embassy: Avenida de Portugal, Praia dos Conqueiros, Dili
mailing address: US Department of State, 8250 Dili Place,
Washington, DC 20521-8250
telephone: (670) 332-4684
FAX: (670) 331-3206
Flag description:
red, with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side)
superimposed on a slightly longer yellow arrowhead that extends to
the center of the flag; a white star is in the center of the black
triangle
Economy
Timor-Leste
Economy - overview:
In late 1999, about 70% of the economic infrastructure of
Timor-Leste was laid waste by Indonesian troops and
anti-independence militias. Three hundred thousand people fled
westward. Over the next three years a massive international program,
manned by 5,000 peacekeepers (8,000 at peak) and 1,300 police
officers, led to substantial reconstruction in both urban and rural
areas. By the end of 2005, refugees had returned or had settled in
Indonesia. The country continues to face great challenges in
rebuilding its infrastructure, strengthening the civil
administration, and generating jobs for young people entering the
work force. The development of oil and gas resources in offshore
waters has begun to supplement government revenues ahead of schedule
and above expectations - the result of high petroleum prices. The
technology-intensive industry, however, has done little to create
jobs for the unemployed because there are no production facilities
in Timor. Gas is piped to Australia. In June 2005 the National
Parliament unanimously approved the creation of a Petroleum Fund to
serve as a repository for all petroleum revenues and preserve the
value of Timor-Leste's petroleum wealth for future generations. The
Fund held assets of US$1.8 billion as of September 2007. The
mid-2006 outbreak of violence and civil unrest disrupted both
private and public sector economic activity and created 100,000
internally displaced persons - about 10 percent of the population.
While real non-oil GDP growth in 2006 was negative, the economy
probably rebounded in 2007. The underlying economic policy challenge
the country faces remains how best to use oil-and-gas wealth to lift
the non-oil economy onto a higher growth path and reduce poverty. In
late 2007, the new government announced plans aimed at increasing
spending, reducing poverty, and improving the country's
infrastructure, but it continues to face capacity constraints. In
the short term, the government must also address continuing problems
related to the crisis of 2006, especially the displaced Timorese.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$2.608 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$459 million (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
19.8% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$2,500 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 32.2%
industry: 12.8%
services: 55% (2005)
Labor force:
NA
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Unemployment rate:
50% estimated; note - unemployment in urban areas reached 20%; data
do not include underemployed (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line:
42% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
38 (2002 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $733 million
expenditures: $309 million
note: the government passed a transitional budget to cover the
latter half of 2007 and has moved the fiscal cycle to a calendar
year, starting with the budget they passed for 2008 (FY06/07 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7.8% (2007 est.)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
15.05% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$74.94 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$68.78 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
NA (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
coffee, rice, corn, cassava, sweet potatoes, soybeans, cabbage,
mangoes, bananas, vanilla
Industries:
printing, soap manufacturing, handicrafts, woven cloth
Industrial production growth rate:
8.5% (2004 est.)
Electricity - production:
NA kWh
Electricity - consumption:
NA kWh
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
78,480 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - proved reserves:
NA
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
200 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
$1.161 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$10 million; note - excludes oil (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:
coffee, sandalwood, marble; note - potential for oil and vanilla
exports
Exports - partners:
US, Germany, Portugal, Australia, Indonesia (2006)
Imports:
$202 million (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:
food, gasoline, kerosene, machinery
Economic aid - recipient:
$184.7 million (2005 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Currency (code):
US dollar (USD)
Currency code:
USD
Exchange rates:
the US dollar is used
Communications
Timor-Leste
Telephones - main lines in use:
2,400 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
69,000 (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: rudimentary service limited to urban areas
domestic: system suffered significant damage during the violence
associated with independence; extremely limited fixed-line services;
mobile-cellular services and coverage limited primarily to urban
areas
international: country code - 670; international service is
available in major urban centers
Radio broadcast stations:
at least 21 (Timor-Leste has one national public broadcaster and 20
community and church radio stations - frequency type NA)
Radios:
NA
Television broadcast stations:
1 (Timor-Leste has one national public broadcaster)
Televisions:
NA
Internet country code:
.tl
Internet hosts:
285 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
NA
Internet users:
1,200 (2006)
Transportation
Timor-Leste
Airports:
8 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Heliports:
9 (2007)
Roadways:
total: 6,040 km
paved: 2,600 km
unpaved: 3,440 km (2005)
Merchant marine:
total: 1
by type: passenger/cargo 1 (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Dili
Military
Timor-Leste
Military branches:
Timor-Leste Defense Force (Forcas de Defesa de Timor-L'este,
Falintil (FDTL)): Army, Navy (Armada) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
(2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 284,903
females age 16-49: 272,212 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 224,096
females age 16-49: 231,901 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 13,045
female: 12,670 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
NA
Transnational Issues
Timor-Leste
Disputes - international:
Timor-Leste-Indonesia Boundary Committee has resolved all but a
small portion of the land boundary, but discussions on maritime
boundaries are stalemated over sovereignty of the uninhabited coral
island of Pulau Batek/Fatu Sinai in the north and alignment with
Australian claims in the south; many refugees who left Timor-Leste
in 2003 still reside in Indonesia and refuse repatriation; Australia
and Timor-Leste agreed in 2005 to defer the disputed portion of the
boundary for 50 years and to split hydrocarbon revenues evenly
outside the Joint Petroleum Development Area covered by the 2002
Timor Sea Treaty
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 100,000 (2007)
Illicit drugs:
NA
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Togo
Introduction
Togo
Background:
French Togoland became Togo in 1960. Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA,
installed as military ruler in 1967, ruled Togo with a heavy hand
for almost four decades. Despite the facade of multiparty elections
instituted in the early 1990s, the government was largely dominated
by President EYADEMA, whose Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) party
has maintained power almost continually since 1967 and maintains a
majority of seats in today's legislature. Upon EYADEMA's death in
February 2005, the military installed the president's son, Faure
GNASSINGBE, and then engineered his formal election two months
later. Democratic gains since then allowed Togo to hold its first
relatively free and fair legislative elections in October 2007.
After years of political unrest and fire from international
organizations for human rights abuses, Togo is finally being
re-welcomed into the international community.
Geography
Togo
Location:
Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Benin and Ghana
Geographic coordinates:
8 00 N, 1 10 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 56,785 sq km
land: 54,385 sq km
water: 2,400 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than West Virginia
Land boundaries:
total: 1,647 km
border countries: Benin 644 km, Burkina Faso 126 km, Ghana 877 km
Coastline:
56 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 30 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Terrain:
gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern plateau;
low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Agou 986 m
Natural resources:
phosphates, limestone, marble, arable land
Land use:
arable land: 44.2%
permanent crops: 2.11%
other: 53.69% (2005)
Irrigated land:
70 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
14.7 cu km (2001)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.17 cu km/yr (53%/2%/45%)
per capita: 28 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during
winter; periodic droughts
Environment - current 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 agreements
Geography - note:
the country's length allows it to stretch through six distinct
geographic regions; climate varies from tropical to savanna
People
Togo
Population:
5,858,673
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower
population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 41.7% (male 1,226,320/female 1,218,182)
15-64 years: 55.6% (male 1,588,354/female 1,666,274)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 63,508/female 96,035) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 18.6 years
male: 18.2 years
female: 19 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.717% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
36.66 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
9.48 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
NA (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 57.66 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 65.01 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 50.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 58.28 years
male: 56.2 years
female: 60.43 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.85 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
4.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
110,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
10,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in
this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases
possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Togolese (singular and plural)
adjective: Togolese
Ethnic groups:
African (37 tribes; largest and most important are Ewe, Mina, and
Kabre) 99%, European and Syrian-Lebanese less than 1%
Religions:
Christian 29%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 51%
Languages:
French (official and the language of commerce), Ewe and Mina (the
two major African languages in the south), Kabye (sometimes spelled
Kabiye) and Dagomba (the two major African languages in the north)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 60.9%
male: 75.4%
female: 46.9% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 9 years
male: 11 years
female: 7 years (2000)
Education expenditures:
2.6% of GDP (2002)
Government
Togo
Country name:
conventional long form: Togolese Republic
conventional short form: Togo
local long form: Republique togolaise
local short form: none
former: French Togoland
Government type:
republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule
Capital:
name: Lome
geographic coordinates: 6 08 N, 1 13 E
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
5 regions (regions, singular - region); Centrale, Kara, Maritime,
Plateaux, Savanes
Independence:
27 April 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 27 April (1960)
Constitution:
multiparty draft constitution approved by High Council of the
Republic 1 July 1992, adopted by public referendum 27 September 1992
Legal system:
French-based court system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations
Suffrage:
NA years of age; universal (adult)
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Faure GNASSINGBE (since 4 May 2005); note
- Gnassingbe EYADEMA died on 5 February 2005 and was succeeded by
his son, Faure GNASSINGBE, with the support of the military
following international condemnation for the unconstitutional move
he then stepped aside pending elections, and Abass BONFOH served as
interim president; Faure GNASSINGBE later won popular elections in
April 2005
head of government: Prime Minister Gilbert HOUNGBO (since 7
September 2008)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and the
prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(no term limits); election last held 24 April 2005 (next to be held
by 2010); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Faure GNASSINGBE elected president; percent of
vote - Faure GNASSINGBE 60.2%, Emmanuel Akitani BOB 38.3%, Nicolas
LAWSON 1%, Harry OLYMPIO 0.5%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (81 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 14 October 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - RPT 39.4%, UFC 37.0%,
CAR 8.2%, independents 2.5%, other 12.9%; seats by party - RPT 50,
UFC 27, CAR 4
Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Political parties and leaders:
Action Committee for Renewal or CAR [Yawovi AGBOYIBO]; Democratic
Convention of African Peoples or CDPA; Democratic Party for Renewal
or PDR; Juvento [Monsilia DJATO]; Movement of the Believers of Peace
and Equality or MOCEP; Pan-African Patriotic Convergence or CPP;
Rally for the Support for Development and Democracy or RSDD [Harry
OLYMPIO]; Rally of the Togolese People or RPT [Faure GNASSINGBE];
Socialist Pact for Renewal or PSR; Union for Democracy and Social
Progress or UDPS [Gagou KOKOU]; Union of Forces for a Change or UFC
[Gilchrist OLYMPIO]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF,
OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO,
UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Lorempo
LANDJERGUE
chancery: 2208 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 234-4212
FAX: [1] (202) 232-3190
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia McMahon HAWKINS
embassy: 4332 Blvd. Gnassingbe Eyadema, Cite OUA, Lome
mailing address: B. P. 852, Lome; 2300 Lome Place, Washington, DC
20512-2300
telephone: [228] 261-5470
FAX: [228] 261-5501
Flag description:
five equal horizontal bands of green (top and bottom) alternating
with yellow; a white five-pointed star on a red square is in the
upper hoist-side corner; uses the popular pan-African colors of
Ethiopia
Economy
Togo
Economy - overview:
This small, sub-Saharan economy is heavily dependent on both
commercial and subsistence agriculture, which provides employment
for 65% of the labor force. Some basic foodstuffs must still be
imported. Cocoa, coffee, and cotton generate about 40% of export
earnings with cotton being the most important cash crop. Togo is the
world's fourth-largest producer of phosphate. The government's
decade-long effort, supported by the World Bank and the IMF, to
implement economic reform measures, encourage foreign investment,
and bring revenues in line with expenditures has moved slowly.
Progress depends on follow through on privatization, increased
openness in government financial operations, progress toward
legislative elections, and continued support from foreign donors.
Togo is working with donors to write a Poverty Reduction and Growth
Facility (PRGF) that could eventually lead to a debt reduction plan.
Economic growth remains marginal due to declining cotton production,
underinvestment in phosphate mining, and strained relations with
donors.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$5.042 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$2.497 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
2.1% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$900 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 40%
industry: 25%
services: 35% (2003 est.)
Labor force:
1.302 million (1998)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 65%
industry: 5%
services: 30% (1998 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Population below poverty line:
32% (1989 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Investment (gross fixed):
24.2% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $466.8 million
expenditures: $514.7 million (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
4.25% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
NA (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$624.9 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$383.9 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$590.7 million (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
coffee, cocoa, cotton, yams, cassava (tapioca), corn, beans, rice,
millet, sorghum; livestock; fish
Industries:
phosphate mining, agricultural processing, cement, handicrafts,
textiles, beverages
Industrial production growth rate:
1% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
203 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
607 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
505 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by Ghana (2006 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 98.7%
hydro: 1.3%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
17,770 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
1,547 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
16,650 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
-$159 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$702 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
reexports, cotton, phosphates, coffee, cocoa
Exports - partners:
Ghana 16.8%, Burkina Faso 14.5%, Germany 9.2%, Benin 9.1%,
Netherlands 5.9%, Mali 5.8%, India 4.7% (2007)
Imports:
$1.201 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products
Imports - partners:
China 36.3%, Estonia 9.6%, US 7.6%, Netherlands 7.3%, France 7%
(2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
ODA, $86.71 million (2005 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$438 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$2 billion (2005)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Currency (code):
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible
authority is the Central Bank of the West African States
Currency code:
XOF
Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 482.71
(2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003)
note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the
euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro
Communications
Togo
Telephones - main lines in use:
82,100 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.19 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: fair system based on a network of microwave
radio relay routes supplemented by open-wire lines and a
mobile-cellular system
domestic: microwave radio relay and open-wire lines for conventional
system; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity roughly
15 telephones per 100 persons
international: country code - 228; satellite earth stations - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Symphonie
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios:
940,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
3 (plus 2 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions:
73,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.tg
Internet hosts:
769 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
3 (2001)
Internet users:
320,000 (2006)
Transportation
Togo
Airports:
9 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 3 (2007)
Railways:
total: 568 km
narrow gauge: 568 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
total: 7,520 km
paved: 2,376 km
unpaved: 5,144 km (2000)
Waterways:
50 km (seasonally on Mono River depending on rainfall) (2005)
Merchant marine:
total: 10
by type: cargo 9, refrigerated cargo 1
foreign-owned: 6 (Bangladesh 1, Denmark 1, Egypt 1, Lebanon 1, Syria
2) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Kpeme, Lome
Military
Togo
Military branches:
Togolese Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Togolese Navy (Marine du
Togo), Togolese Air Force (Force Aerienne Togolaise, FAT), National
Gendarmerie (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for selective compulsory and voluntary military
service; 2-year service obligation (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,365,505
females age 16-49: 1,374,993 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 897,195
females age 16-49: 913,327 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually: