Togo

Togo,[a] officially the Togolese Republic,[b] is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north.[16] It is one of the least developed countries and extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its capital, Lomé, is located.[16] It is a small, tropical country, which covers 57,000 square kilometres (22,000 square miles)[17] and has a population of approximately 8 million,[18] and it has a width of less than 115 km (71 mi) between Ghana and its eastern neighbour Benin.[19][20]

Various people groups settled the boundaries of present day Togo between the 11th and 16th centuries. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, the coastal region served primarily as a European slave trading outpost, earning Togo and the surrounding region the name "The Slave Coast". In 1884, Germany declared a region including a protectorate called Togoland. After World War I, rule over Togo was transferred to France. Togo gained its independence from France in 1960.[2][21] In 1967, Gnassingbé Eyadéma led a successful military coup d'état, after which he became president of an anti-communist, single-party state. In 1993, Eyadéma faced multiparty elections marred by irregularities, and won the presidency three times. At the time of his death, Eyadéma was the "longest-serving leader in modern African history", having been president for 38 years.[22] In 2005, his son Faure Gnassingbé was elected president.

Togo is a tropical, sub-Saharan nation[16] whose economy depends mostly on agriculture.[21] The official language is French,[21] but other languages are spoken, particularly those of the Gbe family. 47.8% of the population adhere to Christianity, making it the largest religion in the country.[23] Togo is a member of the United Nations, African Union, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, Francophonie, Commonwealth, and Economic Community of West African States.