Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its capital Lomé is located.
Togo covers an area of approximately 57,000 square kilometres with a population of approximately 6.7 million. Togo is one of the smallest countries in all of Africa. The official language is French, with many other languages spoken in Togo, particularly those of the Gbe family.

The climate is generally tropical with average temperatures ranging from 23 °C on the coast to about 30 °C in the northernmost regions, with a dry climate and characteristics of a tropical savanna. To the south there are two seasons of rain, even though the average rainfall is not very high.
The largest religious group in Togo are those with indigenous beliefs, and there are significant Christian and Muslim minorities. Togo is a member of the United Nations, African Union, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, La Francophonie and Economic Community of West African States.

Togo is divided into 5 regions, which are subdivided in turn into 30 prefectures and 1 commune. From north to south the regions are Savanes, Kara, Centrale, Plateaux and Maritime.
Education in Togo is compulsory for six years. In 1996, the gross primary enrollment rate was 119.6%, and the net primary enrollment rate was 81.3%. The education system has suffered from teacher shortages, lower educational quality in rural areas, and high repetition and dropout rates.