Togo

§1. Togo Introduction

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.

§2. Togo Geography

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 km²
  land: 54,385 km²
  water: 2,400 km²

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 km² (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

§3. Togo People

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.)

§4. Togo Government

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

§5. Togo Economy

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 - 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 m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
  0 m³ (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

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

§6. Togo Communications

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)

Television broadcast stations:
  3 (plus two repeaters) (1997)

Internet country code:
  .tg

Internet hosts:
  205 (2005)

Internet users:
  221,000 (2005)

§7. Togo Transportation

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

§8. Togo Military

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.)

§9. Togo Transnational Issues

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


<Factbook 2006>
