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Frederick and his mum Amida, Togo
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Togo Travel Guide
Key Facts
Geography
Area:
56,785 sq km (21,925 sq miles).
Population:
6.6 million (2009).
Population density:
116 per sq km.
Capital:
Lomé. Population: 746,000 (2009).
Government:
Republic since 1967. Gained independence from France in 1960.
Head of state:
President Faure Gnassingbe since April 2005 (succeeded his father, Gnassingbe Eyadema, after his death in February 2005).
Head of government:
Prime Minister Kwesi Ahoomey-Zunu since 2012.
Electricity:
220 volts AC, 50Hz single phase. Plugs are square or round two-pin.
Togo is a tiny sliver of a country but manages to squeeze in dense forests, savannah, coastal lagoons, long sandy beaches and swampy plains. Despite its uncertain political situation, the country boasts many captivating wonders.
The capital city Lomé lies on the Gulf of Benin. Modern hotels line the beach, while the city's past can be uncovered among the pockets of colonial architecture and its traditions discovered in the famous fetish market, which sells traditional remedies and carved figures to ward off evil.
Togo's national parks are home to buffaloes, elephants and antelope, as well as numerous tropical bird species. Coffee and cocoa farms, waterfalls and palm plantations characterise the country's plateau, which rises behind the coast. In northeastern Togo, the traditional mud-tower settlements of the Batammariba in the Koutammakou landscape gained UNESCO World Heritage status in 2004.
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