Togo

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, Togo spends US$171 million on its military, or 2.98 percent of its GDP. This makes Togo the 125th highest military spender in the world and represents 0.009 percent of total global military expenditure.

The military of Togo, the Togolese Armed Forces, consist of a Navy, an Air Force and ground forces. Most of its training and equipment is supplied by France.

Military membership

Togo is also a member of 5 international military organizations. This makes it the 91st most militarily connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
International Atomic Energy Agency
Non-Aligned Movement

Military membership

International wars

Togo has partaken in 1 international war. This is:

First Ivorian Civil War, 2003-2007

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

In total, Togo is a member of 10 international political organizations. This makes it the 144th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member state of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
African Union
Conseil de l'Entente
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
Member states of the Organization internationale de la Francophonie
Organization of Islamic Cooperation
Interpol
Association of World Election Bodies
World Organization for Animal Health

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

Despite having elections every five years, the politics of Togo have been mainly ruled by a single political family which have centralized power to the presidency and have limited or oppressed political opposition. This makes Togo the 132nd most democratic state in the world.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of Togo take place in the form of a republic where the president is the head of state and the Prime Minister is head of government. Both are chosen every five years.

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If you want to know more about other states, click on the flag on the right to discover Tonga.

Known for its white beaches as well as its vegetated landscape, Togo, meaning water shore has had a long history. Before contact with the Europeans, the area was inhabited by the Kwa and Voltaic people who lived a hunter gather lifestyle. After coming into contact with Portuguese explorers at the end of the 15th century, the area became a central trading hub for the trans-Atlantic slave trade. After a brief occupation by Denmark, the area came under German control at the end of the 19th century. After losing the first world war, Germany ceded the territory to France and the United Kingdom which divided it into an eastern and western part. The western part, controlled by the United Kingdom, became incorporated into Ghana while the eastern part became mandated under the United Nations. Following decolonization, Togo declared its independence in 1960. Since its independence, Togo has seen several coups, coup attempts and assassinations. Since the 21st century, political unrest and frictions between the government and opposition parties remained.

Located in West Africa, the geography of Togo mainly consists of low-lying mountains and hills as well as a flat coastal area. Most of its terrain is densely forested with the exception of its urban areas which are mainly situated in the south. In total, Togo borders three other states with Burkina Faso to the north, Benin to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the south and Ghana to the west.

It is the 123rd largest state with a total surface area of 57.069 square kilometers or 22.035 square miles. This makes Togo slightly smaller than Croatia and slightly larger than Latvia.

It has a total water surface area of 2.412 square kilometers or 935 square miles. This makes Togo the 86th largest state in the world.

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

Drinking water in Togo mainly comes from its small rivers as well as underground wells. However, most of this water is unsafe to drink and the majority of the population lacks access to safe drinking water.

The climate of Togo is a tropical climate which is known to have a raining season and a dry season. The tropical climate is mainly situated in the center and the south while its northern parts can be characterized as a savanna climate. The average temperature is 26.8 degrees Celsius or 80 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes Togo the 23rd warmest state in the world.

The average high temperature is 31.2 degrees Celsius or 88 degrees Fahrenheit.

The average low temperature is 22.2 degrees Celsius or 72 degrees Fahrenheit.

The rain season in Togo occurs between April and October and mainly occurs in the southern part of Togo. On average, Togo receives 126.4 centimetres or 49.8 inches of rainfall per year which ranks it as the 70th highest in the world.

The capital of Togo, Lome is home to roughly 1.2 million people. The closest capital is Porto-Novo, Benin, with a distance of 119 kilometers or 74 miles. The capital that is the furthest removed is Funafuti, Tuvalu, with a distance of 19.683 kilometers or 12.230 miles.

The economy of Togo is a developing economy which is largely dependent on subsistence farming. Despite efforts from the international monetary fund to attract foreign investment, it has not achieved enough foreign investment to transition its economy. This is largely due to a lack of infrastructure, large governmental corruption as well as internal unrest. Most of its exported goods are mainly agricultural as well as phosphate and petroleum which are mainly exported to Benin, Burkina Faso and India which combined represent nearly 40 percent of all exports. Most of its imports comes from France and the United States which represent 15 percent of all imports.

Togo is a member of 13 international economic organizations. This makes it the 85th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

African development Bank
International Monetary Fund
Islamic Development Bank
West African Development Bank
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
International Bamboo and Rattan Organization
Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States
Economic Community of West African States
International Renewable Energy Agency
International Solar Alliance
Group of 77

It has a GDP of US$5.809 million, which makes it the 156th highest in the world and represents 0.0069 percent of total global GDP.

Its GDP per surface area is the 145th highest in the world with US$101.793 per square kilometer or US$263.639 per square mile.

Its GDP per capita is the 180th highest in the world with US$728.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power parity per capita is the 182nd highest in the world with US$1636.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

It is the 101st most populous state in the world with a total population of 7.9 million people. Its population is mainly made up of different African groups with the Ewe and the Mina being the largest along with more than 25 other groups. These African tribes each speak their own language but have French as its official language.

It has the 63rd highest population density in the world with 139 people per square kilometer or 361 people per square mile.

Seven percent of the population, or just over 525,000 people, have migrated to other states. This makes Togo the 105th state with the highest number of emigrants and represents 0.21 percent of total global emigration. These are mainly economic migrants due to high unemployment within Togo. Due to its economic situation, a large portion of its educated population have migrated to western Europe while the uneducated population seeks employment in neighbouring states with Nigeria being the largest recipient.

Immigration to Togo is represented by 3.3 percent of the population, or 250,000 people. This makes Togo the 82nd state with the highest number of immigrants and represents 0.1 percent of total global immigration. The main supplier of migrants has been Benin and Niger which have ongoing conflicts with Islamic radicals.

The literacy rate in Togo is 65.4 percent which is the 167th highest in the world. Despite providing free and compulsory education, more than 10 percent of children do not attend school or have a lack of educational material.

The health care system in Togo is an underdeveloped health care system. It is unlikely that this health care system is going to develop in the near future due to the heavy burden of communicable diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria as well as cardiovascular diseases and diseases that result from smoking. The average life expectancy is 62.2 years which is the 162nd highest in the world. Women have an average life expectancy of 63.1 years, while men have an average life expectancy of 61.2 years.

The state of Togo is a secular state that provides freedom of religion.

Christianity is the largest religion in Togo and represents 36.5 percent of the population. This makes Togo the 132nd most Christian state in the world. The largest denomination is the Catholic church which represents roughly 2/3 of all Christians.

On the right, the global share of Christians per state is displayed

Islam is represented by 18 percent of the population which makes it the 60th most Islamic state in the world. The majority of Muslims adhere to the Maliki school of thought, a Sunni branch of Islam. Islam arrived in Togo through Muslim traders and is mainly present in the Hausa tribe.

There are no official Buddhist organizations in Togo.

Hinduism has been recently introduced in Togo and has spread from the Hindu center which is located in Ghana. Currently, it represents less than 0.01 percent of the total population.

Judaism is also represented by a small minority. These are native Togolese which claimed to be part of Judaism.

Other religions are represented by 24.1 percent of the population and are mainly related to voodoo as well as spirit worshiping.

Irreligion is represented by 4.1 percent of the population.