Togo




                                 Geography


Location:
     Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean beween Benin and
     Ghana
Map references:
     Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
     56,790 sq km
land area:
     54,390 sq km
comparative area:
     slightly smaller than West Virginia
Land boundaries:
     total 1,647 km, Benin 644 km, Burkina 126 km, Ghana 877 km
Coastline:
     56 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
     200 nm
territorial sea:
     30 nm
International disputes:
     none
Climate:
     tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Terrain:
     gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern plateau; low
     coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes
Natural resources:
     phosphates, limestone, marble
Land use:
arable land:
     25%
permanent crops:
     1%
meadows and pastures:
     4%
forest and woodland:
     28%
other:
     42%
Irrigated land:
     70 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
     deforestation attributable to slash-and-burn agriculture and the use
     of wood for fuel; recent droughts affecting agriculture
natural hazards:
     hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during winter




international agreements:
     party to - Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
     Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber; signed, but not
     ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change


                                  People


Population:
     4,255,090 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     3.59% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     47.3 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     11.39 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     88.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     56.93 years
male:
     54.87 years
female:
     59.06 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     6.9 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Togolese (singular and plural)
adjective:
     Togolese
Ethnic divisions:
     37 tribes; largest and most important are Ewe, Mina, and Kabye,
     European and Syrian-Lebanese under 1%
Religions:
     indigenous beliefs 70%, Christian 20%, Muslim 10%
Languages:
     French (official and the language of commerce), Ewe (one of the two
     major African languages in the south), Mina (one of the two major
     African languages in the south), Dagomba (one of the two major African
     languages in the north), Kabye (one of the two major African languages
     in the north)
Literacy:
     age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
     43%
male:
     56%
female:
     31%
Labor force:
     NA




by occupation:
     agriculture 78%, industry 22%
note:
     about 88,600 wage earners, evenly divided between public and private
     sectors; 50% of population of working age (1985)


                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     Republic of Togo
conventional short form:
local long form:
     Republique Togolaise
local short form:
     none
former:
     French Togo
Digraph:
     TO
Type:
     republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule
Capital:
     Lome
Administrative divisions:
     23 circumscriptions (circonscriptions, singular - circonscription);
     Amlame (Amou), Aneho (Lacs), Atakpame (Ogou), Badou (Wawa), Bafilo
     (Assoli), Bassar (Bassari), Dapango (Tone), Kande (Keran), Klouto
     (Kloto), Pagouda (Binah), Lama-Kara (Kozah), Lome (Golfe), Mango
     (Oti), Niamtougou (Doufelgou), Notse (Haho), Pagouda, Sotouboua,
     Tabligbo (Yoto), Tchamba, Nyala, Tchaoudjo, Tsevie (Zio), Vogan (Vo)
note:
     the 23 units may now be called prefectures (prefectures, singular -
     prefecture) and reported name changes for individual units are
     included in parentheses
Independence:
     27 April 1960 (from UN trusteeship under French administration)
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:
     universal adult at age NA
Executive branch:
chief of state:
     President Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA (since 14 April 1967); election last
     held 25 August 1993 (next election to be held NA 1998); all major
     opposition parties boycotted the election; Gen. EYADEMA won 96.5% of
     the vote
head of government:
     Prime Minister Edem KODJO (since April 1994)




cabinet:
     Council of Ministers; appointed by the president and the prime
     minister
Legislative branch:
     unicameral
National Assembly:
     elections last held on 6 and 20 February 1994 (next to be held NA);
     results - percent of vote by party NA; SEATS - (81 total) RPT and
     allies (pro government) 38, CAR, UTD (the opposition) 40, still
     contested as of 3 May 1994
Judicial branch:
     Court of Appeal (Cour d'Appel), Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Political parties and leaders:
pro-government:
     Rally of the Togolese People (RPT), President Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA;
     Coordination des Forces Nouvelles (CFN), Joseph KOFFIGOH
moderate:
     The Togolese Union for Democracy (UTD), Edem KODJO; The Action
     Committee for Renewal (CAR), Yao AGBOYIBOR
radical:
     The Union for Democracy and Solidarity (UDS), Antoine FOLLY; The
     Pan-African Sociodemocrats Group (GSP), an alliance of three radical
     parties: The Democratic Convention of African Peoples (CDPA), Leopold
     GNININVI; The Party for Democracy and Renewal (PDR), Zarifou AYEVA;
     The Pan-African Social Party (PSP), Francis AGBAGLI; The Union of
     Forces for Change (UFC), Gilchrist OLYMPIO (in exile)
note:
     Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) led by President EYADEMA was the
     only party until the formation of multiple parties was legalized 12
     April 1991
Member of:
     ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEAO (observer), ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ,
     G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,
     INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
     UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
     Charge d'Affaires Edem Frederic HEGBE
chancery:
     2208 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
     (202) 234-4212
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Harmon E. KIRBY (Ambassador Johnny YOUNG to replace
     Ambassador KIRBY during the summer of 1994)
embassy:
     Rue Pelletier Caventou and Rue Vauban, Lome
mailing address:
     B. P. 852, Lome
telephone:
     [228] 21-29-91
FAX:
     [228] 21-79-52




Flag:
     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


                                  Economy


Overview:
     The economy is heavily dependent on subsistence agriculture, which
     accounts for about 33% of GDP and provides employment for 78% of the
     labor force. Primary agricultural exports are cocoa, coffee, and
     cotton, which together generate about 30% of total export earnings.
     Togo is self-sufficient in basic foodstuffs when harvests are normal.
     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 IMF
     and World Bank supported effort to implement economic reform measures
     to 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 and has disrupted vital economic activity.
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $3.3 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     NA
National product per capita:
     $800 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     0.5% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
     NA%
Budget:
revenues:
     $284 million
expenditures:
     $407 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1991 est.)
Exports:
     $558 million (f.o.b., 1991)
commodities:
     phosphates, cotton, cocoa, coffee
partners:
     EC 40%, Africa 16%, US 1% (1990)
Imports:
     $636 million (f.o.b., 1991)
commodities:
     machinery and equipment, consumer goods, food, chemical products
partners:
     EC 57%, Africa 17%, US 5%, Japan 4% (1990)
External debt:
     $1.3 billion (1991)
Industrial production:
     growth rate 9% (1991 est.); accounts for 20% of GDP




Electricity:
capacity:
     179,000 kW
production:
     209 million kWh
consumption per capita:
     60 kWh (1990)
Industries:
     phosphate mining, agricultural processing, cement, handicrafts,
     textiles, beverages
Agriculture:
     accounts for 33% of GDP; cash crops - coffee, cocoa, cotton; food
     crops - yams, cassava, corn, beans, rice, millet, sorghum; livestock
     production not significant; annual fish catch of 10,000-14,000 tons
Illicit drugs:
     increasingly used as transit hub by heroin traffickers
Economic aid:
recipient:
     US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-90), $142 million; Western
     (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-90), $2
     billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $35 million; Communist
     countries (1970-89), $51 million
Currency:
     1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates:
     Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 592.05
     (January 1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992), 282.11 (1991), 272.26
     (1990), 319.01 (1989)
note:
     the official rate is pegged to the French franc, and 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
Fiscal year:
     calendar year


                              Communications


Railroads:
     570 km 1.000-meter gauge, single track
Highways:
total:
     6,462 km
paved:
     1,762 km
unpaved:
     unimproved earth 4,700 km
Inland waterways:
     50 km Mono River
Ports:
     Lome, Kpeme (phosphate port)
Merchant marine:
     2 roll-on/roll-off cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 11,118
     GRT/20,529 DWT




Airports:
total:
     9
usable:
     9
with permanent-surface runways:
     2
with runways over 3,659 m:
     0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     2
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     0
Telecommunications:
     fair system based on network of radio relay routes supplemented by
     open wire lines; broadcast stations - 2 AM, no FM, 3 (2 relays) TV;
     satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 SYMPHONIE


                              Defense Forces


Branches:
     Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 898,448; fit for military service 471,807
Defense expenditures:
     exchange rate conversion - $43 million, about 3% of GDP (1989)