Geography and Demographics of Togo, Africa

Country of Togo, Africa

Geography and Demographics

Officially known as the Togolese Republic, Togo is a small country of only 21,925 square miles with an average density of 253 people per square mile. Togo is twice the size of Maryland and lies on the southern coast of West Africa. It borders Ghana to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Benin to the east. Togo borders the Gulf of Guinea and is only thirty-two miles long, the only port being at the capital, Lomé. Togo is low and sandy, but hills crisscross the central section, savanna in the north, and savanna and woodland areas in the south. Togo has two rainy seasons, one in April that last four months, and one in September that lasts three months. According to a 2009 estimate, the population size is 6,619,000. Togo is divided into the five regions for the purposes of economic planning: Savanes, Kara, Centrale, Plateaux and Maritime. These regions are further divided into 30 prefectures and 1 commune, each headed by a district chief assisted by a district council. The local administrative system is accompanied by traditional authorities, which include traditional ethnic kings or chiefs, village chiefs, and heads of family groups, also playing a role in the judicial system.

History

Togo’s name comes from togodo, which means ‘behind the lake’ in Ewe, a reference to Lake Togo. Togo has little written history before the late 15th century. The Voltaic peoples and the Kwa were the earliest known inhabitants of Togo, settling along the coast, followed by the Ewe and the Ane. By the 15th century, the Portuguese arrived and built forts in the neighboring countries of Ghana and Benin. Due to the lack of natural harbors, the region of Togo was overlooked. In the 16th century, the sla...

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