1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Coastline
56 km
Comparative area
slightly smaller than West Virginia
Environment
hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during winter; recent droughts affecting agriculture; deforestation
Land boundaries
1,647 km total; Benin 644 km, Burkina 126 km, Ghana 877 km
Land use
arable land 25%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 4%; forest and woodland 28%; other 42%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Maritime claims
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 30 nm
Natural resources
phosphates, limestone, marble
Terrain
gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern plateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes
Total area
56,790 km2; land area: 54,390 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
49 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
13 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
37 tribes; largest and most important are Ewe, Mina, and Kabye; under 1% European and Syrian-Lebanese
Infant mortality rate
110 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force
NA; agriculture 78%, industry 22%; about 88,600 wage earners, evenly divided between public and private sectors; 50% of population of working age (1985)
Language
French, both official and language of commerce; major African languages are Ewe and Mina in the south and Dagomba and Kabye in the north
Life expectancy at birth
54 years male, 58 years female (1991)
Literacy
43% (male 56%, female 31%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Nationality
noun--Togolese (sing. and pl.); adjective--Togolese
Net migration rate
0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor
one national union, the National Federation of Togolese Workers
Population
3,810,616 (July 1991), growth rate 3.6% (1991)
Religion
indigenous beliefs about 70%, Christian 20%, Muslim 10%
Total fertility rate
7.1 children born/woman (1991)
Government
Administrative divisions
21 circumscriptions (circonscriptions, singular--circonscription); Amlame (Amou), Aneho (Lacs), Atakpame (Ogou), Badou (Wawa), Bafilo (Assoli), Bassar (Bassari), Dapaong (Tone), Kante (Keran), Klouto (Kloto), Kpagouda (Binah), Lama-Kara (Kozah), Lome (Golfe), Mango (Oti), Niamtougou (Doufelgou), Notse (Haho), Sotouboua, Tabligbo (Yoto), Tchamba, Tchaoudjo, Tsevie (Zio), Vogan (Vo); note--the 21 units may now be called prefectures (prefectures, singular--prefecture) and reported name changes for individual units are included in parentheses
Capital
Lome
Communists
no Communist party
Constitution
30 December 1979, effective 13 January 1980
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Ellom-Kodjo SCHUPPIUS; Chancery at 2208 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 234-4212 or 4213; US--Ambassador Harmon E. KIRBY; Embassy at Rue Pelletier Caventou and Rue Vauban, Lome (mailing address is B. P. 852, Lome); telephone [228] 21-29-91 through 94 and 21-77-17
Elections
President--last held 21 December 1986 (next to be held December 1993); results--Gen. EYADEMA was reelected without opposition; National Assembly--last held 4 March 1990 (next to be held 14 June 1992); results--RPT was the only party; seats--(77 total) RPT 77
Executive branch
president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Flag
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
Independence
27 April 1960 (from UN trusteeship under French administration, formerly French Togo)
Judicial branch
Court of Appeal (Cour d'Appel), Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Leaders
Chief of State--President Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA (since 14 April 1967); Head of Government--interim Prime Minister Kokou KOFFIGOH (since 28 August 1991)
Legal system
French-based court system
Legislative branch
unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)
Long-form name
Republic of Togo
Member of
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CEAO (observer), ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
Liberation Day (anniversary of coup), 13 January (1967)
Political parties and leaders
Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) led by President EYADEMA was the only party until the formation of multiple parties was legalized 12 April 1991; more than 10 parties formed as of mid-May, though none yet legally registered; a national conference to determine transition regime took place 10-20 June 1991
Suffrage
universal adult at age NA
Type
republic; one-party presidential regime
Economy
Agriculture
cash crops--coffee, cocoa, cotton; food crops--yams, cassava, corn, beans, rice, millet, sorghum; livestock production not significant; annual fish catch, 10,000-14,000 tons
Budget
revenues $330 million; expenditures $363 million, including capital expenditures of $101 million (1990 est.)
Currency
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural--francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $132 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $1.8 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $35 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $51 million
Electricity
179,000 kW capacity; 209 million kWh produced, 60 kWh per capita (1990)
Exchange rates
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1--256.54 (January 1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985)
Exports
$331 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities--phosphates, cocoa, coffee, cotton, manufactures, palm kernels; partners--EC 70%, Africa 9%, US 2%, other 19% (1985)
External debt
$1.3 billion (1990 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
$1.4 billion, per capita $395; real growth rate 3.6% (1989 est.)
Imports
$344 million (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--food, fuels, durable consumer goods, other intermediate goods, capital goods; partners--EC 61%, US 6%, Africa 4%, Japan 4%, other 25% (1989)
Industrial production
growth rate 4.9% (1987 est.); 6% of GDP
Industries
phosphate mining, agricultural processing, cement, handicrafts, textiles, beverages
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
- 1.2% (1989)
Overview
The economy is heavily dependent on subsistence agriculture, which accounts for about 35% of GDP and provides employment for 78% of the labor force. Primary agricultural exports are cocoa, coffee, and cotton, which together account for about 30% of total export earnings. Togo is self-sufficient in basic foodstuffs when harvests are normal. In the industrial sector phosphate mining is by far the most important activity, with phosphate exports accounting for about 40% of total foreign exchange earnings. Togo serves as a regional commercial and trade center. The government actively encourages foreign investment.
Unemployment rate
2.0% (1987)
Communications
Airports
9 total, 9 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m none with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
3 major transport aircraft
Highways
6,462 km total; 1,762 km paved; 4,700 km unimproved roads
Inland waterways
none
Merchant marine
7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 38,906 GRT/70,483 DWT; includes 4 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 3 multifunction large-load carrier
Ports
Lome, Kpeme (phosphate port)
Railroads
515 km 1.000-meter gauge, single track
Telecommunications
fair system based on network of open-wire lines supplemented by radio relay routes; 12,000 telephones; stations--2 AM, no FM, 3 (2 relays) TV; earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 SYMPHONIE
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary Gendarmerie
Defense expenditures
$44 million, 3.7% of GDP (1987) _%_
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 799,597; 420,092 fit for military service; no conscription