Country Profile: Togo

Togo is a tiny country in West Africa, sandwiched between Ghana and Benin, with a land size of only 54,385 square kilometers (about the size of West Virginia). The climate varies from tropical in the south to semiarid (savanna) in the north.

For such a small country, there is a lot of linguistic variety. In a population of only 6 million people, there are over 50 different languages spoken. Bibles International is currently working on a translation of the New Testament into the Kabiyé language of northern Togo, one of the two national languages of the country (the other is Ewé). According to one source, over 1 million people speak this language.

Here are some additional facts and figures from the country of Togo (from the CIA World Factbook):

• The population of Togo is young, with 41.4% under the age of 15 (cf. 20.2% for USA).
  
• The median age is 19.2 years old (cf. 36.8 in USA).
• The population of Togo is growing fast, at a rate of 2.75% a year.
• The life expectancy for a Togolese person is 59.66 years (cf. 78.11 in USA).
• The official language is French (this is different from national languages, which are usually indigenous).
• 75.4% of males and 46.9% of Togolese females over the age of 15 can read and write.
• The GDP per capita is $900.
• The capital of Togo is Lomé on the southern coast (incidentally, Togo has only 56 km of coastline).
  

Finally, here is a recent photo of the Kabiyé translation project in action. Please pray for our translators, that God would give them good health and would help them to translate quickly and accurately.