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

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:

0.9 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.76 male(s)/female

total population:

0.98 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

degree of risk:

very high (2020)

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever

water contact diseases:

schistosomiasis

animal contact diseases:

rabies

respiratory diseases:

meningococcal meningitis

• 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, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

particulate matter emissions:

32.71 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

3 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

3.06 megatons (2020 est.)

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

urban population:

43.4% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization:

3.6% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

degree of risk:

very high (2020)

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever

water contact diseases:

schistosomiasis

animal contact diseases:

rabies

respiratory diseases:

meningococcal meningitis

municipal solid waste generated annually:

1,109,030 tons (2014 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually:

22,181 tons (2012 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

2% (2012 est.)

municipal:

140.7 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial:

6.3 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

agricultural:

76 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

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)

etymology:

Lome comes from "alotime" which in the native Ewe language means "among the alo plants"; alo trees dominated the city's original founding site

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, last in 2019 when the National Assembly unanimously approved a package of amendments, including setting presidential term limits of two 5-year mandates

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 Victoire Tomegah DOGBE (since 28 September 2020)

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 22 February 2020 (next to be held February 2025);
• prime minister appointed by the president

election results:

Faure GNASSINGBE reelected president; percent of vote - Faure GNASSINGBE (UNIR) 72.4%, Agbeyome KODJO (MPDD) 18.4%, Jean-Pierre FABRE (ANC) 4.4%, other 5%

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 20 December 2018 (next to be held in 2023)

election results:

• percent of vote by coalition/party - NA;
• seats by party - UNIR 59, UFC 6, NET 3, MPDD 3, other 2, independent 18;
• composition - men 75, women 16, percent of women 17.6%

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

• Action Committee for Renewal or CAR [Yaovi AGBOYIBO]
• Alliance of Democrats for Integral Development or ADDI [Tchaboure GOGUE]
• Democratic Convention of African Peoples or CDPA [Brigitte ADJAMAGBO-JOHNSON]
• Democratic 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 ATCHADAM]
• Pan-African Patriotic Convergence or CPP [Edem KODJO]
• Patriotic Movement for Democracy and Development or MPDD [Agbeyome KODJO]
• 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

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://embassyoftogousa.com/

chief of mission:

Ambassador Eric W. STROHMAYER (since 11 April 2019)

embassy:

Boulevard Eyadema, B.P. 852, Lome

mailing address:

2300 Lome Place, Washington, DC 20521-2300

telephone:

[228] 2261-5470

FAX:

[228] 2261-5501

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://tg.usembassy.gov/

• 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

agriculture:

65%

industry:

5%

services:

30% (1998 est.)

total:

9.5%

male:

12.3%

female:

7.4% (2017 est.)

lowest 10%:

3.3%

highest 10%:

27.1% (2006)

• 1 state-owned TV station with multiple transmission sites;
• five private TV stations broadcast locally;
• cable TV service is available;
• state-owned radio network with two stations (in Lome and Kara);
• several dozen private radio stations and a few community radio stations;
• transmissions of multiple international broadcasters available (2019)

number of registered air carriers:

1 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 8

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

566,295 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

10.89 million mt-km (2018)

total:

568 km (2014)

narrow gauge:

568 km 1.000-m gauge (2014)

total:

11,734 km (2081)

paved:

1,794 km (2018)

unpaved:

8,157 km (2018)

urban:

1,783 km (2018)

• the FAT's small inventory is a mix of older equipment from a variety of countries, including Brazil, France, Germany, Russia/former Soviet Union, the UK, and the US;
• since 2010, it has received limited amounts of newer--largely secondhand--equipment;
• the Navy has received patrol boats from China, France, South Africa, and the US (2021)

• the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the Niger Delta and Gulf of Guinea remain a very high risk for piracy and armed robbery of ships;
• in 2020, there were 98 reported incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Guinea region;
• although a 24% decrease from the total number of incidents in 2019, it included all three hijackings and 9 of 11 ships fired upon worldwide;
• while boarding and attempted boarding to steal valuables from ships and crews are the most common types of incidents, almost a third of all incidents involve a hijacking and/or kidnapping;
• in 2020, a record 130 crew members were kidnapped in 22 separate incidents in the Gulf of Guinea, representing 95% of kidnappings worldwide;
• approximately 51% of all incidents of piracy and armed robbery are taking place off Nigeria, which is a decrease from the 71% in 2019 and an indication pirates are traveling further to target vessels;
• Nigerian pirates are well armed and very aggressive, operating as far as 200 nm offshore;
• the Maritime Administration of the US Department of Transportation has issued a Maritime Advisory (2021-002 - Gulf of Guinea-Piracy/Armed Robbery/Kidnapping for Ransom) effective 9 January 2021, which states in part, "Piracy, armed robbery, and kidnapping for ransom continue to serve as significant threats to US-flagged vessels transiting or operating in the Gulf of Guinea.”

• 18 years of age for military service;
• 2-year service obligation;
• the military is an all-volunteer force (2021)

• the first Togolese Army unit was created in 1963, while the Air Force was established in 1964;
• the Navy was not established until 1976;
• since its creation, the Togolese military has a history of interfering in the country’s politics with assassinations, coups, influence, and a large military crackdown in 2005 that killed hundreds;
• over the past decade, it has made some efforts to reform and professionalize;
• over the same period, the military has increased its role in UN peacekeeping activities and as of 2021, more than 10% of the Army was deployed on peacekeeping missions;
• Togolese police have also been deployed on peacekeeping operations, and Togo maintains a regional peacekeeping training center for military and police in Lome;
• the Navy and Air Force have increasingly focused on combating piracy and smuggling in the Gulf of Guinea

• 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