Togo, official name the Togolese Republic (French: République togolaise), is one of Africa's smaller countries located in West Africa, just north of the Bight of Benin, and is bordered by Ghana, Benin, and Burkina Faso to the west, east, and north, respectively.
During and after their first voyage to Western Africa in the 16th century, the Portuguese built trading posts throughout the coast of the Gulf of Guinea. The region that would become Togo was part of the Slave Coast, i.e. the place where all those black slaves in The Americas originally came from. Imperial Germany took control of the Togoville port town and began their expansion inland, eventually establishing the Togoland colony, which also included the eastern part of present-day Ghana (the so-called "Volta Region"). Being surrounded by rivals at all sides (the British Gold Coast/Ghana to the west and the French Benin and Upper Volta to the east and north, respectively) made Germany conscious enough to vigorously build a deep infrastructure and network in the colony, setting a model for others to follow.
Togoland was transferred to the British and French after World War I as part of the League of Nations mandate. The two divided it into two, and when independence was due in the 1950s, British Togoland joined the newly-independent Ghana, while French Togoland remained a part of the French Union until it was granted independence in 1960.
Since then, Togo has been ruled by a dictatorship (there is not a single presidential election that is considered free and fair by independent observers). General Gnassingbé Eyadéma staged a coup in 1967 and subsequently became president for 37 years. Upon his death in 2005, he was succeeded by his eldest son, Faure, who remains president to this day.
In spite of the political problems, Togo is still quite the regional center for commerce, no small thanks to the high start in the infrastructure department brought over from the colonial period. It, however, still struggles from poverty and the fall of cocoa prices (which are the country's main export) in 1998.
Ewe people dominate Togo, although many other ethnic groups are well-represented. Also, the country is dominated by animists, which is surprising considering that its neighbors identify themselves with an Abrahamic religion, if only nominally. That said, Christians are a significant minority in the country's south, while Muslims can be found mainly in the north.
Football is the country's main sport. One player from the country, Emmanuel Adebayor, has received international attention and praise over the years as Togo's top goalscorer, as well as being a part of England's Crystal Palace.
Works of Togo include:
The Togolese flag
The Togolese national anthem
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Government
- Unitary dominant-party presidential republic
- President: Faure Gnassingbé
- Prime Minister: Victoire Tomegah Dogbé
Miscellaneous
- Capital and largest city: Lomé
- Population: 8,608,444
- Area: 56,785 km² (21,925 sq mi) (123rd)
- Currency: West African CFA franc (CFA) (XOF)
- ISO-3166-1 Code: TG
- Country calling code: 228
- Highest point: Mont Agou (986 m/3,235 ft) (161st)
- Lowest point: Bight of Benin (Depth is not calculated yet) (-)