Togo is a country in Africa: it’s located in West Africa on the Gulf of Guinea. After gaining sovereignty from France, Togo, with its population of almost 7 million people, became an independent state in 1960. Three countries share land borders with Togo – Ghana, Benin, and Burkina Faso. Unfortunately, Togo has been the target of criticism over its political governance and its human rights record for many years. Because of this, it’s been very difficult for Togo to create a stable and balanced economy.
Information on Togo
In recent years, there’s been a rise in poaching across the continent, with well-armed criminal gangs killing rhino for their horns and elephants for their tusks: these valuable products are then shipped to Asia where they’re used (supposedly) in medicine and in ornaments.
Togo is a poor country and dependent on foreign aid; however, it’s also one of the top five producers of phosphates in the world: these phosphates are used in fertilizers.
Togo is renowned for its hilltop villages and palm-lined beaches. Koutammakou is a traditional settlement, inhabited by the Batammariba people: this settlement consists of fortress-like clay huts which date right back to the 17th century.
In north-eastern Togo the land of the Batammariba known as Koutammakou has been officially granted world Heritage listing.
Togo is officially known as the Togolese Republic, and the people of Togo are known as Togolese.
The Capital City of Togo
The capital city of Togo is Lome, with a population of 750,000 people. Besides being the political center of Togo, Lome is home to its Executive Head of State.
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A Short History
This country in Western Africa known as Togo has very little official history prior to the late 15th century. In the pre-colonial era, tribes settled along the coast. The Portuguese had arrived by the 15th century and built forts in neighboring countries of Benin and Ghana. The region of Togo was overlooked because there was a lack of natural harbors. Then the slave trade began in Africa in the 16th century, and for the next 200 years, this region became a major trading center for Europeans searching for slaves. And still to this day there remains the terrible stigma of Togo being referred to as The Slave Coast.
Togo became a German colony known as Togoland in 1905, but the British and French took over the administration of this land after defeating Germany during World War I. In 1959 Togo achieved autonomy as a Republic within the French union, and it was only one year later that French Togoland became independent from France. A successful military coup in 1967 meant that Gnassingbe Eyadema became President, and he continued to rule well into the 21st century. In fact, following his death in 2005, Eyadema became famous because he had served his people as President for 38 years – the longest serving leader in modern Africa’s history.
