Lomé is the

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used fo ...

and largest city of

Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its ...

. It has an urban population of 837,437Résultats définitifs du RGPH4 au Togo
while there were 1,477,660 permanent residents in its metropolitan area as of the 2010 census. Located on the

Gulf of Guinea The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean from Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian (zero degrees latitude and longitude) is in the ...

at the southwest corner of the country, with its entire western border along the easternmost point of

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in Ghana–Ivory Coast border, the west, Burkina ...

Volta Region Volta Region (or Volta) is one of Ghana's sixteen administrative regions, with Ho designated as its capital. It is located west of Republic of Togo and to the east of Lake Volta. Divided into 25 administrative districts, the region is multi-e ...

, Lomé is the country's administrative and industrial center, which includes an oil refinery. It is also the country's chief port, from where it exports

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

cocoa Cocoa may refer to: Chocolate * Chocolate * ''Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree * Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao'' * Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter and ...

copra Copra (from ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted from copr ...

, and

oil palm ''Elaeis'' () is a genus of palms containing two species, called oil palms. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. The African oil palm '' Elaeis guineensis'' (the species name ''guineensis'' referring to its co ...

kernels.

History

Lomé Togo Weg nach dem Gouverneurspalast 1904

The city was founded by the Ewes and thereafter in the 19th century by

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, British and African traders, becoming the capital of

Togoland Togoland was a German Empire protectorate 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 km2 (29,867 sq mi) in size. During the period k ...

in 1897.

Climate

Owing to its location in the

Dahomey Gap In West Africa, the Dahomey Gap refers to the portion of the Guinean forest-savanna mosaic that extends all the way to the coast in Benin, Togo, and Ghana, thus separating the forest zone that covers much of the south of the region into two separ ...

, Lomé has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

''Aw'') despite its latitude close to the equator. The capital of Togo is relatively dry with an annual average rainfall of and on average 59 rainy days per year. Despite this, the city experiences heavy fog most of the year from the northern extension of the Benguela Current and receives a total of 2,330 bright sunshine hours annually. Comparably dry inland West African cities like

Bamako Bamako ( bm, ߓߡߊ߬ߞߐ߬ ''Bàmakɔ̌'', ff, 𞤄𞤢𞤥𞤢𞤳𞤮 ''Bamako'') is the capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2009 population of 1,810,366 and an estimated 2022 population of 2.81 million. It is located on the Niger River ...

Kano Kano may refer to: Places * Kano State, a state in Northern Nigeria *Kano (city), a city in Nigeria, and the capital of Kano State ** Kingdom of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between the 10th and 14th centuries ** Sultanate of Kano, a Hausa kingdom betwe ...

expect between 2,900 and 3,000 hours of sunshine annually. The annual mean temperature is about but heat is constant as monthly mean temperatures range from in July, the least hot month of the year to in February and in April, the hottest months of the year.

International agreements

Lomé Convention

The

Lomé Convention The Lomé Convention is a trade and aid agreement between the European Economic Community (EEC) and 71 African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries, first signed in February 1975 in Lomé, Togo. History The first Lomé Convention (Lomé I) ...

is a trade and aid agreement between the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been ...

(EU) and 71 African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries. It was first signed on 28 February 1975, in Lomé.

Lomé Peace Accord

The

Lomé Peace Accord Lomé is the capital and largest city of Togo. It has an urban population of 837,437

between the warring parties in the civil war in

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

was signed in Lomé. With the assistance of the international community, Sierra Leone President

Ahmad Tejan Kabbah Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah (February 16, 1932 – March 13, 2014) was a Sierra Leonean politician who served twice as the 3rd President of Sierra Leone, from 1996 to 1997 and again from 1998 to 2007. An economist and attorney by profession, Ka ...

and

Revolutionary United Front The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) was a rebel group that fought a failed eleven-year war in Sierra Leone, beginning in 1991 and ending in 2002. It later transformed into a political party, which still exists today. The three most senior surv ...

leader

Foday Sankoh Foday Saybana Sankoh (17 October 1937 – 29 July 2003) was the founder of the Sierra Leone rebel group Revolutionary United Front (RUF), which was supported by Charles Taylor-led NPFL in the 11-year-long Sierra Leone Civil War, starting i ...

signed the Peace Accord on 7 July 1999. However, the agreement did not last and the

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

continued for two more years.

Demographics

Culture

The Togo National Museum is in the Palais de Congrès. The museum contains collections,

jewelry Jewellery (British English, UK) or jewelry (American English, U.S.) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, ring (jewellery), rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be at ...

musical instrument A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person who pl ...

doll A doll is a model typically of a human or humanoid character, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have also been used in traditional religious rituals throughout the world. Traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and wood are foun ...

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and po ...

, weapons and many other objects showing the arts and traditions.

Places of worship

File: Cathedral Lome ext.jpg , Sacred Heart Cathedral, Lomé (

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

) File: Église Baptiste le Sauveur de Lomé.jpg, The Savior Baptist Church in Lomé (

Togo Baptist Convention The Togo Baptist Convention (french: Convention baptiste du Togo) is a Baptist Christian denomination in Togo. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance. The headquarters is in Lomé. History The Convention has its origins in the establ ...

) Among the

places of worship A place of worship is a specially designed structure or space where individuals or a group of people such as a congregation come to perform acts of devotion, veneration, or religious study. A building constructed or used for this purpose is somet ...

, they are predominantly

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

churches and temples :

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lomé The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lomé ( la, Lomen(sis)) is the Metropolitan See for the Ecclesiastical province of Lomé in Togo. History * April 12, 1892: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Togo from the Apostolic Prefecture of Dahomey ...

(

Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Togo The Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Togo is a church of the Bremen Mission, which began its work in the Volta region in Ghana. The first congregation was established in 1893. The church was established at the end of the 19th century. At the tim ...

(

World Communion of Reformed Churches The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) is the largest association of Calvinist churches in the world. It has 230 member denominations in 108 countries, together claiming an estimated 80 million people, thus being the fourth-largest Chris ...

(

Baptist World Alliance The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) is the largest international Baptist organization with an estimated 51 million people in 2022 with 246 member bodies in 128 countries and territories. A voluntary association of Baptist churches, the BWA accoun ...

Living Faith Church Worldwide Living Faith Church Worldwide (also known as Winners' Chapel) is an Evangelical charismatic Christian denomination and a megachurch. The headquarters is located in Ota, Nigeria. The organization has since become a global network of churches w ...

Redeemed Christian Church of God The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) is a Pentecostal megachurch and denomination founded in Lagos, Nigeria. The General overseer (most senior pastor) is Enoch Adeboye, ordained in 1981. The church in Lagos had an average church attendanc ...

Assemblies of God The Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches that together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination."Assemblies of God". ...

. There are also Muslim mosques.

Education

The

University of Lomé The University of Lomé (french: Université de Lomé; abbreviated UL) is the largest university in Togo. Located in the city of Lomé, it was founded in 1970 as University of Benin (french: Université du Bénin) and changed its name to the Unive ...

(previously called University of Benin), located in Lomé Tokoin, was founded in 1970. Schools located in the city include

American International School of Lomé The American International School of Lomé (AISL) is a K-12 private coeducational day school in Kégué, a suburb north of Lomé, Togo which includes a pre-school (referred to as the Child Development Center). History AISL was created in 1967 to ...

, British School of Lomé, Ecole Internationale Arc-en-Ciel and

Lycée Français de Lomé The Lycée Français de Lomé (LFL) is a French international school in Nyékonakpoé, Lomé, Togo. It includes ''primaire'' (primary), ''collège'' (junior high school), and ''lycée'' (senior high school) levels. Its current primary school f ...

Twin towns – sister cities

Lomé is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with: *

Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in No ...

, Germany (2010) *

Shenzhen Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major Sub-provincial division, sub-provincial city and one of the Special economic zones of China, special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pea ...

, China (1997) *

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...

, Taiwan (1966)

Notable people

Emmanuel Adebayor Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor (; born 26 February 1984) is a Togolese professional footballer who plays as a striker for Togolese Championnat National club Semassi. He previously played for English clubs Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur ...

, footballer for

and the Paraguan side Olympia Asuncion *

Kangni Alem Kangni Alem (born 21 April 1966 in Lomé) is a Togolese writer, translator and literary critic . He is also a playwright and director, who in 1989 founded the Atelier Théâtre de Lomé ("Theatre Workshop of Lomé"). In 2003, he received the ...

, writer *

Gnimdéwa Atakpama Gnimdéwa Atakpama (born 19 April 1977 in Lomé) is a Togolese Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to ...

, journalist and writer *

Yaovi Aziabou Yaovi Aziabou (born 11 September 1990) is a Togolese former professional footballer who played as a defender. He made one appearance for the Togo national team in 2010. Club career Born in Lomé, Aziabou began his career with Planète Foot and ...

, Togolese professional footballer *

Nicole Coste Albert II – Website of the Palace of Monaco (Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre Grimaldi; born 14 March 1958) is Prince of Monaco, since 2005. Albert was born at the Prince's Palace of Monaco, and he is the second child and only son of Prince Ra ...

, Air France flight attendant, mother of

Alexandre Coste Alexandre Grimaldi-Coste (born 24 August 2003) is the son of Prince Albert II of Monaco and Nicole Coste. As his parents never married, Grimaldi-Coste is not in the line of succession to the Monegasque throne. Early life Born Éric Alexandre ...

(the son of Albert II, Prince of Monaco) *

Christiane Akoua Ekué Christiane Tchotcho Akoua Ekué (born 1954) is a Togolese writer writing in French and a publisher. Biography Ekué is the daughter of an accountant and a teacher, she was born in Lomé in 1954. Her family spoke Mina at home. She attended the ...

, writer * Sika Foyer, visual artist * Emmanuel Kavi, artist * Senam Langueh, Togolese former international footballer *

King Mensah King Mensah (born August 12, 1971), also known as "The Golden Voice of Togo", is a Togolese singer from West Africa. Though based in Lomé, he regularly records and promotes his albums in Paris, and has embarked on several world tours since 2005. ...

, popular Afropop musician * Amadou Morou, Togolese- Polish footballer *

Davide-Christelle Sanvee Davide-Christelle Sanvee (1993, Lomé) is a Swiss artist of Togolese origin who works and lives between Geneva and Amsterdam. She is particularly known for her participatory performances, which regularly address socio-political issues. In 2019, s ...

, Swiss performance artist of Togolese origin * Marie Madoé Sivomey, first female mayor in Togo, served as mayor of Lomé from 1967 to 1974

References

Bibliography

External links

The Olympio family

Togo Woezon Tourism
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lome Capitals in Africa Ghana–Togo border crossings Populated places established in the 18th century Populated places in Maritime Region Port cities in Africa 18th-century establishments in Africa