Terrain

Southern Togo is a narrow, flat coastal strip with a number of lagoons. To the north, it merges into a plateau region, which covers most of the country and reaches altitudes of between 200 and 500 m. The Togo-Atakora Mountains stretch from the south-west to the north-east right through the centre of the country; their highest peak is Mont Agou (986 m).

Climate

Togo's climate is tropical, with an annual average temperature of 27°C on the coast and 30°C inland. In the south, there are two rainy seasons, one from April to July and the other from September to November. In the north, there is just one rainy season that lasts from April to June.

Fauna/Flora

Swampland and mangrove forests dominate Togo's coastal regions. The south-west is characterised by tropical rainforests, with savannah vegetation predominant inland. Rapid democratic growth has led to extensive deforestation, which in turn has resulted in many animals being threatened with extinction. For this reason, several national parks were founded, such as the Forêt de Fazao, the country's largest national park, or the Parc National de la Kéran, which is farther north, near the town of Kara. Some of the animals found there are giraffes, water buffaloes, rhinoceroses, warthogs, hyenas, and baboons; elephants and lions are now rare. The most common bird species are storks, cranes and marabous.

History/Politics

Between the 11th and the 16th century, the Ewé people migrated from the area around the river Niger into the region of present-day Togo. Other ethnic groups followed in the 18th and 19th centuries. Danish traders and freed Brazilian slaves settled the coastal areas from the 16th to the 18th century. Trade in slaves, tobacco, rum, and fabrics flourished, and the 19th century saw the advent of trade in palm oil. In 1884, Germany signed a deal with local chiefs and chiefs from Cameroon, and Togo became a German colony.

The Germans improved the structure of agriculture and put more emphasis on the cultivation of cocoa, coffee and cotton. The country's economy boomed but the Togolese objected to some of Germany's policies, so when World War I broke out, they welcomed British forces with open arms.

After World War I, Togo was divided between the British and the French; in 1922, the League of Nations gave Britain and France the mandate to administer the country. After World War II, the United Nations turned the mandates into trust territories; the British-dominated areas and the Gold Coast were united. This area became the independent nation of Ghana in 1957. The French territories were awarded self-rule in 1960 under the name of Togo. Sylvanus Olympio was appointed the country's first president but was killed in a military coup in 1963. He was succeeded by opposition politician Nicolas Grunitzky, who was in turn ousted by General Etienne Eyadéma in 1967.

Eyadéma declared himself head of government. The first decade of his rule was characterised by economic prosperity based largely on oil exports, tourism, and a rise in phosphate prices on the world market. However, worldwide economic downturn eventually triggered a serious recession in Togo. A new constitution was adopted in 1979; Eyadéma was elected president for a seven-year term and confirmed in office in 1986.

Eyadéma's authoritarian rule, economic and social problems, as well as tension between ethnic groups sparked civil protest in 1991, and people called for the president to step down. There were a number of attempts to oust the president and assassinate him after civil protests were stopped with the use of violence. None of the democratic movements (especially the tribes in the south of the country) managed to get Eyadéma to resign from public office. Despite a climate of civil war and accusations of electoral fraud, Eyadéma won the 1993 elections and was confirmed in office both in 1998 and 2003. Eyadéma died in February 2005 and Abbas Bonfoh became the country's interim president. Faure Ganssingbé won the elections on 24 April 2005 and was inaugurated in May of the same year.

Economy

The country's economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, which provides employment for 65% of the workforce. Cocoa, coffee, and cotton generate about 30% of export earnings. When harvests are normal, Togo is self-sufficient in basic foodstuffs, with occasional regional supply difficulties owing to a poor transport system. In the industrial sector, phosphate mining is by far the most important activity, although it has suffered from the collapse of phosphate prices on the global market and from increased foreign competition. Other major industries are agricultural processing, the production of cement, handicrafts, and textiles. In 2003, the country experienced a deflation of 0.6%.

Culture

Togo's various ethnic groups are very distinct in many respects. The Ewé consider the birth of twins a great blessing and offer gifts in kind as a token of luck and health. The Bassari on the other hand consider the birth of twins to be a grave misfortune. Celebrations to honour the ancestors and the Voodoo religion are of great importance in Togo which is why celebrations are held to pay tribute to those who "paved the way for the people of today" every month.