Togo ( Republique Togolaise) is a country in Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Benin and Ghana. Togo geographic coordinates 8 00 N, 1 10 E; area 54,385 sq km; area comparative slightly smaller than West Virginia; land boundaries Benin 644 km, Burkina Faso 126 km, Ghana 877 km; coastline 56 km; maritime claims exclusive economic zone:<; climate tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north; terrain gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern plateau; low coastal plain with extensive l; elevation extremes Mont Agou 986 m; natural resources phosphates, limestone, marble, arable land; land use 51.64% (2001); irrigated land 70 sq km (1998 est.); natural hazards hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during winter; periodic droughts; environment current issues deforestation attributable to slash-and-burn agriculture and the use of wood for fuel; water pollution presents health hazards and hinders the fishing industry; air pollution increasing in urban areas; environment international agreements none of the selected agreements; geography note the country's length allows it to stretch through six distinct geographic regions; climate varies from tropical to savanna;

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French Togoland became Togo in 1960. Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA, installed as military ruler in 1967, continued to rule well into the 21st century. Despite the facade of multiparty elections instituted in the early 1990s, the government continued to be dominated by President EYADEMA, whose Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) party maintained power almost continually since 1967. Togo has come under fire from international organizations for human rights abuses and is plagued by political unrest. While most bilateral and multilateral aid to Togo remains frozen, the European Union initiated a partial resumption of cooperation and development aid to Togo in late 2004. Upon his death in February 2005, President EYADEMA was succeeded by his son Faure GNASSINGBE. The succession, supported by the military and in contravention of the nation's constitution, was challenged by popular protest and a threat of sanctions from regional leaders. GNASSINGBE succumbed to pressure and agreed to hold elections in late April 2005. government type republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule; capital Lome; administrative divisions 5 regions (regions, singular - region); Kara, Plateaux, Savanes, Centrale, Maritime; independence 27 April 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship); 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 NA years of age; universal adult;

people

Togo population 5,681,519 estimates for this country explicit; age structure 2.6% (male 60,799/female 86,963) (2005 est.); median age 18.14 years (2005 est.); population growth rate 2.17% (2005 est.); birth rate 33.48 births/1,000 population (2005 est.); death rate 11.8 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.); net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.); sex ratio 0.97 male(s)/female (2005 est.); infant mortality rate 74.24 deaths/1,000 live births; life expectancy at birth 54.7 years (2005 est.); total fertility rate 4.61 children born/woman (2005 est.); hiv adult rate 4.1% (2003 est.); hiv people with aids 110,000 (2003 est.); hiv deaths 10,000 (2003 est.); major infectious diseases malaria and ye; nationality Togolese; ethnic groups native African (37 tribes; largest and most important are Ewe, Mina, and Kabre) 99%, European and Syrian-Lebanese less than 1%; religions indigenous beliefs 51%, Christian 29%, Muslim 20%; languages French (official and the language of commerce), Ewe and Mina (the two major African languages in the south), Kabye (sometimes spelled Kabiye) and Dagomba (the two major African languages in the north); literacy 46.9% (2003 est.);

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