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NAVIGATION
Togolese Republic
Republique Togolaise
former: French Togoland
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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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. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Benin and Ghana |
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Geographic coordinates:
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8 00 N, 1 10 E |
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Map references:
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Africa |
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Area:
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total: 56,785 sq km
water: 2,400 sq km land: 54,385 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than West Virginia |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 1,647 km
border countries: Benin 644 km, Burkina Faso 126 km, Ghana 877 km |
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Coastline:
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56 km |
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Maritime claims:
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exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 30 NM |
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Climate:
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tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north |
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Terrain:
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gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern plateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Agou 986 m |
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Natural resources:
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phosphates, limestone, marble, arable land |
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Land use:
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arable land: 41.37%
permanent crops: 1.84% other: 56.79% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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70 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during winter; periodic droughts |
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Environment - current issues:
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deforestation attributable to slash-and-burn agriculture and the use of wood for fuel; water pollution presents health hazards and hinders the fishing industry; air pollution increasing in urban areas |
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Environment - international agreements:
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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 |
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Geography - note:
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the country's length allows it to stretch through six distinct geographic regions; climate varies from tropical to savanna |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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5,429,299
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 2003 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 44.5% (male 1,211,252; female 1,203,564)
15-64 years: 53% (male 1,404,763; female 1,473,360) 65 years and over: 2.5% (male 57,535; female 78,825) (2003 est.) |
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Median age:
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total: 17.3 years
male: 16.9 years female: 17.7 years (2002) |
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Population growth rate:
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2.37% (2003 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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35.23 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Death rate:
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11.51 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 68.73 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 60.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) male: 76.58 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 53.43 years
male: 51.47 years female: 55.45 years (2003 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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4.97 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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6% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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150,000 (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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12,000 (2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Togolese (singular and plural)
adjective: Togolese |
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Ethnic groups:
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native African (37 tribes; largest and most important are Ewe, Mina, and Kabre) 99%, European and Syrian-Lebanese less than 1% |
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Religions:
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indigenous beliefs 51%, Christian 29%, Muslim 20% |
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Languages:
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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) |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 60.9% male: 75.4% female: 46.9% (2003 est.) |