Country List | World Factbook Home
The World Factbook
| Togo |

Introduction | Togo

Background:

French Togoland became Togo in 1960. Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA, installed as military ruler in 1967, continued to rule well into the 21st century. Despite the facade of multiparty elections instituted in the early 1990s, the government continued to be dominated by President EYADEMA, whose Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) party has maintained power almost continually since 1967. Togo has come under fire from international organizations for human rights abuses and is plagued by political unrest. While most bilateral and multilateral aid to Togo remains frozen, the EU initiated a partial resumption of cooperation and development aid to Togo in late 2004 based upon commitments by Togo to expand opportunities for political opposition and liberalize portions of the economy. Upon his death in February 2005, President EYADEMA was succeeded by his son Faure GNASSINGBE. The succession, supported by the military and in contravention of the nation's constitution, was challenged by popular protest and a threat of sanctions from regional leaders. GNASSINGBE succumbed to pressure and agreed to hold elections in late April 2005 which legitimized his succession.

Geography | Togo

Location: | Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Benin and Ghana
Geographic coordinates: | 8 00 N, 1 10 E
Map references: | Africa
Area: | total: 56,785 sq km land: 54,385 sq km water: 2,400 sq km
Area - comparative: | slightly smaller than West Virginia
Land boundaries: | total: 1,647 km border countries: Benin 644 km, Burkina Faso 126 km, Ghana 877 km
Coastline: | 56 km
Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 30 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
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
Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Agou 986 m
Natural resources: | phosphates, limestone, marble, arable land
Land use: | arable land: 44.2% permanent crops: 2.11% other: 53.69% (2005)
Irrigated land: | 70 sq km (1998 est.)
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 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 | Togo

Population: | 5,548,702 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 and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 42.3% (male 1,177,141/female 1,169,321) 15-64 years: 55.1% (male 1,485,621/female 1,570,117) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 59,870/female 86,632) (2006 est.)
Median age: | total: 18.3 years male: 17.8 years female: 18.7 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate: | 2.72% (2006 est.)
Birth rate: | 37.01 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: | 9.83 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 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: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 60.63 deaths/1,000 live births male: 68.17 deaths/1,000 live births female: 52.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 57.42 years male: 55.41 years female: 59.49 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 4.96 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 4.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 110,000 (2003 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 are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005)
Nationality: | noun: Togolese (singular and plural) adjective: Togolese
Ethnic groups: | native African (37 tribes; largest and most important are Ewe, Mina, and Kabre) 99%, European and Syrian-Lebanese less than 1%
Religions: | indigenous beliefs 51%, Christian 29%, Muslim 20%
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)
Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 60.9% male: 75.4% female: 46.9% (2003 est.)

Government | Togo

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: | Lome
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
Legal system: | French-based court system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: | NA years of age; universal adult

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Faure GNASSINGBE (since 6 February 2005); note - Gnassingbe EYADEMA died on 5 February 2005 and was succeeded by his son, Faure GNASSINGBE; popular elections in April 2005 validated the succession
head of government: Prime Minister Edem KODJO (since 8 June 2005)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 24 April 2005 (next to be held NA); 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 27 October 2002 (next to be held NA 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RPT 72, RSDD 3, UDPS 2, Juvento 2, MOCEP 1, independents 1
note: two opposition parties boycotted the election, the Union of the Forces for Change and the Action Committee for Renewal

Judicial branch: | Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Political parties and leaders: | Juvento [Monsilia DJATO]; Movement of the Believers of Peace and Equality or MOCEP [leader NA]; Rally for the Support for Development and Democracy or RSDD [Harry OLYMPIO]; Rally of the Togolese People or RPT [Faure GNASSINGBE]; Union for Democracy and Social Progress or UDPS [Gagou KOKOU]
Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA
International organization participation: | ABEDA, ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CEMAC, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Akoussoulelou BODJONA 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 Gregory ENGLE embassy: Angle Rue Kouenou and Rue 15 Beniglato, Lome mailing address: B. P. 852, Lome telephone: [228] 221 29 91 through 221 29 94 FAX: [228] 221 79 52
Flag description: | 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 | Togo

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 PRGF that could eventually lead to a debt reduction plan.

GDP (purchasing power parity): | $8.948 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): | $2.019 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 2.5% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): | $1,700 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 39.5% industry: 20.4% services: 40.1% (2003 est.)
Labor force: | 1.74 million (1996)
Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture 65%, industry 5%, services 30% (1998 est.)
Unemployment rate: | NA%
Population below poverty line: | 32% (1989 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 5.5% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): | 21.9% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget: | revenues: $251.3 million expenditures: $292.9 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products: | coffee, cocoa, cotton, yams, cassava (tapioca), corn, beans, rice, millet, sorghum; livestock; fish
Industries: | phosphate mining, agricultural processing, cement, handicrafts, textiles, beverages
Industrial production growth rate: | NA%
Electricity - production: | 165.9 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 98.7% hydro: 1.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption: | 654.3 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports: | 500 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by Ghana (2003)
Oil - production: | 0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - consumption: | 8,500 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports: | NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: | NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: | 0 cu m (2003 est.)
Current account balance: | $-223 million (2005 est.)
Exports: | $768 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities: | reexports, cotton, phosphates, coffee, cocoa
Exports - partners: | Burkina Faso 16.3%, Ghana 15%, Benin 9.4%, Mali 7.6%, China 7.4%, India 5.6% (2004)
Imports: | $1.047 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities: | machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products
Imports - partners: | China 25.5%, India 13.3%, France 11.5% (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $331 million (2005 est.)
Debt - external: | $2 billion (2005)
Economic aid - recipient: | ODA, $80 million (2000 est.)
Currency (code): | Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States
Currency code: | XOF
Exchange rates: | Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001)
Fiscal year: | calendar year

Communications | Togo

Telephones - main lines in use: | 60,600 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 220,000 (2003)
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; cellular system has capacity of 10,000 telephones international: country code - 228; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Symphonie
Radio broadcast stations: | AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios: | 940,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: | 3 (plus two repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: | 73,000 (1997)
Internet country code: | .tg
Internet hosts: | 205 (2005)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 3 (2001)
Internet users: | 221,000 (2005)

Transportation | Togo

Airports: | 9 (2005)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2005)
Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 2 (2005)
Railways: | total: 568 km narrow gauge: 568 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)
Roadways: | total: 7,520 km paved: 2,376 km unpaved: 5,144 km (1999)
Waterways: | 50 km (seasonally on Mono River depending on rainfall) (2005)
Merchant marine: | total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,918 GRT/3,852 DWT by type: cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 1 (2005)
Ports and terminals: | Kpeme, Lome

Military | Togo

Military branches: | Togolese Armed Forces (FAT): Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie (2005)
Military service age and obligation: | 18 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military service (2001)
Manpower available for military service: | males age 18-49: 1,148,890 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service: | males age 18-49: 629,933 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $29.98 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 1.6% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues | Togo

Disputes - international: | in 2001 Benin claimed Togo moved boundary monuments - joint commission continues to resurvey the boundary
Illicit drugs: | transit hub for Nigerian heroin and cocaine traffickers; money laundering not a significant problem

This page was last updated on 29 March, 2006