User:Jagcouturelondon/sandbox

Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. The country extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its capital and largest city Lomé is located. Togo covers 57,000 square kilometres (22,008 square miles), making it one of the smallest countries in Africa, with a population of approximately 8 million persons, as well as one of the narrowest countries in the world with a width of less than 115 km (71 mi) between Ghana and its eastern neighbor Benin, which is also quite narrow, except for its northern parts. Various tribes arrived in the region from all directions between the 11th and 16th centuries. The coastal region was a key commercial location for Europeans purchasing slaves from the 16th to the 18th centuries, earning Togo and the surrounding region the nickname "The Slave Coast." In 1884, Germany declared Togoland, a protectorate that included present-day Togo. Togo is a tropical, sub-Saharan African country with a strong agricultural economy and a climate that allows for long growing seasons. While French is the official language, numerous other languages, particularly those of the Gbe family, are spoken. Indigenous people make up the majority of the religious population, but there are sizable Christian and Muslim minority. Togo is a member of the African Union, the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, the Francophonie, and the Economic Community of West African States.