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| Introduction | Togo |
| Background: | French Togoland became Togo in 1960. Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA, installed as military ruler in 1967, is Africa's longest-serving head of state. Despite the facade of multiparty elections instituted in the early 1990s, the government continues to be dominated by President EYADEMA, whose Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) party has maintained power almost continually since 1967. In addition, Togo has come under fire from international organizations for human rights abuses and is plagued by political unrest. Most bilateral and multilateral aid to Togo remains frozen. |
| People | Togo |
| Population: | 5,556,812 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 2004 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 43.9% (male 1,222,622; female 1,214,443) 15-64 years: 53.6% (male 1,455,373; female 1,522,456) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 59,165; female 82,753) (2004 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 17.6 years male: 17.2 years female: 17.9 years (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 2.27% (2004 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 34.36 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: | 11.64 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 67.66 deaths/1,000 live births female: 59.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 75.4 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 53.05 years male: 51.07 years female: 55.09 years (2004 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 4.79 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 4.1% (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 110,000 (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 10,000 (2003 est.) |
| Major infectious diseases: | typhoid fever, malaria, yellow fever, schistosomiasis overall degree of risk: very high (2004) |
| Nationality: | noun: Togolese (singular and plural) adjective: Togolese |
| Ethnic groups: | native African (37 tribes; largest and most important are Ewe, Mina, and Kabre) 99%, European and Syrian-Lebanese less than 1% |
| Religions: | indigenous beliefs 51%, Christian 29%, Muslim 20% |
| 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) |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 60.9% male: 75.4% female: 46.9% (2003 est.) |
| Government | Togo |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Togolese Republic conventional short form: Togo local short form: none former: French Togoland local long form: Republique Togolaise |
| Government type: | republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule |
| Capital: | Lome |
| Administrative divisions: | 5 regions (regions, singular - region); Kara, Plateaux, Savanes, Centrale, Maritime |
| Independence: | 27 April 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 27 April (1960) |
| Constitution: | multiparty draft constitution approved by High Council of the Republic 1 July 1992; adopted by public referendum 27 September 1992 |
| Legal system: | French-based court system |
| Suffrage: | NA years of age; universal adult |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA (since 14 April 1967) head of government: Prime Minister Koffi SAMA (since 29 June 2002) 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 1 June 2003 (next to be held NA June 2008); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Gnassingbe EYADEMA reelected president; percent of vote - Gnassingbe EYADEMA 57.2%, Emmanuel Akitani BOB 34.1%, Yawovi AGBOYIBO 5.2%, Maurice Dahuku PERE 2.3%, Edem KODJO 1.0% |
| Legislative branch: | unicameral National Assembly (81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 27 October 2002 (next NA 2007) note: two opposition parties boycotted the election, the Union of the Forces for Change, and the Action Committee for Renewal election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPT 72, RSDD 3, UDPS 2, Juvento 2, MOCEP 1, independents 1 |
| Judicial branch: | Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme |
| Political parties and leaders: | Juvento [Monsilia DJATO]; Movement of the Believers of Peace and Equality or MOCEP [leader NA]; Rally for the Support for Development and Democracy or RSDD [Harryy OLYMPIO]; Rally of the Togolese People or RPT [President Gnassingbe EYADEMA]; Union for Democracy and Social Progress or UDPS [Gagou KOKOU] 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 |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA |
| International organization participation: | ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MICAH, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Akoussoulelou BODJONA FAX: [1] (202) 232-3190 telephone: [1] (202) 234-4212 chancery: 2208 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Gregory ENGLE embassy: Angle Rue Kouenou and Rue 15 Beniglato, Lome mailing address: B. P. 852, Lome telephone: [228] 221 29 91 through 221 29 94 FAX: [228] 221 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 |
| Communications | Togo |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 60,600 (2003) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 220,000 (2003) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: fair system based on a network of microwave radio relay routes supplemented by open-wire lines and a mobile cellular system domestic: microwave radio relay and open-wire lines for conventional system; cellular system has capacity of 10,000 telephones international: country code - 228; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Symphonie |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (1998) |
| Radios: | 940,000 (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 3 (plus two repeaters) (1997) |
| Televisions: | 73,000 (1997) |
| Internet country code: | .tg |
| Internet hosts: | 82 (2003) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 3 (2001) |
| Internet users: | 210,000 (2003) |
| Transportation | Togo |
| Railways: | total: 568 km narrow gauge: 568 km 1.000-m gauge (2003) |
| Highways: | total: 7,520 km paved: 2,376 km unpaved: 5,144 km (1999 est.) |
| Waterways: | 50 km (seasonally on Mono River depending on rainfall) (2003) |
| Ports and harbors: | Kpeme, Lome |
| Merchant marine: | total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 3,918 GRT/3,852 DWT by type: cargo 1, specialized tanker 1 registered in other countries: 1 (2003 est.) |
| Airports: | 9 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
| Military | Togo |
| Military branches: | Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie |
| Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 1,316,455 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 690,331 (2004 est.) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $32.6 million (2003) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 1.9% (2003) |
| Transnational Issues | Togo |
| Disputes - international: | in 2001 Benin claimed Togo moved boundary monuments - joint commission continues to resurvey the boundary |
| Illicit drugs: | transit hub for Nigerian heroin and cocaine traffickers; money laundering not a significant problem |
| This page was last updated on 16 December, 2004 |
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