Togo
is a small West African country running from the Atlantic
Ocean to the border of Burkina Faso (4° N to 10° N) between
Ghana and Benin. Although small in area (56, 000 square km),
Togo contains a variety of landscapes and ecological regions.
The
country is divided into six geographical regions from the
coast to the northern border. The southern-most region is
characterized by sandy beaches, estuaries and lagoons. This
is the driest region of Togo, receiving only 600 to 800 mm
of rain annually. To the north is the barre-soil Ouatchi plateaus.
Farther north is the higher Mono tableland, which is drained
by the Mono River and its tributaries. This region receives
between 1200 and 1400 mm of rain annually. The Chaine du
Togo mountains are the fourth region and dissect the country
in a southwest - northeast direction. The southern most part
of this mountain chain receives the highest rainfall in Togo,
up to 1800 mm per year. To the north of the Chaine du Togo
Mountains is a sandstone plateau drained by the Oti River.
Finally, the northern-most region is the northwest granite
regions near the city of Dapaong. Togo is more heavily wooded
than neighboring Benin, but most of the country has been altered
for agricultural use and grasslands are the dominant vegetation
type.
Togo
is divided into five administrative regions based loosely
on the geographical regions. The five regions are the Maritime,
Plateau, Central,
Kara, and Savanna
regions.
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