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Home  >  World  > Africa  > Togo General Information Area: 56,785 sq km (21,925 sq miles). Population: 5,018,500 (2000). Population Density: 77.4 per sq km. Capital: Lomé. Population: 700,000 (1997). GEOGRAPHY: Togo shares borders with Burkina Faso to the north, Benin to the east and Ghana to the west, with a short coast on the Atlantic in the south. The country is a narrow strip, rising behind coastal lagoons and swampy plains to an undulating plateau. Northwards, the plateau descends to a wide plain irrigated by the River Oti. The central area is covered by deciduous forest, while savannah stretches to the north and south. In the east, the River Mono runs to the sea; long sandy beaches shaded by palms characterise the coastline between Lomé and Cotonou in Benin. Government: Republic since 1967. Gained independence from France in 1960. Head of State: President Gnassingbé Eyadéma since 1967. Head of Government: Prime Minister Kodjo Messan Agbeyome since 2000. Language: French is the official language, while Ewe, Watchi and Kabiyé are the most widely spoken African languages. Very little English is spoken. Religion: 50 per cent Traditional or Animist, 35 per cent Christian and 15 per cent Muslim. Time: GMT. Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50Hz single phase. Plugs are square or round two-pin. Communications:   Telephone IDD is available to main cities. Country code: 228. There are no area codes. Outgoing international code: 00. Mobile telephone GSM 900 network covers main urban areas. Operators include Togo Telecom (website: www.togotel.net.tg) and Telecel Togo (website: www.telecel.tg). Fax Available in Internet cafes. Internet ISPs include Togo Telecom (website: www.togotel.net.tg). Public access is available in Internet cafes all over the country. Telegram The telegram service is dependable; messages to France and West Africa are less expensive. Post Postal facilities are limited to main towns. Post Restante facilities are available and are very reliable. Airmail to Western Europe takes at least two weeks. Press The main newspaper is the government-owned Togo-Presse, published in French, Kabiyé and Ewe. Les Echos du Matin is an independent daily. BBC World Service and Voice of America frequencies: From time to time these change. BBC (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice): MHz 17.83 15.40 11.77 7.160 Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov): MHz 15.58 11.98 6.035 0.909 Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd. Terms and Conditions apply.