Togo:
Geography

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Other pages in this profile of Togo:
People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.


Background	Definition 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 multiparty 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 fire from international organizations for human rights abuses, Togo is finally being re-welcomed into the international community.

Location	Definition Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Benin and Ghana
Geographic coordinates	Definition 8 00 N, 1 10 E
Map references	Definition Africa
Area	Definition - World rank and map total: 56,785 sq km land: 54,385 sq km water: 2,400 sq km
Area - comparative	Definition slightly smaller than West Virginia
Land boundaries	Definition total: 1,647 km border countries: Benin 644 km, Burkina Faso 126 km, Ghana 877 km
Coastline	Definition 56 km
Maritime claims	Definition territorial sea: 30 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate	Definition tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Terrain	Definition gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern plateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes
Elevation extremes	Definition lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Agou 986 m
Natural resources	Definition phosphates, limestone, marble, arable land
Land use	Definition - World rank and map arable land: 44.2% permanent crops: 2.11% other: 53.69% (2005)
Irrigated land	Definition 70 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources	Definition 14.7 cu km (2001)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)	Definition total: 0.17 cu km/yr (53%/2%/45%) per capita: 28 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards	Definition hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during winter; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues	Definition 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	Definition party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note	Definition the country's length allows it to stretch through six distinct geographic regions; climate varies from tropical to savanna