1998 Edition

Area

total: 56,790 sq km land: 54,390 sq km water: 2,400 sq km

Area-comparative

slightly smaller than West Virginia

Climate

tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north

Coastline

56 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pic Agou 986 m

Environment-current issues

deforestation attributable to slash-and-burn agriculture and the use of wood for fuel; recent droughts affecting agriculture

Environment-international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates

8 00 N, 1 10 E

Irrigated land

70 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

total: 1,647 km border countries: Benin 644 km, Burkina Faso 126 km, Ghana 877 km

Land use

arable land: 38% permanent crops: 7% permanent pastures: 4% forests and woodland: 17% other: 34% (1993 est.)

Location

Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Benin and Ghana

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 30 nm

Natural hazards

hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during winter; periodic droughts

Natural resources

phosphates, limestone, marble

Terrain

gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern plateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes

Age structure

0-14 years: 48% (male 1,190,812; female 1,180,739) 15-64 years: 49% (male 1,175,570; female 1,252,274) 65 years and over: 3% (male 48,483; female 57,949) (July 1998 est.)

Birth rate

45.23 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate

10 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Ethnic groups

native African (37 tribes; largest and most important are Ewe, Mina, and Kabre) 99%, European and Syrian-Lebanese less than 1%

Infant mortality rate

79.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

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)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 58.78 years male: 56.52 years female: 61.12 years (1998 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 51.7% male: 67% female: 37% (1995 est.)

Nationality

noun: Togolese (singular and plural) adjective: Togolese

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Population

4,905,827 (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate

3.52% (1998 est.)

Religions

indigenous beliefs 70%, Christian 20%, Muslim 10%

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate

6.6 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Administrative divisions

21 circumscriptions (circonscriptions, singular-circonscription); Amlame, Aneho, Atakpame, Badou, Bafilo, Bassar, Dapaong, Kande, Kara, Kpalime, Lome, Niamtougou, Notse, Pagouda, Sansanne-Mango, Sokode, Sotouboua, Tabligbo, Tchamba, Tsevie, Vogan note: the 21 units may have become second-order administrative divisions with the imposition of a new first-order level of five prefectures (singular - prefecture) named De La Kara, Des Plateaux, Des Savanes, Du Centre, and Maritime

Constitution

multiparty draft constitution approved by High Council of the Republic 1 July 1992; adopted by public referendum 27 September 1992

Country name

conventional long form: Togolese Republic conventional short form: Togo local long form: Republique Togolaise local short form: none former: French Togo

Data code

TO

Executive branch

chief of state: President Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA (since 14 April 1967) head of government: Prime Minister Kwassi KLUTSE (since August 1996) 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 21 June 1998 (next to be held NA 2003); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Gnassingbe EYADEMA elected president; percent of vote-Gnassingbe EYADEMA 52.13%

FAX

[1] (202) 232-3190 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Brenda Brown SCHOONOVER embassy: Rue Pelletier Caventou and Rue Vauban, Lome mailing address: B. P. 852, Lome telephone: [228] 21 77 17, 21 29 91 through 21 29 94

[228] 21 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

Government type

republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule

Independence

27 April 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship)

International organization participation

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MINURSO, MIPONUH, NAM, OAU, OIC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WAEMU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Pascal BODJONA chancery: 2208 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-4212

Judicial branch

Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme Political parties and leaders: Rally of the Togolese People or RPT [President Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA]; Coordination des Forces Nouvelles or CFN [Joseph KOFFIGOH]; Togolese Union for Democracy or UTD [Edem KODJO]; Action Committee for Renewal or CAR [Yao AGBOYIBOR]; Union for Democracy and Solidarity or UDS [Antoine FOLLY]; Pan-African

Legal system

French-based court system

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly (81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 6 and 20 February 1994 (next to be held NA 1999) election results: percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-CAR 36, RPT 35, UTD 7, UJD 2, CFN 1 note: as a result of a byelection in August 1996, ordered by the Supreme Court for three seats of the Action Committee for Renewal and the Togolese Union for Democracy, representation in the National Assembly changed to RPT 38, CAR 34, UTD 6, UJD 2, and CFN 1; as a result of subsequent defections from the CAR to the RPT and the merging of the UJD with the RPT, representation in the National Assembly in August 1997 was RPT 42, CAR 32, UTD 5, CFN 1, independent 1

National capital

Lome

National holiday

Independence Day, 27 April (1960)

Sociodemocrats Group or GSP, an alliance of three radical parties

CDPA, PDR, and PSP; Democratic Convention of African Peoples or CDPA [Leopold GNININVI]; Party for Democracy and Renewal or PDR [Zarifou AYEVA]; Pan-African Social Party or PSP [Francis AGBAGLI]; Union of Forces for Change or UFC [Gilchrist OLYMPIO (in exile); Jeane-Pierre FABRE, general secretary in Togo]; Union of Justice and Democracy or UJD [Lal TAXPANDJAN] note: Rally of the Togolese People or RPT, led by President EYADEMA, was the only party until the formation of multiple parties was legalized 12 April 1991

Suffrage

NA years of age; universal adult

Agriculture-products

coffee, cocoa, cotton, yams, cassava (tapioca), corn, beans, rice, millet, sorghum; meat; annual fish catch of 10,000-14,000 tons

Budget

revenues: $232 million expenditures: $252 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)

Currency

1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Debt-external

$1.4 billion (1995)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $NA

Economy-overview

This small sub-Saharan economy is heavily dependent on both commercial and subsistence agriculture, which provides employment for more than 60% of the labor force. Cocoa, coffee, and cotton together generate about 30% of export earnings. Togo is self-sufficient in basic foodstuffs when harvests are normal, with occasional regional supply difficulties. In the industrial sector, phosphate mining is by far the most important activity, although it has suffered from the collapse of world phosphate prices and increased foreign competition. Togo serves as a regional commercial and trade center. 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 stalled. Political unrest, including private and public sector strikes throughout 1992 and 1993, has jeopardized the reform program, shrunk the tax base, and disrupted vital economic activity. The 12 January 1994 devaluation of the currency by 50% provided an important impetus to renewed structural adjustment; these efforts were facilitated by the end of strife in 1994 and a return to overt political calm. The 1998 presidential elections provide an important opportunity for Togo's evolving political system to demonstrate that the country can participate in a peaceful and effective manner with World Bank and IMF programs. Progress depends on continuing privatization, increased transparency in government accounting to accommodate increased social service outlays, and possible downsizing of the military, on which the regime has depended to stay in place.

Electricity-capacity

34,000 kW (1995)

Electricity-consumption per capita

92 kWh (1995)

Electricity-production

90 million kWh (1995) note: imports electricity from Ghana

Exchange rates

CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1-608.36 (January 1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993) note: beginning 12 January 1994, the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948

Exports

total value: $196 million (f.o.b., 1996) commodities: cotton, phosphates, coffee, cocoa partners: Canada 9.2%, US 8.1%, Taiwan 7.5%, Nigeria 6.7% (1995 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications

GDP

purchasing power parity-$6.2 billion (1997 est.)

GDP-composition by sector

agriculture: 32% industry: 23% services: 45% (1995)

GDP-per capita

purchasing power parity-$1,300 (1997 est.)

GDP-real growth rate

4.8% (1997 est.)

Imports

total value: $404 million (c.i.f., 1996) commodities: machinery and equipment, consumer goods, petroleum products partners: Ghana 17.1%, China 13.3%, France 12.5%, Cameroon 6.0% (1995 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

13.6% (1995)

Industries

phosphate mining, agricultural processing, cement; handicrafts, textiles, beverages

Inflation rate-consumer price index

15.7% (1995)

Labor force

total: 1.538 million (1993 est.) by occupation: agriculture 65%, industry 5%, services 30% (1997 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0

Radios

795,000 (1992 est.)

Telephone system

fair system based on network of microwave radio relay routes supplemented by open-wire lines and cellular system domestic: microwave radio relay and open-wire lines for conventional system; cellular system has capacity of 10,000 telephones international: satellite earth stations-1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Symphonie

Telephones

47,000, not including those in the 10,000 telephone capacity cellular system (1998 est.)

Television broadcast stations

3 (relays 2)

Televisions

24,000 (1992 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Airports

9 (1997 est.) Airports-with paved runways: total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (1997 est.) Airports-with unpaved runways: total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 2 (1997 est.)

Highways

total: 7,520 km paved: 2,376 km unpaved: 5,144 km (1996 est.)

Merchant marine

none

Railways

total: 525 km (1995) narrow gauge: 525 km 1.000-m gauge

Waterways

50 km Mono river Ports and harbors: Kpeme, Lome

Military branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie

Military expenditures-dollar figure

$48 million (1993)

Military expenditures-percent of GDP

2.9% (1993)

Military manpower-availability

males age 15-49: 1,058,480 (1998 est.) Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 555,263 (1998 est.)

Disputes-international

none

Illicit drugs

transit hub for Nigerian heroin and cocaine traffickers (territory of New Zealand)