Global - Technology - Review

Togo’s territory is a narrow strip of land in West Africa, 360 miles long. It is less than a hundred miles across at its widest point. The climate is tropical. There are about forty different ethnic groups, of whom the largest are the Ewe. The landscape is mainly savannah, with marshes along the thirty five miles of coastline on the Bight of Benin. The country has been under the rule of a single family for over forty years, and questions have been raised over human rights. The economy is based on subsistence agriculture, mainly coffee, cotton and cocoa. The Nangbeto dam on the Mono River provides hydroelectric power for Togo and neighbouring Benin. Traditional crafts include wood carving and dyed batik fabrics. Koutammakou, in the north, has been designated a World Heritage Landscape. Here the Batammariba people have used mud to construct their traditional round tower-houses, and spherical granaries. The houses can be up to two storeys high. The capital is Lome, which has some good beaches, as well as the large and bustling Grand Market. However crime has been on the increase in Lome, and pickpocketing and theft are common in both these areas.