Togo is a small country sandwiched between Ghana and equally small Benin. Togo lost one third of its territory, the British Togoland, to Ghana in 1957. A former French trusteeship, the Republic of Togo gained its independence in 1960. The population concentrations are along the coast, including the capital city of Lome. In the industrial sector, phosphate mining is by far the most important activity, although it has suffered from competition and the collapse of international phosphate prices.
Tourism is also a source of foreign earnings.
Togo serves as a regional commercial and trade centre. In 1998, Togo's telecommunications network had approximately 31,400 connected lines, giving a telephone density of 0.71 line per hundred people.