Location
Flag
Quick Facts
Capital	Lome
Government	Republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule
Currency	Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF)
Area	56,785 km2
Population	5,285,501
Language	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)
Religion	Indigenous beliefs 51%, Christian 29%, Muslim 20%
Electricity	127-220/50 Hz (European plug)
Calling Code	+228
Internet TLD	.tg
Time Zone	UTC

Togo is a narrow country in West Africa, sandwiched between Ghana on the west and Benin on the east, with a small border with Burkina Faso to the north, and a 56km coastline on the Atlantic Ocean to the south.

Regions

• De La Kara
• Des Plateaux
• Des Savanes
• Centrale
• Maritime

Cities

• Lome
• Atakpame
• Kpalime
• Badou
• Aneho
• Kara
• Dapaong
• Sokode

Understand

Map of Togo

French Togoland became Togo in 1960. General Gnassingbe EYADEMA, installed as military ruler in 1967, is Africa's longest-serving head of state. Despite the facade of multiparty elections instituted in the early 1990s, the government continues to be dominated by President EYADEMA, whose Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) party has maintained power almost continually since 1967. In addition, Togo has come under fire from international organizations for human rights abuses and is plagued by political unrest. Most bilateral and multilateral aid to Togo remains frozen.

Climate

Tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north. To make a specific calculation, however, in the south the climate is 23 degrees celsius to 32 degrees celsius (75 degrees fahrenheit to 90 degrees fahrenheit). In the north the climate is 18 degrees celsius to 38 degrees celsius (65 degrees fahrenheit to 100 degrees fahrenheit).

Landscape

Highly variable stretching from north to south. Gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern plateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes.

Get in

It is cheaper to buy the Togo visa at the border rather than going through traveldocs.com. Traveldocs.com, however will probably be less of a hassle so that you do not need to renew your week-long initial visa or have to pay 30,000 CFA extra.

By plane

Several airlines offer regular flights to Lome. But flying directly to Togo is often more expensive than flying to Accra in neighboring Ghana. Comfortable, air-conditioned, and reasonably priced busses leave Accra for the border at Aflao. At Aflao, travellers must walk across the border into Lome and find their own transport inside Togo.

By train

There are tracks but no train available!

By car

The car is also used inside Togo. It doesn't have to be your car. It can be a taxi or a rental.

By bus

By boat

The boat usually helps you get in or out of Togo.

Get around

A zemidjan (motorcycle taxi) will cost 150-200 CFA to get you around. You can't tell who they taxi drivers are--they will honk or hiss at you as they drive by. Negotiate before getting on the bike. A cab will usually cost about 500CFA for a one-way short trip if you are not willing to share the cab.

Buy

Costs

2,000 CFA (francs) can get 2 or 3 people a taxi ride in Lome of about 20km. A fist-size ebony elephant or other carving costs about 3,000 CFA. 100 CFA is an acceptable payment for another kid to do your homework. A man can have a shirt made for less than $10. (At the time I travelled, 1,000 CFA= $2 USD). A necklace costs about $5.

Eat

• Akume

Corn pounded into flour and then put with water. This dish is usually served with sauces.

• Fufu

White yams pounded into a material somewhat like mashed potatoes. Like akume, the dish usually comes with sauces.

Drink

lemonde

Learn

Work

Stay safe

Stay away from the beach at night. Tourists have been robbed during the daytime as well there. Don't wander around drunk after dark. Keep your street smarts and you should be fine. Also don't let any child wander alone. Don't leave any money around the place you are staying at also. You want to stay as safe as possible!

Stay healthy

Drink bottled water such as Volta or sachets of "Pure Water". Bissop juice is also fairly safe as it is boiled, avoid the lemonade "citron" despite its delicious aspect. Stay away from road-side meals if possible. People relieve themselves in the streets in Lome, so be aware of that.

Respect

Greetings are a little more elaborate in Togo. Say hello to everyone when coming and going. Handshakes are key. Also maybe if you try to get to know them you will fit in. Make sure you make yourself feel like you are at home. Don't make it too homey, though, because you don't want to get on their bad side.

Contact

Lome has Internet cafes, and they are cheap. You buy time by the hour (something like a couple dollars an hour), but most of the cafes feature very slow computers and internet connection speeds. You can buy calling cards along the street. It is, however, much cheaper for people in the United States to call with their calling cards to a Togo cell phone.