Togo Geography
What is the terrain and geography like in Togo?
Overview
Togo, a country of 21,853 square miles, stretches 370 miles from north to south and averages 56 miles in width.Lagoons cross the country to the southeast, separating the mile-wide sandbar along the Bight of Benin from the geographical mainland. To the southwest a low plateau gradually rises, followed by a southwest-northeast mountain range that is from 2,300 to 3,300 feet high. Another plateau lies to the north of the mountain chain, and beyond that, high hills rise in the northeast. An open savanna then unfolds and extends to the Burkina Faso border.
Togo has no navigable rivers, but several rivers have the potential for irrigation, which the Togolese are beginning to exploit. The country’s most fertile areas are in and around the mountain range; the northern savannas are the poorest.
Savanna-type vegetation dominates. Large trees, including the baobab, common in the south, are rarer in the north. Mangrove and reed swamps dot the coastal region, and coconut plantations grow along the sea.
Some deer, antelope, buffalo, warthogs, and hippopotamuses roam the north, and hippos and crocodiles can be found in the southeast. Togo's most common animal life includes monkeys, snakes, lizards, and birds. There are protected forest game preserves at Fazoa and Keran, in the central and savanna regions.
Geography - note
the country's length allows it to stretch through six distinct geographic regions; climate varies from tropical to savanna
Climate
The country is divided climatically into southern and northern zones. The southern tropical average temperatures fluctuate between 70°F and 80°F , with February and March the hottest months, and June, July, and August the coolest. Humidity is high (80%-90%) most of the year. The major dry season extends from the end of November to the end of March; August and early September are also sometimes quite dry.Equatorial conditions in the mountains of Togo support the country’s only rain forest.
Northern temperatures fluctuate between 65°F and over 100°F, and humidity is less than in the south. The northern zone has one rainy and one dry season. In December-January, a cool, dry, dust-laden *quot;harmattan" wind from the Sahara sweeps across the land.
Togo Use of Natural Resources
Togo Environment
Climate:
The country is divided climatically into southern and northern zones. The southern tropical average temperatures fluctuate between 70°F and 80°F , with February and March the hottest months, and June, July, and August the coolest. Humidity is high (80%-90%) most of the year. The major dry season extends from the end of November to the end of March; August and early September are also sometimes quite dry.Equatorial conditions in the mountains of Togo support the country’s only rain forest.
Northern temperatures fluctuate between 65°F and over 100°F, and humidity is less than in the south. The northern zone has one rainy and one dry season. In December-January, a cool, dry, dust-laden *quot;harmattan" wind from the Sahara sweeps across the land.
Terrain:
gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern plateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes
Natural Resources:
phosphates, limestone, marble, arable land
Natural Hazards:
hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during winter; periodic droughts
Irrigated Land:
28 Square Miles73 Square Kilometers
Environmental 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, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreementsTogo Geography
| Geographic Location | Africa |
| Total Area |
21,925 Square Miles 56,785 Square Kilometers |
| Land Area |
20,998 Square Miles 54,385 Square Kilometers |
| Water Area |
927 Square Miles 2,400 Square Kilometers |
| Land Boundaries |
1,023 Miles 1,647 Kilometers |
| Irrigated Land |
28 Square Miles 73 Square Kilometers |
| Border Countries | Benin 644 km, Burkina Faso 126 km, Ghana 877 km |
| Coastline |
35 Miles 56 Kilometers |
| Geographic Coordinates | 8 00 N, 1 10 E |
| Terrain | gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern plateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes |
| Highest Point | 986 Meters |
| Highest Point Location | Mont Agou 986 m |
| Lowest Point Location | Atlantic Ocean 0 m |
| Natural Resources | phosphates, limestone, marble, arable land |
| Time Zone | UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) |