2000 Edition

Background

French Togoland became Togo in 1960. Despite the facade of multiparty rule instituted in the early 1990s, the government continues to be dominated by the military, which has maintained its power almost continuously since 1967.

Area

land

54,385 sq km

total

56,785 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

highest point

Mont Agou 986 m

lowest point

Atlantic Ocean 0 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, Marine Dumping, 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

border countries

Benin 644 km, Burkina Faso 126 km, Ghana 877 km

total

1,647 km

Land use

arable land

38%

forests and woodland

17%

other

34% (1993 est.)

permanent crops

7%

permanent pastures

4%

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, arable land

Terrain

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 46% (male 1,161,610; female 1,153,877) 15-64 years: 51% (male 1,254,437; female 1,327,306) 65 years and over: 3% (male 53,101; female 68,171) (2000 est.)

Birth rate

38.02 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

11.18 deaths/1,000 population (2000 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

71.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 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

female

56.7 years (2000 est.)

male

52.75 years

total population

54.69 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

37% (1995 est.)

male

67%

total population

51.7%

Nationality

adjective

Togolese

noun

Togolese (singular and plural)

Net migration rate

0.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Population

5,018,502

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 2000 est.)

Population growth rate

2.7% (2000 est.)

Religions

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

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: 0.78 male(s)/female

total population

0.97 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

5.5 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Administrative divisions

5 regions (regions, singular - region); De La Kara, Des Plateaux, Des Savanes, Du Centre, Maritime

Capital

Lome

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

former

French Togoland

local long form

Republique Togolaise

local short form

none

Data code

TO

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

21 77 17, 21 29 91 through 21 29 94

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2208 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Akoussoulelov BODJONA

telephone

(202) 234-4212

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by the president and the prime minister

chief of state

President Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA (since 14 April 1967)

election results

Gnassingbe EYADEMA reelected president; percent of vote - Gnassingbe EYADEMA 52.13%, Gilchrist OLYMPIO 34.12%, other 13.75%

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

head of government

Prime Minister Eugene Koffi ADOBOLI (since NA May 1999)

FAX

(202) 232-3190

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, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WAEMU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Judicial branch

Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

Legal system

French-based court system

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly (81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

election results

percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPT 77, independents 2, vacant 2

elections

last held 21 March 1999 (next due to be held NA 2004)

note

Togo's main opposition parties boycotted the election because of EYADEMA's alleged manipulation of 1998 presidential polling; since March of 1999, opposition parties have entered into negotiations with the president over the establishment of an independent electoral commission and a new round of legislative elections for sometime in 2000

National holiday

Independence Day, 27 April (1960)

Political parties and leaders

Action Committee for Renewal or CAR ; Coordination des Forces Nouvelles or CFN [Joseph KOFFIGOH]; Democratic Convention of African Peoples or CDPA [Leopold GNININVI]; Party for Democracy and Renewal or PDR ; Patriotic Pan-African Convergence or CPP ; Rally of the Togolese People or RPT ; Union of Forces for Change or UFC [Gilchrist OLYMPIO (in exile), Jeane-Pierre FABRE, general secretary in Togo]; Union of Independent Liberals or ULI

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; livestock; fish

Budget

expenditures

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

revenues

$232 million

Currency

1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Debt - external

$1.3 billion (1997)

Economic aid - recipient

$201.1 million (1995)

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. 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, 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. Progress depends on following through on privatization, increased openness in government financial operations (to accommodate increased social service outlays), and possible downsizing of the military, on which the regime has depended to stay in place. Lack of aid, along with depressed cocoa prices, generated a 1% fall in GDP in 1998, with growth resuming in 1999. Assuming no deterioration of the political atmosphere, growth should rise to 5% a year in 2000-01.

Electricity - consumption

434 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports

350 million kWh (1998)

note

imports electricity from Ghana

Electricity - production

90 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

93.33%

hydro

6.67%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (1998)

Exchange rates

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 647.25 (January 2000), 615.70 (1999) 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996), 499.15 (1995)

note

since 1 January 1999, the CFAF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 CFA francs per euro

Exports

$400 million (f.o.b., 1999)

Exports - commodities

cotton, phosphates, coffee, cocoa

Exports - partners

Canada, Philippines, Ghana, France (1998)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $8.6 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

42%

industry

21%

services

37% (1997)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $1,700 (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

4% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$450 million (f.o.b., 1999)

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products

Imports - partners

Ghana, France, Cote d'Ivoire, China (1998)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3% (1999 est.)

Labor force

1.538 million (1993 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 65%, industry 5%, services 30% (1998 est.)

Population below poverty line

32% (1987-89 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (1999)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios

940,000 (1997)

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 - main lines in use

22,000 (1995)

Telephones - mobile cellular

NA

Television broadcast stations

3 (plus two repeaters) (1997)

Televisions

73,000 (1997)

Airports

9 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

7 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 2 (1999 est.)

Highways

paved

2,376 km

total

7,520 km

unpaved

5,144 km (1996 est.)

Merchant marine

ships by type

bulk 1, cargo 1 (1999 est.)

total

2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 56,332 GRT/97,443 DWT

Ports and harbors

Kpeme, Lome

Railways

narrow gauge

525 km 1.000-m gauge

total

525 km (1995)

Waterways

50 km Mono river

Military branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$27 million (FY96)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

2% (FY96)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 1,131,451 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 593,589 (2000 est.)

Disputes - international

none

Illicit drugs

transit hub for Nigerian heroin and cocaine traffickers

TOKELAU