Lomé

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. The city is served by the Lomé-Tokoin Airport. 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.