| Primary
Source |
| Imperialism |
Colonial Policy | [P|S|M] |
Atlas German Colonies, with Yearbook, edited by the German Colonial Society, 1906, Togo
|
Togo
(p.7)
Borders : The German-French treaty dated July 23rd 1897
determines the colony's borders to the north and east; the border to the west
was determined via the exchange of notifications between Berlin and London in
1904. The total area of the protectorate has been calculated at about 87,200
square km (larger than Bavaria, more than double the size of the province
Silesia)
Population : at the most 1500000 inhabitants, of them 224
Europeans (1904 only 189), of them 216 Germans and 31 adult women. The black
population, with 2 1/2 million, has hitherto been overestimated considerably.
The south is inhabited by Evhe-Negroes, to the north of them dwell related
smaller tribes, further north follow various peoples, partially independent
pagan tribes, partially such under muslim rulers.
Irrigation and Geomorphology : Strong surf along the 50 km long
coast; disembarkation and loading/offloading of cargo difficult. The peer now
completed at Lome has improved the situation; now passangers can disembark and
cargo can be offloaded without damage. The estuary of the Volta river, navigable
in it's lower stretch, is located on British territory. To the south of the 7th
degree of latitude, the lower stretch of the Mono forms the border to French
Dahomey. The estuary is located on French territory. The Haho River, entirely
located on German territory and emptying into the Togo Lagoon, is navigable only
for light shipping (canoes) and only in the vicinity of it's mouth. In the
central area of the protectorate, a clearly structured, richly forested mountain
range stretches in S-N direction, a number of peaks reach up to 1000 m.
Climate : In the coastal area the average annual temperature is
26 degrees Celsius, in the interior 23 degrees Celsius. At the coast two clearly
distinct rainy seasons, separated by dry seasons, from April to July and from
September to the end of November; the latter sometimes fails to appear (drought
years). The further one comes into the interior, the less obvious is the dry
season in the middle of the year. In the north the fall rainy season brings more
rain, in the south the other way round. Precipitation along the coast 700 mm
annually, in the interior 1200 to 1600 mm. The Harmattan, a hot, dry wind from
the land, blows in December and the first half of January.
Export : palm oil, palm seeds, maize, rubber, ivory, live
animals. 1902 : 4 194 017 M., 1903: 3 616 061 M., 1904 : 3 551 358 M. The
decline is caused by the drought, especially regarding the oil palm products.
Import : cotton products, spiritualia, wood, wooden tools,
tobacco, cigars, materials. 1902: 6 206 477 M., 1903: 6 104 863 M., 1904 : 6 898
323 M. - Number of the enterprises and trading companies active in the
protectorate on January 1st 1905 : 27, with 22 branch offices and 165 shops.
Traffic : shipping 1904 : 288 ships with 437,000 register tons,
coastal railway Lome-Anecho (45 km) opened on July 18th 1905, Lome-Agome-Palime,
for which on June 16th 1904 Reichstag approved 7.8 million M., was begun in
October 1904; by the end of August 27 km of 123 were completed. Postal traffic
1904 : 194,000 letters, 8,700 postal money orders over a total amount of
1,458,000 M., 8,100 parcels, 16,000 telegrams (including 3,800 transits) and
3,431 telephone calls.
Settlements : along the coast: Sebe, Anecho (2600 inhabitants,
26 Europeans), Porto Seguro, Kpeme, Bagida, Lome (5800 inhabitants; seat of the
governor); in the interior Adschido, Togo, Amedschovhe, Ho, Noepe etc. District
offices : Lome. Anecho and Misahöhe. Stations: Kpandu, Kete-Kratji, Jendi,
Sansane-Mangu, Basari, Bismarckburg, Atakpame and Sokode.
Administrative Districts : Lome-Town and Lome-Land, Anecho,
Misahöhe, Atakpame, Kete-Kratji, Sokode. Mangu-Jendi. Seat of the governor is
Lome.Police troops placed under German military personnel are stationed with the
district offices and stations (150 coloureds).
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Source:
Deutscher Kolonial-Atlas mit Jahrbuch (Atlas German Colonies with
Yearbook), edited by the Deutsche Kolonialgesellschaft (German Colonial
Society). Berlin 1906, p.7 |
GM
(digitalisation) and AG
(translation)
posted on the web for psm-data;
many thanks to
Staatsbibliothek
zu Berlin / Preußischer Kulturbesitz
Kartenabteilung
Dokument in deutscher
Sprache
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