Countries of the World (Africa) - Togo
Eleventh country from Africa in my geography series.
Section I - Basic Info on Togo
Official Name: Togolese Republic
Population: 9,134,446 (101st largest in the world, 33rd largest in Africa)
Area/Size: 21,925 square miles (a little larger than New Hampshire and Vermont combined)
Capital: Lome (2.1 million - sister city of Taipei, Taiwan)
Spoken Languages: French (official), Ewe and Mina (in S), Kabye and Dagomba (in N)
Religions: Catholic (35%), ethnic religions (33%), Muslim (17%), Protestant (12%)
Life Expectancy: 72.5 years Internet Access Rate: 37.0%
Per Capita Income: $3,239 Unemployment: 1.9%
What do they Export?: Refined petroleum, calcium phosphates, soybeans, seed oils, cacao beans
Export Partners: UAE (40%), India (13%), Angola (13%), Burkina Faso (4%)
Import Partners: China (26%), India (26%), Belgium (6%), Netherlands (6%), U.S. (3%)
Government Type: Presidential republic (current president took over 20+ years ago on the death of his father - no competitive elections and protests are repressed)
Section II - Images of Togo
5 Key Dates/Periods in Togo's History
Because of the lack of written documentation of oral traditions (and contradictions between them for modern anthropologists) not a lot is known about early Togo history other than its' location between larger and more powerful empires. Mostly I will focus on the past 150 years - colonial history as a German and then French colony, followed by independence.
1000 - 1450 AD - Some of Togo's oldest populations are found in the Atakora range and Kabiyè uplands. These mountainous zones functioned historically as cultural refuges, shielded from external influences. As a result, many highland communities preserved ancestral ways of life to an exceptional degree. Between the 12th and 16th centuries, the territory of present-day Togo witnessed the emergence of some of its earliest relatively centralized political formations. The early political formation of Tado marked a foundational moment in southern Togo's history. Oral traditions describe the migration of a group led by the legendary Togbé-Anyi, possibly of Yoruba origin, who settled near the Mono River. Though his identity remains mythical, his role in founding Tado is central to local narratives. Upon arrival, the migrants allied with the Azanou, local political leaders, and the Alou, skilled blacksmiths. In return for kingship, Togbé-Anyi reportedly accepted seven sons of Aza as ministers, forming a dual lineage structure: royal (Anyigbafio) and ministerial (Siko). Over time, Tado grew into a cluster of semi-autonomous settlements. For the most part before the colonial period, the various ethnic groups in Togo had little contact with each other. The territory consisted of groups of villages which were under military pressure from the two neighboring West African powers – the Asante Empire from Ghana and the Kingdom of Dahomey from Benin.
1450 - 1880 - The first Europeans to see Togo were João de Santarém and Pêro Escobar, Portuguese explorers who sailed along its coast between 1471 and 1473. The Portuguese built forts in neighboring Ghana (at Elmina) and Benin (at Ouidah). Although the coast of Togo had no natural harbors, the Portuguese did trade at a small fort at Porto Seguro. For the next 200 years, the coastal region was a major trading center for Europeans in search of slaves, earning Togo and the surrounding region the name "The Slave Coast". The Ewe Kingdom of Notsé was centered around the city of Notsé. According to Ewe oral tradition, in the 17th century, King Agokoli built a wall called the Agbogbo, which surrounded Notsé. He also ordered them to kill their elders and do impossible tasks. The Ewe people embarked on a mass migration to leave the kingdom, and escape from King Agokoli. While this story is a legend, the old walls of Notsé do exist. In the 18th century, the Anufo people left the area of what is now the Ivory Coast. They migrated through present-day Burkina Faso and Ghana, before finally settling in northern Togo. There, they established a small kingdom with its capital at Sansanne-Mango. Togoville was located in what is today the southern part of Togo, and was ruled by King Mlapa III in the 1880s.
1880 - 1960 - The German Empire established the protectorate of Togoland in 1884 during the period generally known as the "Scramble for Africa". The Germans negotiated with King Mlapa III to gain control of the coast of what would eventually become Togoland, particularly the cities of Lomé, Sebe and Aného. France, at the time controller of neighboring Benin, recognized German rule in the region on 24 December 1885. The colony was established in part of what was then the Slave Coast and German control was gradually extended inland. Because it became Germany's only self-supporting colony and because of its extensive rail and road infrastructure, Togoland was known as its model possession. At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 the colony was drawn into the conflict. It was invaded and quickly overrun by British and French forces during the Togoland campaign and placed under military rule. In 1916 the territory was divided into separate British and French administrative zones, and this was formalized in 1922 with the creation of British Togoland (now part of Ghana) and French Togoland.
After World War II, the mandate became a UN trust territory administered by the United Kingdom and France. By statute in 1955, French Togoland became an autonomous republic within the French union, although it retained its UN trusteeship status. In Jun 1957, during a visit of the United Nations mission to the Hoda market, locals protesting the arrest of the Togolese nationalist, Bouyo Moukpé, were fired upon by the French colonial army killing 20 and injuring many. This and other events led the French government to announce in Oct 1958 that full independence would be granted. In Apr 1960, in a smooth transition, Togo severed its constitutional ties with France and became fully independent.
1960 - 2005 - A new constitution adopted by referendum in 1961 established an executive president and a weak National Assembly. In the first election Sylvanus Olympio's party won 100% of the vote and all 51 National Assembly seats, and he became Togo's first elected president. Olympio then dissolved all opposition parties in Jan 1962 because of alleged plots against the majority party government. In Jan 1963 Olympio was overthrown and killed in a coup d'état led by army non-commissioned officers dissatisfied with conditions following their discharge from the French army. Togo attempted to reestablish a multi-party system, but in 1967 another coup led by Gen. Gnassingbé Eyadéma ousted the government without bloodshed and banned all political parties. In 1972, a referendum, in which Eyadéma ran unopposed, confirmed his role as the country's president (which would continue for an additional 33 years). Through much of the 1990s Togo experienced antigovernment demonstrations and violent clashes with security forces, but President Eyadéma gradually gained the upper hand and reemerged with a surer grip on power controlling most aspects of government.
2005 - present - President Eyadéma died in Feb 2005 while on board an airplane en route to France for treatment for a heart attack. His son Faure Gnassingbé was named president by Togo's military following the announcement of his father's death. Under international pressure from the African Union and the United Nations however, who both denounced the transfer of power from father to son as a coup, Gnassingbé was forced to stand for elections in Apr 2005 (which he won in a disputed result). In 2006 President Gnassingbe and members of the opposition signed the Global Political Agreement (GPA) setting up parliamentary elections in Oct 2007 as a way to bring an end to the political crisis. The ruling party, Rally of the Togolese People (RPT), won a majority of the parliamentary seats in the election, which international observers declared "largely" free and fair. President Gnassingbé has now ruled Togo for 21 years, and combined with his father's time in power it means the Gnassingbé family has ruled Togo for almost 60 years, making it Africa's longest lasting dynasty.
Other Non-Political Issues
Section III - Issues of Togo
General Information on Togo:
"All About Togo", Africa.com, Jan 2026, https://africa.com/countries-of-africa/west-africa/togo
“Togo", Nations Online, Jan 2025, hhttps://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/togo.htm
“Togo", Wikipedia, Jun 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Togo or https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Togo
“Togo Country Profile", World Bank Group, Jan 2026, https://data360.worldbank.org/en/economy/TGO
"Togo Facts for Kids", Kids-World-Travel-Guide, Jan 2026, https://www.kids-world-travel-guide.com/togo-facts-for-kids.html
"Destination Togo" (official tourism site), Togolese Republic, 2026, https://destination-togo.com/en
History Links on Togo:
“From Slavery to Dictatorship: A Brief History of Togo’s Struggle", Huffington Post, Nov 2017, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/from-slavery-to-dictatorship-a-brief-history-of-togos_b_5a049f07e4b0204d0c17153f
"Togo's World Heritage sites", UNESCO, 2026, https://www.unesco.org/en/countries/tg
"Togo Explained in 12 Minutes | History, Geography, Culture" (video), Opentiera, May 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0btPZcJsC0c
"The West African kingdom that became a country", Good Governance Africa (GGA), Jan 2020, https://gga.org/the-west-african-kingdom-that-became-a-country/
Current Events Stories on Togo:
“Park rangers and residents speak up to save Togo's last national park", Phys.org, Sep 2026, https://phys.org/news/2026-09-rangers-residents-togo-national.html
"Togo looks like West Africa’s new frontier of violent extremism", The Conversation, May 2022, https://theconversation.com/togo-looks-like-west-africas-new-frontier-of-violent-extremism-183304
"Togo votes in local elections amid outburst of public anger: What to know (The Gnassingbe family has collectively ruled the small West African country since 1967, and many Togolese want change)", Al-Jazeera, Jul 2025, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/17/togo-votes-in-local-elections-amid-outburst-of-public-anger-what-to-know
"Togolese divided on reforms as they vote on Monday", TRTAfrica, Apr 2024, https://www.trtafrika.com/english/article/17950109
"What Togo teaches other countries about tackling neglected diseases", TRTAfrica, Mar 2026, https://www.trtafrika.com/english/article/ff3e4d386239
Other Interesting Links Related To Togo:
"Crossing Overland into Togo from Ghana: The Difference a Line in the Sand Can Make" (blog article), New Mexico Travel Guy, Jan 2024, https://newmexicotravelguy.com/togo/
"Exploring Togo, the African Melting Pot", Starting from Skratch, Mar 2026, https://www.skratch.world/post/exploring-togo-the-african-melting-pot
“In Photos: Endangered Hairstyling Techniques of the Togolese", Atmos, Jan 2025, https://atmos.earth/art-and-culture/in-photos-endangered-hairstyling-techniques-of-the-togolese/
"Life in Togo: Culture" (blog article), Briana Thomas, Aug 2025, https://www.briana-thomas.com/our-life-in-togo-culture/
"This Overlooked African Nation Is Overflowing With History, Adventure, And Voodoo", Thrillist, Feb 2020, https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/things-to-do-in-lome-togo
Section IV - Resources About Togo
ECON and More
Curating articles for K-12 education.
CONTACT
© 2025. All rights reserved.