Togo Travel Guide

Togo is a narrow country in West Africa, sandwiched between Ghana on the west and Benin on the east. Togo gained its independence from France in 1960. In 1967, Gnassingbé Eyadéma, the former leader of the country, led a successful military coup, after which he became President. Eyadéma was the longest-serving leader in African history (after being president for 38 years) at the time of his death in 2005. In 2005, his son Faure Gnassingbé was elected president. About a third of the population live below the international poverty line of US$1.25 a day. Maritime Togo is located along the short Atlantic coast and includes the city of Lomé, the region that most visitors and tourists see.