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

mean elevation:

236 m

elevation extremes:

0 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean; 986 highest point: Mont Agou

• deforestation attributable to slash-and-burn agriculture and the use of wood for fuel;
• very little rain forest still present and what remains is highly degraded;
• desertification;
• 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, Hazardous Wastes, 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

0-14 years:

40.13% (male 1,646,438 /female 1,634,609)

15-24 years:

19.1% (male 779,774 /female 782,192)

25-54 years:

32.96% (male 1,339,150 /female 1,356,020)

55-64 years:

4.34% (male 167,575 /female 187,432)

65 years and over:

3.46% (male 122,175 /female 161,084) (2018 est.)

total dependency ratio:

81.2 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio:

76.2 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio:

5.1 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio:

19.8 (2015 est.)

at birth:

1.02 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

0-14 years:

1.01 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

15-24 years:

1 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

25-54 years:

0.99 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

55-64 years:

0.89 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

65 years and over:

0.76 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

total population:

0.98 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

degree of risk:

very high (2016)

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever (2016)

vectorborne diseases:

malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever (2016)

water contact diseases:

schistosomiasis (2016)

animal contact diseases:

rabies (2016)

respiratory diseases:

meningococcal meningitis (2016)

total:

12 years (2011)

male:

NA (2011)

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" (river) and "godo" (on the other side) to give the sense of "on the other side of the river";
• originally, this designation applied to the town of Togodo (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 (2017)

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;
• note - a September 2017 Assembly vote on a package of amendments including presidential term limits failed the four-fifths majority vote required for passage but met the two-thirds majority vote required for holding a referendeum (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

highest courts:

• 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 judicial 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

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 closed, party-list proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms)

elections:

last held on 25 July 2013 (next originally scheduled in July 2018, rescheduled for 20 December 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

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, while 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%:

27.1% (2006)

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 (2016)

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 (2016)

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 2 stations (in Lome and Kara);
• several dozen private radio stations and a few community radio stations;
• transmissions of multiple international broadcasters available (2018)

number of registered air carriers:

1 (2015)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 8 (2015)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

769,904 (2015)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

0 mt-km (2015)

total:

568 km (2014)

narrow gauge:

568 km 1.000-m gauge (2014)

total:

11,652 km (2007)

paved:

2,447 km (2007)

unpaved:

9,205 km (2007)

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