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 at the southwest corner of the country, with its entire western border along the easternmost point of Ghana's Volta Region, Lomé is the country's administrative and industrial center, which includes an oil refinery. It is also the country's chief port, from where it exports coffee, cocoa, copra, and oil palm kernels.

Lomé
City
Boulevard des Armées (2019)
Coat of arms
Lomé
Location in Togo
Coordinates: 6°7′55″N 1°13′22″E
Country Togo
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 (2019)0.579[1]
medium · 1st

History
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]

Climate

Owing to its location in the Dahomey Gap, 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 to 900 millimetres (31 to 35 in) and on average 59 rainy days per year. Despite this, the city experiences heavy fog most of the year from the northern extension of the Benguela Current and receives a total of 2,330 bright sunshine hours annually. Comparably dry inland West African cities like Bamako or Kano expect between 2,900 and 3,000 hours of sunshine annually.

The annual mean temperature is about 26.9 °C or 80.4 °F but heat is constant as monthly mean temperatures range from 24.9 °C or 76.8 °F in July, the least hot month of the year to 29.6 °C or 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 rainfall 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
(34.53)
Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) 0 2 3 5 9 11 6 4 6 6 2 1 55
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%

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
  • Sacred Heart Cathedral, Lomé (Catholic Church)
  • The Savior Baptist Church in Lomé (Togo Baptist Convention)

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.

Twin towns – sister cities

Lomé is twinned with:

Notable people
  • Emmanuel Adebayor, footballer for Togo and the Paraguan side Olympia Asuncion
  • Kangni Alem, writer
  • Gnimdéwa Atakpama, journalist and writer
  • Yaovi Aziabou, Togolese professional footballer
  • Nicole Coste, Air France flight attendant, mother of Alexandre Coste (the son of Albert II, Prince of Monaco)
  • Christiane Akoua Ekué, writer
  • Sika Foyer, visual artist
  • Emmanuel Kavi, artist
  • Senam Langueh, Togolese former international footballer
  • King Mensah, popular Afropop musician
  • Amadou Morou, Togolese- Polish footballer
  • Davide-Christelle Sanvee, Swiss performance artist of Togolese origin
  • Marie Madoé Sivomey, first female mayor in Togo, served as mayor of Lomé from 1967 to 1974

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
    • Philippe Gervais-Lambony (2011), Simon Bekker and Goran Therborn (ed.), "Lomé", Capital Cities in Africa: Power and Powerlessness, Dakar: Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa, ISBN 978-2- 8697-8495-6, archived from the original on 4 March 2016, retrieved 5 May 2016
  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. "Städtepartnerschaften". duisburg.de (in German). Duisburg. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  11. "Lome". sz.gov.cn. Shenzhen. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  12. "International Sister Cities". tcc.gov.tw. Taipei City Council. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
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