International Security Bulletin

Togo

Togolese Republic

Capital: Lome

History

French Togoland became Togo in 1960. Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA, installed as military ruler in 1967, ruled Togo with a heavy hand for almost four decades. Despite the facade of multi-party elections instituted in the early 1990s, the government was largely dominated by President EYADEMA, whose Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) party has maintained power almost continually since 1967 and maintains a majority of seats in today's legislature. Upon EYADEMA's death in February 2005, the military installed the president's son, Faure GNASSINGBE, and then engineered his formal election two months later. Democratic gains since then allowed Togo to hold its first relatively free and fair legislative elections in October 2007. After years of political unrest and condemnation from international organizations for human rights abuses, Togo is finally being re-welcomed into the international community. In January 2012, Togo assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2012-13 term.

Geography

Metric Units

Total Area	56,785 sq km
Land Boundaries	1,647 km
Border Countries	Benin 644 km, Burkina Faso 126 km, Ghana 877 km
Coastline	56 km
Terrain	gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern plateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes
Minimum Elevation	0 m
Maximum Elevation	986 m
Climate	tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Natural Resources	phosphates, limestone, marble, arable land
Arable Land	44.2%
Permanent Crops	3.7%

Economy

Gross Domestic Product	$6.9 billion
GDP (per capita)	$1,100
GDP Growth	5%
Unemployment Rate	No data%
Population in Poverty	32%
GINI Index	No data

Budget & Debt

Expenditures	$872.2 million
Revenue	$729.6 million
Current Account Balance	$-418.4 million
External Debt	$No data

Trade

Exports	$893.8 million
Export Items	reexports, cotton, phosphates, coffee, cocoa
Export Partners	China 10.7%, Burkina Faso 8.3%, India 8.3%, Benin 8.2%, Niger 6.3%, Germany 5.7%, Ghana 4.8%, Indonesia 4.7% (2011)
Imports	$1.49 billion
Import Items	machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products
Import Partners	China 32.5%, France 8.7%, Belgium 7.9%, India 6.2%, US 5.1%, UK 4.6% (2011)

People

Population	7,154,237
Population Growth	2.73%
Ethnic Groups	African (37 tribes; largest and most important are Ewe, Mina, and Kabre) 99%, European and Syrian-Lebanese less than 1%
Religion	Christian 29%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 51%
Life Expectancy	63.62 years
Infant Mortality	0.98 deaths/1,000 live births
Maternal Mortality	3.9 deaths/100,000 live births

Energy

Electricity Production	123 million kWh
Electricity Consumption	651 million kWh
From Fossil Fuels	21.2%
From Nuclear	0%
From Hydroelectric	78.8%
From Renewable Sources	0%