Togo

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Togo

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name République Togolaise/Togolese Republic Area 56,800 sq km/21,930 sq mi Capital Lomé Language French (official), Ewe, Kabre, Gurma, other local languages Religion animist about 50%, Catholic and Protestant 35%, Muslim 15% Time difference GMT +/-0 Major holidays 1, 13, 24 January, 24, 27 April, 1 May, 15 August, 1 November, 25 December; variable: Ascension Thursday, Eid-ul-Adha, end of Ramadan


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Sokodé, Palimé, Kara, Atakpamé, Bassar, Tsévié Physical features two savannah plains, divided by range of hills northeast–southwest; coastal lagoons and marsh; Mono Tableland, Oti Plateau, Oti River Airports two international airports, four domestic airports, and several smaller airfields; total passengers carried: 46,000 (2003 est) Railways total length: 525 km/326 mi; total passenger journeys: 4,400 (2000) Roads total road network: 7,520 km/4,673 mi, of which 31.6% paved (1999 est); passenger cars: 24.9 per 1,000 people (1998)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state Fauré Gnassingbé Eyadéma from 2005 Head of government Yawovi Agboyibo from 2006 Political system emergent democracy Political executive limited presidency Administrative divisions five regions Political parties Rally of the Togolese People (RPT), nationalist, centrist; Action Committee for Renewal (CAR), left of centre; Togolese Union for Democracy (UTD), left of centre Death penalty retains the death penalty for ordinary crimes, but can be considered abolitionist in practice Armed forces 8,600; plus paramilitary forces of 750 (2006 est) Conscription military service is by selective conscription for two years Defence spend (% GDP) 1.5 (2005 est) Education spend (% GDP) 2.6 (2003 est) Health spend (% GDP) 1.4 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency franc CFA GDP (US$) 2.2 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 4.2 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 2.2 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 1,550 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 3% (2006 est) Labour force 66% agriculture, 12% industry, 22% services (2003) Foreign debt (US$) 1.6 billion (2004 est) Major trading partners Burkina Faso, China, Ghana, India, Benin, France, Mali, UK Resources phosphates, limestone, marble, deposits of iron ore, manganese, chromite, peat; exploration for petroleum and uranium was under way in the early 1990s Industries processing of phosphates, steel rolling, cement, textiles, processing of agricultural products, beer, soft drinks Exports re-exports, phosphates (mainly calcium phosphates), ginned cotton, green coffee, cocoa beans. Principal market: Burkina Faso 15.9% (2005) Imports petroleum products, machinery and transport equipment, cotton yarn and fabrics, cigarettes, antibiotics, food (especially cereals), live animals, chemicals, beverages. Principal source: China 27.7% (2005) Arable land 44.2% (2006 est) Agricultural products cotton, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, yams, cassava, maize, millet, sorghum


POPULATION

Population 6,306,100 (2006 est) Population growth rate 2.5% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 111 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 36 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 43%, 15–59 52%, 60+ 5% (2005 est) Ethnic groups predominantly of Sudanese Hamitic origin in the north, and black African in the south; they are distributed among 37 different ethnic groups. There are three main ethnic groups: the Ewe, Mina, and Outchi in the south, the Akposso-Adele in the central region, and the Kabre in the north. There are also European, Syrian, and Lebanese minorities Life expectancy 54 (men); 58 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 140 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 10 Literacy rate 74% (men); 45% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 0.6 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 1.5 (2002 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 3.2 (2005 est) AIDS deaths 9,100 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 80 (urban); 36 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 1 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 7.2 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 265 (2001 est) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 130 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 3 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 4.9 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

15th–17th centuries Formerly dominated by Kwa peoples in southwest and Gur-speaking Voltaic peoples in north, Ewe clans immigrated from Nigeria and the Ane (Mina) from Ghana and the Côte d'Ivoire. 18th century Coastal area held by Danes. 1847 Arrival of German missionaries. 1884–1914 Togoland was German protectorate until captured by Anglo-French forces; cocoa and cotton plantations developed, using forced labour. 1922 Divided between Britain and France under League of Nations mandate. 1946 Continued under United Nations trusteeship. 1956 French Togoland voted to become autonomous republic within the French union. 1957 British Togoland, comprising one-third of the area and situated in the west, integrated with Ghana, following referendum. 1960 Achieved full independence as Republic of Togo with Sylvanus Olympio as head of state. 1967 Lt-Gen Etienne Gnassingbé Eyadéma became president in bloodless coup; political parties banned. 1969 Assembly of the Togolese People (RPT) formed by Eyadéma as sole legal political party. 1977 Assassination plot against Eyadéma, allegedly involving Olympio family, thwarted. 1986 Attempted coup failed. 1990 Violent antigovernment demonstrations in capital, Lomé, suppressed; Eyadéma legalized political parties. 1991 Eyadéma forced to call national conference that limited presidential powers, and elected Joseph Kokou Koffigoh head of interim government; attempts by Eyadéma's troops to unseat government failed. 1992 Referendum gave overwhelming support for multiparty politics; new constitution adopted. 1993 Eyadéma won first multiparty presidential elections, but validity disputed. 1994 Opposition parties polled strongly in assembly elections; Eyadéma appointed leader of minority Togolese Union for Democracy (UTD) as prime minister. 1998 RPT returned to power in parliamentary elections. 2003 President Eyadéma extended term of office with further presidential election victory. 2005 Eyadéma died; succeeded controversially by his son, Faure Gnassingbe, through army support and alleged ballot-rigging in presidential elections. 2006 Opposition members included in new unity government under Yawovi Agboyibo.


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