Togo

Togo, republic in West Africa. Bordered by Ghana on the west, Benin on the east, Burkina Faso on the north, and the Gulf of Guinea on the south, Togo has an area of 21,925 sq mi (56,785 sq km) and is 340 mi (547 km) long and 70 mi (113 km) wide. The capital is the seaport of Lomè.

Land and people

From the central Togo Mountains a grassy plateau slopes east to the Mono River and south to the sandy coastal plain. North of the mountains is the savanna of the Oti Plateau. The climate is hot and humid. The people of Togo are almost entirely black Africans of the Ewe, Ouatchi, Mina, and Kabre ethnic groups. There are Christians and Muslims, but most people follow traditional beliefs. French is the official language.

Economy

Over 70% of the people live in rural areas, mostly in the south, and the economy is primarily agricultural. The chief exports are cocoa and coffee, but cassava, corn, and cotton are also important. Large phosphate deposits discovered northeast of Lomè have proven profitable and Togo ranks high in world production.

History

Togo was settled in the 1300s by a group of Ewe-speaking people, then further populated by invaders and refugees from various wars north of the area. As the slave trade grew, Togo became an important center for the buying and selling of slaves. Germany set up a protectorate (known as Togoland) in 1884; after World War I, it was administered by the French. Togo became an independent nation in 1960 with Sylvanus Olympio as president. After a long period of political turmoil, a military coup in 1967 installed Lt. Col. Gnassingbe Eyadema as the country's leader. He received popular support in a 1972 presidential vote and was reelected in 1979. With the first democratic elections in 1993, he was reconfirmed in office. In 1998, the presidential elections were won by Eyadéma. The opposition challenged the outcome.