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TOGOLAND

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Originally appearing in Volume V26, Page 1047 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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TOGOLAND , a See also:

German See also:colony on the Gulf of See also:Guinea, See also:West See also:Africa. It forms See also:part of the territory formerly distinguished as the Slave See also:Coast and was annexed by See also:Germany in 1884. It is bounded S. by the See also:Atlantic, W. by the See also:British possessions on the See also:Gold Coast, N. by the See also:French colony of Upper See also:Senegal and See also:Niger, E. by See also:Dahomey, also a French colony. (For See also:map see FRENCH WEST AFRICA and GOLD COAST). The coastline is only 32 M. in length (I° 14' E. to I° 38' E.) but inland See also:Togo-See also:land widens to three or four times that breadth. It contracts again at its See also:northern boundary to about 3o m. From the coast northward the extreme length is 350 M. The See also:area of the colony is some 33,700 sq. m. Pop. about r,000,000. The See also:white inhabitants numbered (1909) 330 of whom 300 were German. The boundary between Togo and Dahomey, by Franco-German agreement of 1897, follows the coast See also:lagoon from Little Popo to the Mono See also:river, ascends the See also:middle of that river as far as 7° N., thence goes in a See also:direct See also:line to 9° N. and from that point in a See also:north-See also:westerly direction to II° N. The western boundary was settled by Anglo-German agreements of 1890 and 1899; it leaves the coast west of the See also:town of Lome and proceeds in a zigzag line to where the Deine river joins the See also:Volta; thence follows the Volta to its junction with the Daka and then the Daka up to the point where 9° N. cuts the river.

From this point the frontier follows a north-easterly course to II° 8' N., leaving the town of Yendi and the Chakosi territory on the German See also:

side of the boundary line. The agreement of 1899 defined the western boundary from 8° N. northward, and partitioned between the two See also:powers a large See also:block of territory, which by an agreement of 1888 had been declared a neutral See also:zone. The northern frontier is a line See also:drawn between the northernmost points of the eastern and western frontiers. See also:Physical Features.—The coast is See also:low and sandy and is formed by the detritus deposited by the See also:sea current called Calema. It is perfectly straight, without harbours, and approached only through a dangerous See also:bar. This coast See also:strip is nowhere more than 2 m. broad. It masks a See also:series of lagoons, of which the largest, occupying a central position, is called the Togo, See also:Avon or Haho lagoon. It is connected by a channel See also:running eastward parallel with the sea, with the Wo and Little Popo lagoons, and with the Mono river. Behind the lagoons an undulating See also:plain stretches some 5o m. The Sio and Haho, the two largest See also:rivers of the coast region, both flow into the Togo lagoon. These rivers rise on the eastern versant of a See also:chain of mountains which See also:traverse the See also:country in a See also:south-westerly to north-easterly direction. Beginning in the south-See also:east corner of the Gold Coast colony this range, composed of quartzites and See also:schists, extends beyond the See also:borders of Togoland into upper Dahomey.

It has no See also:

general name, but in the south is called Agome. On the eastern side it presents a fairly continuous escarpment. It is most elevated in its See also:southern portion, Mt Dabo having a height of 3133 ft. and Mt Atilakuse (in 7° 20' N. o° 43' E.) 3248 ft. Its general See also:elevation is between 2000 and 2500 ft.; on the north-west side of the range the country is table-land some 600 to woo ft. high. Baumann Spitze (3215 ft.) is an isolated See also:peak in 6° 5o' N., o° 46' E., east of the See also:main range. South and east of the range the country, apart from chat watered by the coast streams, drains to the Mono river. The greater part of the colony lies west and north of the chain and belongs to the See also:basin of the Volta. The See also:chief river traversing it isthe Oti, which rises in about 12 ° N., enters Togoland at its north-east corner, and runs with a very sinuous course south-south-west to its junction with the Volta in 7° 37' N. For a considerable distance the See also:left See also:bank of the Volta itself is in German territory, but its See also:lower course is wholly in the Gold Coast colony. See also:Climate.—The climate on the coast is hot, humid and unhealthy. There are two wet seasons, the first lasting from See also:March till See also:June, the second from See also:September to See also:November. Apart from the coast region, seasons of drought are not uncommon.

The dry See also:

wind from the See also:Sahara called See also:harmattan, which carries See also:great quantities of See also:fine red See also:sand, causes a fall of temperature in the (See also:European) summer. See also:Flora and See also:Fauna.—Coco-See also:nut palms, introduced about the beginning of the 19th See also:century by the Portuguese, grow along the coast and for 8o m. or so inland. The lagoons are surrounded by dense belts of reeds, and the coast-land is covered with low, impenetrable See also:bush. There are considerable forests of oil palms, See also:rubber trees and vines, and See also:timber and dyewood trees. Many of the river valleys are densely wooded. On the hills the See also:baobab and hyphaene See also:palm are characteristic; on the See also:plateau are stretches of open See also:savanna, and See also:park-like country with clumps of See also:silk See also:cotton and shea-See also:butter trees. The fauna resembles that of other parts of West Africa; it is poor on the coast. Elephants and lions are found in the interior. Inhabitants.—The inhabitants are negroes and negroids. In the north the See also:people are mostly See also:Hausa, in the west they belong to the Tshi-speaking clans, while on the coast they are members of the See also:Ewe (Dahomey) tribes. Among the coast people there is a distinct infusion of Portuguese See also:blood, and in all the ports are descendants of Brazilian negroes who returned to Africa during the 19th century. See also:Pidgin See also:English is the See also:common See also:language along the coast.

The Adeli and Akposso See also:

hill tribes have a See also:dialect of their own. In the north the tribes See also:form small, well-organized states. In the coast lands the inhabitants are traders and agriculturists, in the interior they are largely pastoralists. The Hausa are often traders, traversing the country in large caravans. The inhabitants are partly Mahommedans, partly believers in fetish; comparatively few profess See also:Christianity. As a See also:rule the tribes are peaceful. Slave raiding has ceased, but domestic See also:slavery in a mild form continues. Towns.—The See also:capital and chief See also:port is Lome (pop. about 500o), near the western frontier. It is a creation of the Germans, the site, in 1884, being occupied by a small fishing See also:village. It is provided with a See also:jetty, is the sea See also:terminus of the railway systems, the See also:residence of the See also:governor, and has churches, See also:schools, hospitals and large business houses. The chief See also:African traders are Hausa immigrants. Togo, which has given its name to the country, is a town on the south-eastern shores of the Togo lagoon.

Phoenix-squares

On the narrow See also:

spit of land between the lagoons and the sea are Bagida and See also:Porto Segurothe last named one of the See also:oldest towns on the Slave Coast and the port of Togo town—and, See also:close to the eastern frontier, Little Popo, called by the Germans Anecho. Anejo or Anecho means the houses or See also:quarter of the Anes. The Anes are reported to have come from the Gold Coast by sea and to have been wrecked at this See also:place. Little Popo See also:dates from the 17th century or earlier. At the See also:time of the German See also:annexation Anecho was one of three distinct quarters into which the town was divided. In the hill country are the See also:government stations of Misahohe and Bismarckburg. On the Volta, a See also:short distance above the Oti confluence, are the adjacent towns of Kete-Krachi; on an affluent of the Mono in 7° N. is Sagada. In the north are the large native towns of Yendi and Sansane Mangu, both on See also:caravan routes between See also:Ashanti and the Niger countries. See also:Agriculture and See also:Trade.—The country is See also:rich in natural products, and its resources have been largely See also:developed by the Germans. It was the first German colony to dispense (1903–1904) with an imperial See also:subsidy towards its upkeep. Several firms have acquired plantations in which See also:coffee, See also:cocoa, cotton, See also:kola and other tropical products are cultivated. Coco-nut palms thrive; See also:maize, yams, bananas, See also:tapioca and See also:ginger are cultivated by the natives.

The chief trade is in, and the See also:

principal exports are, palm oil and kernels, rubber, cotton, maize, groundnuts (Arachis), shea-butter from the Bassia parkii (Sapotaceae), See also:fibres of the Raphia vinifera, and the Sansevieria guineensis, See also:indigo, and kola nuts, See also:ebony and other valuable See also:wood. In the interior See also:cattle and See also:sheep are plentiful, on the plateau horses and donkeys. The natives have several See also:industries, including pottery, See also:straw plaiting, smithwork and woodcarving. Some of their See also:carving is very fine. They collect and spin the indigenous cotton, which is of See also:good quality, and dye it with indigo or other See also:pigments; they also manufacture very handsome shawls. Cotton growing under European direction began about 1900, with the result that in 1901–1902 over 100,000 lb of cotton grown from native, See also:American and See also:Egyptian See also:seed were shipped to See also:Bremen. In subsequent years the See also:industry attained considerable proportions. The imports are chiefly textiles, metals and hardware, and See also:gin. Imports are mainly from Germany, exports to Germany and to other West African colonies. In 1908 the value of the imports was £425,000, of the exports £389,000. Communications.—Good roads have been built connecting the coast towns with the principal places in the interior. A railway about 20 M. See also:long connects Lome with Little Popo.

From Lome another railway 76 m. long runs north-west to Agome-Palime near Misahohe. There are See also:

telegraph and See also:telephone lines between Lome and Little Popo, and both places are in telegraphic communication with the Gold Coast and Dahomey, and thus with the See also:international See also:cable See also:system. There is direct steamship communication between Togoland and See also:Hamburg, and the steamers of three French and two English lines See also:call at Togoland ports. Government, &c.—The colony is administered by a governor who is advised by a nominated See also:council of unofficial members. See also:Revenue is derived principally from customs duties, direct See also:taxation being See also:light. In 1907–1908 revenue and See also:expenditure balanced at I03,000. A judicial system has been instituted to which natives as well as Europeans are amenable. The government maintains schools at all the coast towns. Various missionary See also:societies have also established schools. In 1909 some to,000 native See also:children were receiving instruction. See also:History.—Before its annexation by Germany the lagoons were a favourite resort of slavers, and stations were established there by Portuguese, British, French and German traders. The coast natives were dependent on the rulers of Dahomey or Porto Novo.

Little Popo and Togo were capitals of small See also:

independent kingdoms. Little Popo is said to have been founded in the 17th century by refugees from See also:Accra, who were driven out by the Akwamu. At the time that " the scramble for Africa " began, the narrow strip of coast over which the See also:king of Togo ruled was the See also:sole See also:district between the See also:Gambia and the Niger to which Great See also:Britain, See also:France or some other civilized See also:power had not a claim. At Togo Bremen merchants had trading stations, and taking See also:advantage of this fact Dr Gustav See also:Nachtigal, German imperial See also:commissioner, induced the king of Togo (See also:July 5, 1884) to place his country under German See also:suzerainty. The claims made by Germany to large areas of the See also:hinterland gave rise to considerable negotiation with France and Great Britain, and it was not until 1899 that the frontiers were fixed on all sides (see AFRICA, § 5). Meantime the development of the coast region had been taken in See also:hand. On the whole the history of the colony has been one of peaceful progress, interrupted now and again, as in 1903, by severe droughts. At stated intervals the native chiefs are summoned to Lome to discuss administrative matters with the government. See H. Klose, Togo unter deutscher Flagge (See also:Berlin, 1899), a comprehensive survey, with bibliography; N. Seidel, See also:Die Kuste and das Vorland der Togocolonie (Berlin, 1897), and Die Ewhesprache in Togo (See also:Heidelberg, 1906); Schonhart, Volkstumliches aus Togo (See also:Dresden, 1909) ; R. Buttner, Die Forschungsstation Bismarckburg and Adeli (1894); Das deutsche Schutsgebiet Togo (Bremen, 1891); L.

Von See also:

Ammon, " Zur Geologie von Togo and vom Nigerlande ' in Mitteil. der geog. Gesell. in Munchen (1905) ; Klose, " Religiose Anschauungen and Menschenopfer in Togo " in Globus 1902; P. Sprigade, Karte von Togo, See also:scale 1:200,000, 12 sheets, also in 2 sheets on the scale 1:500,000 (Berlin, 1902–1907).

End of Article: TOGOLAND

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