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| History Edit This Young Eyadema Young Eyadema The Ewes moved into the area, which is now Togo from the Niger river valley between the 12th and 14th centuries. During the 15th and 16th centuries Portuguese explorers and traders visited the coast. For the next 200 years the coastal region was a major raiding center for Europeans in search of slaves earning Togo and the surrounding region the name "The Slave Coast." In 1884 treaty signed at Togoville Germany declared a protectorate over a stretch of territory along the coast and gradually extended its control inland. Because it became Germany's only self- supporting colony Togoland was known as its model possession. In 1914 Togoland was invaded by French and British forces and fell after brief resistance. Following the war Togoland became a League of Nations mandate divided for administrative purposes between France and the United Kingdom. |
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| After World War II the mandate became a UN trust territory administered by
the United Kingdom and France. During the mandate and trusteeship periods
Western Togo was administered as part of the British Gold Coast. In 1957 the
residents of British Togoland voted to join the Gold Coast as part of the
new independent nation of Ghana. By statute in 1955 French Togo became an autonomous republic within the French union although it retained its UN trusteeship status. A legislative assembly elected by universal adult suffrage had considerable power over internal affairs with an elected executive body headed by a prime minister responsible to the legislature. These changes were embodied in a constitution approved in a 1956 referendum. On September 10 1956 Nicholas Grunitzky became prime minister of the Republic of Togo. However due to irregularities in the plebiscite an unsupervised general election was held in 1958 and won by Sylvanus Olympio. On April 27 1960 in a smooth transition Togo severed its judicial ties with France shed its UN trusteeship status and became fully independent under a provisional constitution with Olympio as president. A new constitution in 1961 established an executive president elected for seven years by universal suffrage and a weak National Assembly. The president was empowered to appoint ministers and dissolve the assembly holding a monopoly of executive power. In elections that year from which Grunitzky's party was disqualified Olympio's party won 90% of the vote and all 51 National Assembly seats and he became Togo's first elected president. During this period four principal political parties existed in Togo: the leftist Juvento (Togolese youth movement); the Union Democratique des Populations Togolaises (IDPT); the Parti Togolais Du Progres (PTP) founded by Grunitzky but having limited support; and the Unite Togolaise (UT) the party of President Olympio. Rivalries between elements of these parties had begun as early as the 1940s and they came to a head with Olympio dissolving the opposition parties in January 1962 ostensibly because of plots against the majority party government. Many opposition members including Grunitzky fled to avoid arrest. On January 13 1963 President Olympio was assassinated in an uprising of army non-commissioned officers dissatisfied with conditions following their discharge from the French army. Grunitzky returned from exile two days later to head a provisional government with the title of prime minister. On From south to north, Togo is made up of five successive geographic regions. In the extreme south is a narrow sandy coastal strip (c.30 mi/50 km long), which is fringed by lagoons and creeks. A region (c.50 mi/80 km wide) of fertile clay soils lies north of the coast. The third region is made up of the clay-covered Mono Tableland, which reaches an altitude of c.1,500 ft (460 m) and is drained by the Mono River. During the next several years the Grunitzky government's power became insecure. On November 21 1966 an attempt to overthrow Grunitzky-inspired principally by civilian political opponents in the UT party-was unsuccessful. Grunitzky then tried to lessen his reliance on the army but on January 13 1967 Lt. Col. Etienne Eyadema (later Gen. Gnassingbe Eyadema) ousted President Grunitzky in a bloodless military coup. Political parties were banned and all constitutional processes were suspended. The committee of national reconciliation ruled the country until April 14 when Eyadema assumed the presidency. In late 1969 a single national political party the Assembly of the Togolese People (RPT) was created and President Eyadema was elected party president on November 29 1969. In 1972 a national referendum in which Eyadema ran unopposed confirmed his role as the country's president. In late 1979 Eyadema declared a third republic and a transition to a more civilian rule with a mixed civilian and military cabinet. He garnered 99.97% of the vote in uncontested presidential elections held in late 1979 and early 1980. A new constitution also provided for a national assembly to serve primarily as a consultative body. Eyadema was reelected to a third consecutive seven-year term in December 1986 with 99.5% of the vote in an uncontested election. On September 23 1986 a group of some 70 armed Togolese dissidents crossed into Lome from Ghana in an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the Eyadema government. In 1989 and 1990 Togo like many other countries was affected by the wind of democratic change sweeping eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. On October 5 1990 the trial of students who handed out anti-government tracts sparked riots in Lome. The months that followed were marked by anti-government demonstrations and violent clashes with the security forces. In April 1991 the government began negotiations with newly formed opposition groups and agreed to a general amnesty which permitted exiled political opponents to return to Togo. After a general strike and further demonstrations the government and opposition signed an agreement to hold a "national forum" on June 12 1991. The national forum dominated by opponents of President Eyadema opened in July 1991 and immediately declared itself to be a sovereign "National Conference." Although subjected to severe harassment from the government the conference drafted an interim constitution calling for a one-year transitional regime tasked with organizing free elections for a new government. The conference selected Kokou Joseph Koffigoh a lawyer and human rights group head as transitional prime minister but kept President Eyadema as chief of state for the transition although with limited powers. A test of wills between the president and his opponents followed over the next three years during which President Eyadema gradually gained the upper hand. This period was marked by frequent political paralysis and intermittent violence. Following a vote by the transitional legislature (High Council of the Republic) to dissolve the President's political party-the RPT-in November 1991 the army attacked the prime minister's office on December 3 and captured the prime minister. Under duress Koffigoh then formed a second transition government in January 1992 with substantial participation by ministers from the President's party. Opposition leader Gilchrist Olympio son of the slain president Sylvanus Olympio was ambushed and seriously wounded apparently by soldiers on May 5 1992 and another opposition leader Tavio Amorin was assassinated in July. In July and August 1992 a commission composed of presidential and opposition representatives negotiated a new political agreement. This agreement extended the transition period until the end of 1992 and restored substantial power to President Eyadema. A new third transition government was formed by Prime Minister Koffigoh with considerable participation by supporters of President Eyadema. The government was mandated to hold elections in the near future. On September 27 the public overwhelmingly approved the text of a new democratic constitution formally initiating Togo's fourth republic. The democratic process was set back on October 22-23 1992 when elements of the army held the interim legislature hostage for 24 hours. This effectively put an end to the interim legislature. In retaliation on November 16 opposition political parties and labor unions declared a general strike intended to force President Eyadema to agree to satisfactory conditions for elections. The general strike largely shut down Lome for months and resulted in severe damage to the economy. In January 1993 President Eyadema declared the transition at an end and reappointed Koffigoh as prime minister under Eyadema's authority. This set off public demonstrations and on January 25 members of the security forces fired on peaceful demonstrators in the presence of the French Cooperation Minister and German Minister of State for Foreign Affairs killing at least 19. In the ensuing days several security force members were waylaid and injured or killed by civilian oppositionists. On January 30 1994 elements of the military went on an eight-hour rampage throughout Lome firing indiscriminately and killing at least 12 people. This incident provoked more than 300 000 Togolese to flee Lome for Benin Ghana or the interior of Togo. Although most had returned by early 1996 some still remain abroad. On March 25 1993 armed Togolese dissident commandos based in Ghana attacked Lome's main military camp and tried unsuccessfully to kill President Eyadema. They inflicted significant casualties however which set off lethal reprisals by the military against soldiers thought to be associated with the attackers. Under substantial domestic and foreign pressure and the burden of the general strike the presidential faction entered negotiations with the opposition in early 1993. Four rounds of talks led to the July 11 Ouagadougou agreement setting forth conditions for upcoming presidential and legislative elections and ending the general strike as of August 3 1993. The presidential elections were set for August 25 but hasty and inadequate technical preparations concerns about fraud and the lack of effective campaign organization by the opposition led the chief opposition candidates-former minister and Organization of African Unity Secretary General Edem Kodjo and lawyer Yawovi Agboyibo-to drop out of the race before election day and to call for a boycott. President Eyadema won the elections by a 96.42% vote against token opposition. About 36% of the voters went to the polls; the others boycotted. A new commando attack on military sites in Lome was launched by Ghana-based armed dissidents on January 5-7 1994. Although President Eyadema was unscathed the attack and subsequent reaction by the Togolese armed forces resulted in hundreds of deaths mostly civilian. The government went ahead with legislative elections on February 6 and February 20 1994. In generally free and fair polls as witnessed by international observers the allied opposition parties UTD and CAR together won a narrow majority in the National Assembly. On April 22 President Eyadema named Edem Kodjo the head of the smaller opposition party the UTD as prime minister instead of Yawovi Agboyibo whose CAR party had far more seats. Kodjo's acceptance of the prime ministership provoked the CAR to break the opposition alliance and refuse to join the Kodjo government. Kodjo was then forced to form a governing coalition with the RPT. The National Assembly approved the new government about half of whose cabinet members were associated with the RPT on June 24. Kodjo's announced program emphasized economic recovery building democratic institutions and the rule of law and the return of Togolese refugees abroad. In early 1995 the government made slow progress toward its goals aided by the CAR's August 1995 decision to end a nine-month boycott of the National Assembly. By late 1995 however Kodjo was forced to reshuffle his government strengthening the representation by Eyadema's RPT party. Since the beginning of 1996 it has been increasingly clear that Eyadema has resumed control of most aspects of government. On December 15 1994 the National Assembly approved a general amnesty for political offenses resulting in the release of more than two dozen prisoners. In August 1995 the government signed an accord with the UNHCR on the repatriation of Togolese refugees who remained in Ghana and Benin. _________Economy Edit This Economy—overview: This small sub-Saharan economy is heavily dependent on both commercial and subsistence agriculture which provides employment for more than 60% of the labor force. Cocoa coffee and cotton together generate about 30% of export earnings. Togo is self-sufficient in basic foodstuffs when harvests are normal with occasional regional supply difficulties. In the industrial sector phosphate mining is by far the most important activity although it has suffered from the collapse of world phosphate prices and increased foreign competition. Togo serves as a regional commercial and trade center. The government's decade-long effort supported by the World Bank and the IMF to implement economic reform measures encourage foreign investment and bring revenues in line with expenditures has stalled. Political unrest including private and public sector strikes throughout 1992 and 1993 has jeopardized the reform program shrunk the tax base and disrupted vital economic activity. The 12 January 1994 devaluation of the currency by 50% provided an important impetus to renewed structural adjustment; these efforts were facilitated by the end of strife in 1994 and a return to overt political calm. The 1998 presidential elections provide an important opportunity for Togo's evolving political system to demonstrate that the country can participate in a peaceful and effective manner with World Bank and IMF programs. Progress depends on continuing privatization increased transparency in government accounting to accommodate increased social service outlays and possible downsizing of the military on which the regime has depended to stay in place. GDP: purchasing power parity—$6.2 billion (1997 est.) GDP—real growth rate: 4.8% (1997 est.) GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$1 300 (1997 est.) GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 32% industry: 23% services: 45% (1995) Inflation rate—consumer price index: 15.7% (1995) Labor force: total: 1.538 million (1993 est.) by occupation: agriculture 65% industry 5% services 30% (1997 est.) Unemployment rate: NA% Budget: revenues: $232 million expenditures: $252 million including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.) Industries: phosphate mining agricultural processing cement; handicrafts textiles beverages Industrial production growth rate: 13.6% (1995) Electricity—capacity: 34 000 kW (1995) Electricity—production: 90 million kWh (1995) note: imports electricity from Ghana Electricity—consumption per capita: 92 kWh (1995) Agriculture—products: coffee cocoa cotton yams cassava (tapioca) corn beans rice millet sorghum; meat; annual fish catch of 10 000-14 000 tons Exports: total value: $196 million (f.o.b. 1996) commodities: cotton phosphates coffee cocoa partners: Canada 9.2% US 8.1% Taiwan 7.5% Nigeria 6.7% (1995 est.) Imports: total value: $404 million (c.i.f. 1996) commodities: machinery and equipment consumer goods petroleum products partners: Ghana 17.1% China 13.3% France 12.5% Cameroon 6.0% (1995 est.) Debt—external: $1.4 billion (1995) Economic aid: recipient: ODA $NA Currency: 1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes Exchange rates: CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1—608.36 (January 1998) 583.67 (1997) 511.55 (1996) 499.15 (1995) 555.20 (1994) 283.16 (1993) note: beginning 12 January 1994 the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948 Fiscal year: calendar year ___________People Edit This Population: 4 905 827 (July 1998 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 48% (male 1 190 812; female 1 180 739) 15-64 years: 49% (male 1 175 570; female 1 252 274) 65 years and over: 3% (male 48 483; female 57 949) (July 1998 est.) Population growth rate: 3.52% (1998 est.) Birth rate: 45.23 births/1 000 population (1998 est.) Death rate: 10 deaths/1 000 population (1998 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1 000 population (1998 est.) Sex ratio: 2 to 2 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female (1998 est.) Infant mortality rate: 79.8 deaths/1 000 live births (1998 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 58.78 years male: 56.52 years female: 61.12 years (1998 est.) Total fertility rate: 6.6 children born/woman (1998 est.) Nationality: noun: Togolese (singular and plural) adjective: 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 70% Christian 20% Muslim 10% 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: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 51.7% male: 67% female: 37% (1995 est.) :::::::::: Aneho Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see photo An easy 45 kilometer ride from Lome brings you to Aneho. Aneho was the capital of Togo until 1920. It is located very close to the border with Benin and if you are going form Lome to Benin it is an ideal place to stop. Aneho offers three things: old buildings dating back to colonial times, great beaches and fishermen at work. The three combined are enough to keep you here for a day or two. In september Glidji just 4 km north of Aneho, has its famous Guin festival which is worth a look, especially if you are interested in Voodoo parctices (who isn't?) ::::::::Dapaong Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see rock formation near Dapaong rock formation near Dapaong S. Fluegge The northern most town in Togo. It has internet, which is more than can be said about Wa (northern Ghana). No elephants here, they were shot by locals who did not enjoy their mischivous behavior. Good place to stop and drink Tchakpa. :::::::::: Kpalime Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Swimmingpool at Hotel Geyser Swimmingpool at Hotel Geyser Website Hotel Geyser Located in the coffee growing area of Togo, Kpalime is one of the best spots for seeing some incredibly beautiful scenery just two hours from Lome . The area is ideal for hiking. Togo's highest mountain, Mt Agou is just 20 km away. While your in town and not out hiking the hills, check out the market on the Rue du Marche and the Centre Artisanal about 5 km north of the centre on the road to Klouto. You can also find a lot of information about Kpalime on is website: www.kpalime-togo.com Part or or all of this text stems from the original article at: www.kpalime-togo.com :::::::Kara Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Ville de Kara / Tomde Ville de Kara / Tomde Kara-Tg.com Kara is quite a pleasant town, but that's probably not why you are here. It's the beauty of the area that brings you up north. Mont Kabye and Tamberma offer great hiking. The villages of the Tamberma are very beautiful, their castle-like houses are the major attraction. While you are in Kara enjoy the fact that it offers some good accommodation possibilities, a lot more restaurants than the scenic hills around and nightlife. _________Practical Information Edit This [Add Practical address] Hotel Kara Edit This Hotel Kara offers tourist information. It is also possible to book a taxi with driver for one or two days to tour the region (for instance Tamberma, staying overnight in Kante). type: Tourist information World66 rating: [rate it] ________Getting There Edit This Getting there and getting away. Contributors February 02, 2008 new by wendy cuijpers [Add Global transport mode] Crossing the border to Benin Edit This The border between Togo and Benin can easily be crossed from Kara. The road to the border is good and can be taken by taxi. You may book a taxi or taxi-brousse all the way to Djougou, which will probably mean you need to change cars somewhere before the border. It is also possible to take a taxi or taxi-brousse straight to the border, walk across the border to the taxi stand in Benin (some 5-10 minutes walk) and then take a taxi-brousse to Djougou there. The border crossing itself is very easy, but you need to have arranged a visa to Benin before, as it is more.. type: By Road World66 rating: [rate it] _______Things to do Edit This Kara Market Kara Market Wendy Cuijpers Contributors February 02, 2008 new by wendy cuijpers [Add Activity] Market Edit This Kara's market is very big and very crowded. Most shops sell food or food related items. It's great just to sit and watch people doing the thing they do best: haggle. It's a buy-and-sell game, which never stops. type: Other World66 rating: [rate it] :::::::::::::Lome Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Lome is the capital of Togo and a very nice place to be. You can stroll from the city center to some great white sandy beaches, there are colourful markets, a good museum and exciting nightlife. From Lome you can make many daytrips to Davie, Togoville or even Aneho ________________Sights Edit This I lived in Lome for 18months. I can't think why anyone would want to visit as a tourist! Togo is a very poor country with failing infrastructure, rising unemployment and thus crime. The beach in the city area is a no-go area because of muggings. Beaches outside the capital are accessible but the ocean currents make it dangerous for even strong swimmers. Most hotels are in mothballs as nobody has stayed there for a very long time. If you must go check and double check that where you are staying is a viable hotel AND take plenty of malaria medication, use nets at night and anti-bug spray. Contributors February 02, 2008 new by wendy cuijpers [Add Sight] Fetish Market Edit This The fetish market in Lome is a very strange place to visit. The people working there are used to tourists and ask money to allow you to walk around. One of them will then function as a guide and give you some information about all the things that can be bought and about their function in voodoo. type: Streets World66 rating: [rate it] __________Practical Information Edit This == Manger == * [http://www.hotelcotesud.com'''Hotel Côté Sud''']Toute la cuisine du Sud, des Sud, servi par un chef français imaginatif. Petit Hotel de charme situé en centre-ville de Lomé au Togo, à 4km de l'aéroport, proche du Grand-Marché et de la plage, à proximité de tous les services - Bar, Restaurant, Glacier - cuisine de qualité française et exotique - service en salle climatisée et en terrasse - Chambres confortables et climatisées - groupe électrogène - garage - gardiennage - acces internet. (site internet : hotelcotesud.com) == Se loger == * [http://www.hotelcotesud.com'''Hotel Côté Sud''']Petit Hotel de charme situé en centre-ville de Lomé au Togo, à 4km de l'aéroport, proche du Grand-Marché et de la plage, à proximité de tous les services - Bar, Restaurant, Glacier - cuisine de qualité française et exotique - service en salle climatisée et en terrasse - Chambres confortables et climatisées - groupe électrogène - garage - gardiennage - acces internet. (site internet : hotelcotesud.com) :::::::River mono area Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see x The River Mono area is in Togo, Africa. It is the most important river in Togo. It is also in the top three of the largest rivers in Togo. Part or or all of this text stems from the original article at: CIA Factbook ::::::Tamberma Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Tamberma Castle Tamberma Castle Wendy Cuijpers Some 65,000 Tamberma live in the savannahas of Togo, just north of Kara. They practice subsistance farming growing millet, sorguhm, yams, and a variety of other crops. Domestic goats, cattle and guinea fowl supply meat, although hunting and fishing also supplement the diet. The women operate a well-developed market exhange system using both money and cowrey shells as the media for exchange. Extended family units live in highly distinctive two-storied compounds built with extensive layers of sun dried mud with conical thatched roofs almost resembling minature castles. These are the resaon to come here. The best time to visit Tamberma is in the dry season. Head for Kande where you will be assieged by guides offering you trips and huts, haggle and you can get reasonable prices. _________Things to do Edit This Tamberma Castle Tamberma Castle Wendy Cuijpers Contributors February 02, 2008 new by wendy cuijpers [Add Activity] Visit Tamberma Castles Edit This Boy entering Tamberma Castle Boy entering Tamberma Castle photo by: Wendy Cuijpers While driving through the Tamberma region, you come along the strangest buildings. They look like castles with turrets on all four corners, but are made of mud. They are the houses of the Tamberma people, and have been built this way so they could resist the slave hunters a long time ago. The four turrets are not really turrets but enormous storage tanks. The whole family lives there, and voodoo is still very alive. Some families will show you around in exchange for food and drinks. You will probably need to hire somebody to take you there, as they are still more.. type: Other World66 rating: [rate it] :::::::::::Togoville Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Arriving in Togoville by pirogue Arriving in Togoville by pirogue ph On the northern banks of Lake Togo, Togoville is interesting for its history. Slaves from Togoville where transported to Haiti and brought Voodoo to that island. Voodoo is still very big here. The main sights are the Artisanal, where you can see artisans at work, the chucrh nearby with great glass stained windows and the Maison Royal. It's not a lot, but the the location on the lake is really great. |