Lomé

Lomé is the capital and largest city of Togo. It has an urban population of 837,437[2] while there were 1,477,660 permanent residents in its metropolitan area as of the 2010 census.[2] Located on the Gulf of Guinea, Lomé is the country's administrative and industrial center, which includes an oil refinery, and its chief port, where it exports coffee, cocoa, copra, and oil palm kernels.

Lomé
City
Photos of Lomé
Coat of arms
Lomé
Location in Togo
Coordinates: 6°7′55″N 1°13′22″E
CountryTogo
RegionMaritime Region
PrefectureGolfe
Government
 • MayorAouissi Lodé
Area
 • City99.14 km2 (38.28 sq mi)
 • Metro
280 km2 (110 sq mi)
Elevation
10 m (30 ft)
Population
 (2010 census)
 • City837,437
 • Density9,305/km2 (24,100/sq mi)
 • Metro
1,477,660
 • Metro density5,608/km2 (14,520/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC
HDI (2017)0.593[1]
medium · 1st

History
See also: Timeline of Lomé
Lomé in 1903.
Alley leading to the Governor's Palace (1904).

The city was founded by the Ewes and thereafter in the 19th century by German, British and African traders,[3] becoming the capital of Togoland in 1897.[4]

The city's population grew rapidly in the second half of the 20th century. The city had approximately 30,000 inhabitants in 1950: by 1960 (the year Togo gained its independence from France) the population had reached 80,000, increasing to 200,000 by 1970.

Geography
View of the Lomé beach in 2016
Aerial view of Lomé

Lomé is surrounded by a lagoon to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the south, the village of Bè to the east and the border of Aflao, Ghana to the west.

Neighborhoods in Lomé include Ablogamé, Adawlato, Amoutivé, Bé, Dékon, Forever, Kodjoviakopé, Noukafou, Nyékonakpoé, Tokoin and Xédranawoe.

Cities and towns in the Greater Lomé Metropolitan Area include: Aflao (Ghana), Agbalépédogan, Akodésséwa, Anfamé, Baguida, Kanyikopé, Kélékougan, Lomé II, Totsigan, Adidogome, Kegue and Totsivi.

Climate

Lomé has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw) despite its latitude close to the equator. The capital of Togo is relatively dry with an annual average rainfall of 800–900 mm and on average 59 rainy days per year. Despite this, the city experiences heavy fog most of the year and receives a total of 2,330 bright sunshine hours annually.

The annual mean temperature is above 27.5 °C (81.5 °F) but heat is constant as monthly mean temperatures range from 24.9 °C (76.8 °F) in July, the least warm month of the year to 29.6 °C (85.3 °F) in February and in April, the hottest months of the year.

Climate data for Lomé (Lomé Airport) 1961–1990, extremes 1892–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 35.7
(96.3)		 36.4
(97.5)		 36.3
(97.3)		 35.0
(95.0)		 34.8
(94.6)		 36.4
(97.5)		 32.8
(91.0)		 36.5
(97.7)		 35.5
(95.9)		 33.8
(92.8)		 38.1
(100.6)		 34.5
(94.1)		 38.1
(100.6)
Average high °C (°F) 31.7
(89.1)		 32.3
(90.1)		 32.5
(90.5)		 32.1
(89.8)		 31.3
(88.3)		 29.6
(85.3)		 28.2
(82.8)		 28.0
(82.4)		 29.1
(84.4)		 30.4
(86.7)		 31.6
(88.9)		 31.6
(88.9)		 30.7
(87.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) 27.1
(80.8)		 28.2
(82.8)		 28.5
(83.3)		 28.2
(82.8)		 27.4
(81.3)		 26.2
(79.2)		 25.3
(77.5)		 25.2
(77.4)		 25.8
(78.4)		 26.6
(79.9)		 27.3
(81.1)		 27.1
(80.8)		 26.9
(80.4)
Average low °C (°F) 22.5
(72.5)		 24.0
(75.2)		 24.5
(76.1)		 24.4
(75.9)		 23.5
(74.3)		 22.8
(73.0)		 22.5
(72.5)		 22.3
(72.1)		 22.5
(72.5)		 22.8
(73.0)		 22.9
(73.2)		 22.5
(72.5)		 23.1
(73.6)
Record low °C (°F) 15.2
(59.4)		 16.7
(62.1)		 19.9
(67.8)		 20.0
(68.0)		 19.2
(66.6)		 18.0
(64.4)		 16.7
(62.1)		 17.1
(62.8)		 18.0
(64.4)		 16.4
(61.5)		 18.6
(65.5)		 15.6
(60.1)		 15.2
(59.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 8.9
(0.35)		 23.1
(0.91)		 53.4
(2.10)		 96.1
(3.78)		 152.7
(6.01)		 251.8
(9.91)		 91.0
(3.58)		 32.7
(1.29)		 64.7
(2.55)		 74.6
(2.94)		 20.4
(0.80)		 7.8
(0.31)		 877.2
(34.54)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 0 2 3 5 9 11 6 4 6 6 2 1 57
Average relative humidity (%) 79 81 82 82 84 86 87 86 86 85 84 82 84
Mean monthly sunshine hours 222.4 214.8 228.0 218.0 217.8 141.3 135.4 147.5 168.4 218.0 240.6 227.2 2,379.4
Source 1: Deutscher Wetterdienst[5]
Source 2: NOAA (sun 1961–1990),[6] Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)[7]
Lomé mean sea temperature
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
28 °C (82 °F) 28 °C (82 °F) 29 °C (84 °F) 29 °C (84 °F) 29 °C (84 °F) 28 °C (82 °F) 26 °C (79 °F) 25 °C (77 °F) 25 °C (77 °F) 27 °C (81 °F) 28 °C (82 °F) 28 °C (82 °F)

International agreements

Lomé Convention

The Lomé Convention is a trade and aid agreement between the European Union (EU) and 71 African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries. It was first signed on 28 February 1975, in Lomé.[8]

Lomé Peace Accord

The Lomé Peace Accord between the warring parties in the civil war in Sierra Leone was signed in Lomé. With the assistance of the international community, Sierra Leone President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah and Revolutionary United Front leader Foday Sankoh signed the Peace Accord on 7 July 1999. However, the agreement did not last and the Sierra Leone Civil War continued for two more years.

Demographics
Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
18921,500—    
18962,000+7.46%
19003,000+10.67%
19044,000+7.46%
19076,000+14.47%
19118,000+7.46%
193015,000+3.36%
193818,000+2.31%
YearPop.±% p.a.
195033,000+5.18%
195543,000+5.44%
196085,000+14.60%
1970186,000+8.15%
1981375,499+6.59%
1990450,000+2.03%
1997573,000+3.51%
2010837,437+2.96%

Economy
Lomé Grand Market

Located 200 kilometres (124 miles) from Accra, Ghana and 150 kilometres (93 miles) from Cotonou, Benin, Lomé is an important port, including a free trade zone opened in 1968. It exports phosphates, coffee, cocoa, cotton and palm oil, much of the transit going to the neighbouring countries of Ghana, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. The port also holds an oil refinery.

The city in general has great potential, because tourism is growing in the country.

Former building of the Ministry of Justice
Congress Palace
Headquarters of ECOWAS in Lomé
Place of the Dove of Peace

Culture

The Togo National Museum is in the Palais de Congrès. The museum contains collections, jewelry, musical instruments, dolls, pottery, weapons and many other objects showing the arts and traditions.

Places of worship

Among the places of worship, they are predominantly Christian churches and temples : Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lomé (Catholic Church), Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Togo (World Communion of Reformed Churches), Togo Baptist Convention (Baptist World Alliance), Living Faith Church Worldwide, Redeemed Christian Church of God, Assemblies of God.[9] There are also Muslim mosques.

Education
Entrance of University of Lomé

The University of Lomé (previously called University of Benin), located in Lomé Tokoin, was founded in 1970.

Schools located in the city include American International School of Lomé, British School of Lomé, Ecole Internationale Arc-en-Ciel and Lycée Français de Lomé.

Transportation
Lomé–Tokoin International Airport

The city is served by the Lomé–Tokoin International Airport which is the hub for ASKY Airlines and has intercontinental connections to Paris, Brussels, Lisbon, Newark-New York and Houston. The former railway line to Blitta ran from the airport to the city. In Lomé, and in many other places in Togo, moto-taxis are a common form of transportation. Motorcycle drivers fill the streets and passengers flag them down for a ride on the back for a small charge.

International relations
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Togo

Twin towns – sister cities

Lomé is twinned with:

Notable people

References
  1. "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  2. Résultats définitifs du RGPH4 au Togo Archived 21 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Britannica, Lomé, britannica.com, USA, accessed on 30 June 2019
  5. "Klimatafel von Lomé (Flugh.) / Togo" (PDF). Baseline climate means (1961–1990) from stations all over the world (in German). Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  6. "Lomé Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  7. "Station Lome" (in French). Météo Climat. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  8. Roman Adrian Cybriwsky, Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2013, p. 162
  9. J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann, ‘'Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices'’, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, p. 2875-2877
  10. 友好城市 (Friendly cities) Archived 19 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine, 市外办 (Foreign Affairs Office), 22 March 2008. (Translation by Google Translate.)
  11. 国际友好城市一览表 (International Friendship Cities List) Archived 13 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine, 20 January 2011. (Translation by Google Translate.)
  12. 友好交流 (Friendly exchanges) Archived 12 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine, 13 September 2011. (Translation by Google Translate.)

Bibliography
See also: Bibliography of the history of Lomé
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