re GNASSINGBE. The succession, supported by the military
and in contravention of the nation's constitution, was challenged by
popular protest and a threat of sanctions from regional leaders.
GNASSINGBE succumbed to pressure and agreed to hold elections in
late April 2005.

Geography Togo

Location:
Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Benin and
Ghana

Geographic coordinates:
8 00 N, 1 10 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 56,785 sq km
land: 54,385 sq km
water: 2,400 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than West Virginia

Land boundaries:
total: 1,647 km
border countries: Benin 644 km, Burkina Faso 126 km, Ghana 877 km

Coastline:
56 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 30 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north

Terrain:
gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern plateau;
low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Agou 986 m

Natural resources:
phosphates, limestone, marble, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 46.15%
permanent crops: 2.21%
other: 51.64% (2001)

Irrigated land:
70 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during
winter; periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:
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:
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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
the country's length allows it to stretch through six distinct
geographic regions; climate varies from tropical to savanna

People Togo

Population:
5,681,519
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than woul