| Official Name: | Republic of Togo. Togo means "near the lake" in the local Ewe language. The country is bordered by Burkina Faso to the north, Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. Capital: Lome, population: 800,000 inhabitants. The other main towns are Sokode (centre), Kara (north) |
| Area: | 56,600 square kilometres |
| Population: | 4.5 million inhabitants (UNDP 2002) |
| Official language: | French. Ewe and Kabye are also widely spoken. There are about 50 local dialects. |
| Date of independence: | 27 April 1960 |
| Head of state: | General Gnassingbe Eyadema, in power since 1967. He is also leader of the ruling Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) party |
| Prime Minister: | Koffi Sama, secretary-general of the RPT |
| National Assembly: | 81 members. 73 belong to the RPT |
| Number of political parties: | 23 (6 are competing in Sunday's elections) |
| GDP per capita: | US $1,442 (based on purchasing power parity- UNDP 2002) |
| Registered voters: | 3.1 million |
| Number of voting stations: | 5,280 |
| Number of voting stations in Lome: | 624 |
| Election day: | Polls open at 6:30 GMT and close at 17:00 GMT. There is a single round of voting. The candidate who wins the most votes becomes president. |