Geography

Togo is located in West Africa along the South Coast. The country sits on the Gulf of Guinea. Togo is a small nation in size and is slightly smaller than the state of West Virginia. Lome is the capital of Togo and it is the nation's largest city. The coordinates are 6.1725 degrees N and 1.214 degrees E.

Togo is a long strip that is not very wide at the base. Because of this, it covers a large variety of topography. There are six distinct regions in Togo. There is the Plateau region, the Lake Regions, the Mountains Regions, the Rivers and the Coastline.

The south is known for its lagoons and marshes that turn into the savanna as one moves northward into the country. The center of the country is low lying hills while the northern parts of the nation are flat. In the southwestern portion of the country are the Togo Mountains. The stretch from the southwest into central Togo and the highest mountain has a height of 3, 235 feet.

Togo also has several small lakes including the largest lake which is Lake Togo. Lake Togo is in Lome near the Gulf of Guinea and is separated by a narrow strip of land. It is a shallow lagoon and is the destination for many tourists.

The longest and most significant river in Togo is the Mono river. It is 250 miles long and has many tributaries. The river was dammed in the 1980s and has helped to maintain the flow of the river and keep flooding to a minimum. The river flows into the Gulf.

Because the country has so much diversity in its regions, much of it has not been developed and remains forested. It has a tropical climate with some parts of the country receiving 35 inches of rain and other parts receiving 70 inches annually. The distinct regions have led to a separation in the culture and the people. In recent times this has shifted but in the past there was not as much of a sense of nationwide unity. The people of the different regions simply live very different lives. Togo is also protected by the nations around it and has been able to stay safe due to its location for most of history. They also are not susceptible to attack from the ocean because they do not have a very big coast. The geography of Togo has helped play a role shaping it into the nation it is today.

Sources

 Echenberg, Myron. "Togo." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Accessed May 12, 2016. http://www.britannica.com/place/Togo.

"Togo Geography." Geography of Togo, Landforms. Accessed May 12, 2016. http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/africa/togo/tgland.htm#page.