;
• passage requires four-fifths majority vote by the Assembly;
• a referendum is required if approved by only two-thirds majority of the Assembly or if requested by the president;
• constitutional articles on the republican and secular form of government cannot be amended;
• amended 2002, 2007 (2017)

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Togo

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

chief of state:

President Faure GNASSINGBE (since 4 May 2005)

head of government:

Prime Minister Komi KLASSOU (since 5 June 2015)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 5-year term (no term limits);
• election last held on 25 April 2015 (next to be held in 2020);
• prime minister appointed by the president

election results:

Faure GNASSINGBE reelected president; percent of vote - Faure GNASSINGBE (UNIR) 58.8%, Jean-Pierre FABRE (ANC) 35.2%, Tchaboure GOGUE (ADDI) 4%, other 2%

description:

unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (91 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms)

elections:

last held on 25 July 2013 (next to be held in 2018)

election results:

• percent of vote by coalition/party - UNIR 46.7%, CST 28.9%, Rainbow Alliance 10.8%, UFC 7.7%, independent 0.8%, other 5.1%;
• seats by coalition/party - UNIR 62, CST 19, Rainbow Alliance 6, UFC 3, independent 1

highest court(s):

• Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (organized into criminal and administrative chambers, each with a chamber president and advisors);
• Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges including the court president)

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court president appointed by decree of the president of the republic upon the proposal of the Supreme Council of the Magistracy, a 9-member judicial, advisory, and disciplinary body;
• other judge appointments and judge tenure NA;
• Constitutional Court judges appointed by the National Assembly;
• judge tenure NA

subordinate courts:

• Court of Assizes (sessions court);
• Appeal Court;
• tribunals of first instance (divided into civil, commercial, and correctional chambers; Court of State Security; military tribunal

• Action Committee for Renewal or CAR [Yaovi AGBOYIBO]
• Alliance of Democrats for Integral Development or ADDI [Tchaboure GOGUE]
• Combat for Political Change in 2015 or CAP 2015 [Jean-Pierre FABRE]
• Democratic Convention of African Peoples or CDPA [Brigitte ADJAMAGBO-JOHNSON]
• Democrastic Forces for the Republic or FDR [Dodji APEVON]
• National Alliance for Change or ANC [Jean-Pierre FABRE]
• New Togolese Commitment [Gerry TAAMA]
• Pan-African National Party or PNP [Tikpi ATDCHADAM]
• Pan-African Patriotic Convergence or CPP [Edem KODJO]
• Rainbow Alliance (a coalition including CAR and CDPA) [Brigitte ADJAMAGBO-JOHNSON]
• Socialist Pact for Renewal or PSR [Abi TCHESSA]
• The Togolese Party [Nathaniel OLYMPIO]
• Union of Forces for Change or UFC [Gilchrist OLYMPIO]
• Union for the Republic or UNIR [Faure GNASSINGBE]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Frederic Edem HEGBE (since 24 April 2017)

chancery:

2208 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 234-4212

FAX:

[1] (202) 232-3190

chief of mission:

Ambassador David R. GILMOUR (20 December 2015)

embassy:

4332 Blvd. Gnassingbe Eyadema, Cite OUA, Lome

mailing address:

B.P. 852, Lome; 2300 Lome Place, Washington, DC 20521-2300

telephone:

[228] 2261-5470

FAX:

[228] 2261-5501

• 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;
• the five horizontal stripes stand for the five different regions of the country;
• the red square is meant to express the loyalty and patriotism of the people;
• green symbolizes hope, fertility, and agriculture;
• yellow represents mineral wealth and faith that hard work and strength will bring prosperity;
• the star symbolizes life, purity, peace, dignity, and Togo's independence

note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia

name:

"Salut a toi, pays de nos aieux" (Hail to Thee, Land of Our Forefathers)

lyrics/music:

Alex CASIMIR-DOSSEH

note: adopted 1960, restored 1992; this anthem was replaced by another during one-party rule between 1979 and 1992

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

agriculture:

65%

industry:

5%

services:

30% (1998 est.)

lowest 10%:

3.3%

highest 10%:

27.1% (2006)

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 70 telephones per 100 persons with mobile-cellular use predominating

international:

country code - 228; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Symphonie (2016)

• 1 state-owned TV station with multiple transmission sites;
• 5 private TV stations broadcast locally;
• cable TV service is available;
• state-owned radio network with multiple stations;
• several dozen private radio stations and a few community radio stations;
• transmissions of multiple international broadcasters available (2017)

number of registered air carriers:

1; inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 8

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

769,904

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

0 mt-km (2015)

total:

568 km

narrow gauge:

568 km 1.000-m gauge (2014)

country comparison to the world: 112

total:

11,652 km

paved:

2,447 km

unpaved:

9,205 km (2007)

country comparison to the world: 130

• Togolese Armed Forces (Forces Armees Togolaise, FAT): Togolese Army (l'Armee de Terre);
• update State, April 2017, Togolese Navy (Forces Naval Togolaises), Togolese Air Force (Force Aerienne Togolaise, TAF), National Gendarmerie (2017)

• 18 years of age for military service;
• 2-year service obligation;
• currently the military is only an all-volunteer force (2017)

• in 2001, Benin claimed Togo moved boundary monuments - joint commission continues to resurvey the boundary;
• talks continue between Benin and Togo on funding the Adjrala hydroelectric dam on the Mona River