Lomé
2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: African Geography
Lomé, estimated population 700,000 ( 1998), is the capital of Togo. Located on the Gulf of Guinea, Lomé is the country's administrative and industrial centre and its chief port. The city exports coffee, cocoa, copra, and palm kernels. It also has an oil refinery. The city was founded in the eighteenth century by the Ewe people. In 1882, the village, known then as Bey Beach, became a major trading centre with the arrival of Chico and Octaviano Olympio as agents for the British trading firm A. and F. Swanzy.
Bey Beach became the capital of Togo when the German rulers transferred capital status from Aneho in 1897. The city then grew quickly until it was taken by the French Army in 1914 during World War I.
Lomé lies in the extreme south west of Togo, up against the Ghanaian border. Attractions in the city include Lomé Grand Market, the Togo National Museum in the Palais de Congrés, a fetish (voodoo) market, Lomé Cathedral, beaches and the former wharf.
The University of Lomé previously called University of Benin is located in Lomé Tokoin Campus . Togo's main airport is outside the city, while the tallest building in Lomé and in all of Togo is the 2 Fevrier Sofitel Hotel building. The former railway line to Blitta runs from the city.
Neighbourhoods in Lomé include Kodjoviakopé, Nyekonakopé, Amoutivé, Tokoin and Bé. The northern neighbourhoods are almost separated from the centre by a lagoon.
International agreements signed in Lomé
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 February 28, 1975 in Lomé.
Lomé Peace Accord
The Lomé Peace Accord was a peace agreement between the warring parties in the civil war in Sierra Leone. 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 July 7, 1999. However, the agreement did not last and the Sierra Leone Civil War continued for two more years.
Famous people from Lomé
- Emmanuel Adebayor, football player
- Kossi Agassa, football player
- Yao Aziawonou, football player
- Razak Boukari, football player
- Abbe Ibrahim, football player
- Souleymane Mamam, football player
- Daré Nibombé, football player
Sister Cities
Taipei, Taiwan
Bay City, Michigan, United States
