Baguida is a canton and city of the suburbs of

Lomé Lomé ( , ) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities in Togo, largest city of Togo. It has an urban population of 837,437

, the capital of

Togo Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to Ghana–Togo border, the west, Benin to Benin–Togo border, the east and Burkina Faso to Burkina Faso–Togo border, the north. It is one of the le ...

. It was itself once the capital. Baguida is located approximately 13 kilometers east of Lomé. It is situated between the neighborhoods of Damavo, Kagomé, Avépozo and the

littoral The littoral zone, also called litoral or nearshore, is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely i ...

, on national highway 5 leading to

Cotonou Cotonou (; ) is the largest city in Benin. Its official population count was 679,012 inhabitants in 2012; however, over two million people live in the larger urban area. The urban area continues to expand, notably toward the west. The city lies ...

Benin Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...

History

The village of Baguida was created at the end of the 17th century, by a hunter named Sani, a former resident of Bè, today one of Lomé's neighborhoods. This region being located along the Atlantic shore, was at the time completely lush with vegetation and featured numerous game animals and fertile lands. Then, the river Zio ran nearby. Sani and his brethren lived in this natural area, cultivating

cereals A cereal is a grass cultivated for its edible grain. Cereals are the world's largest crops, and are therefore staple foods. They include rice, wheat, rye, oats, barley, millet, and maize (Corn). Edible grains from other plant families, suc ...

tubers Tubers are a type of enlarged structure that plants use as storage organs for nutrients, derived from stems or roots. Tubers help plants perennate (survive winter or dry months), provide energy and nutrients, and are a means of asexual reprod ...

and

fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...

plants. The village became very populated and prosperous, attracting colonisers who founded the capital of Togo between 1884 and 1887. The city's influence stretched towards nearby villages: Avépozo, Kpogan, Noudokopé and Dévégom attracting new migrants from the neighborhoods of Adrométi, Hédzé and Apéyémé. German, French and British colonisers stayed there during their conquering of the territory. On 5 July 1884, the signature of the treaty of Baguida made this settlement (then named ''Bagid''WorldStatesmen- Togo
/ref>) the first capital of

Togoland Togoland, officially the Togoland Protectorate (; ), was a protectorate of the German Empire in West Africa from 1884 to 1914, encompassing what is now the nation of Togo and most of what is now the Volta Region of Ghana, approximately 90,400&nb ...

, a German colony until 1893. From 1887 on,

Sebe Zebe is a small town in Togo, located on the north side of the lagoon near Aného. It was the second capital of the German colony of Togoland from 1887, when it replaced Bagid (present day Baguida) until 1897, when it was itself replaced by the p ...

succeeded Baguida as capital, and in turn passed the title to Lomé in 1897. Meanwhile, in 1891, Togo was under guidance from the Bureau of Colonies, itself linked to the Ministry of German Foreign Affairs.

References

Populated places in Maritime Region, Togo Cantons of Togo {{Togo-geo-stub