protectorate · West Africa

German Togoland

1884 CE – 1916 CE · capital Lome

Germany's smallest African colony, promoted in Berlin as a model colony, which was taken by British and French forces in the first weeks of the First World War.

Origins

On 5 July 1884 the German envoy Gustav Nachtigal signed a protection treaty with Mlapa III, a chief at Togoville on Lake Togo. Germany then pushed inland, fixing borders with the Gold Coast Colony and French Dahomey in agreements of the 1890s. The capital moved to Lome in 1897.

Rule and society

German officials called Togo a model colony because it covered its own costs. They built a wharf at Lome and three railways, including the line to Palime known as the cocoa railway, and promoted cotton, cocoa and palm products. This was achieved through taxes, forced labour and harsh punishments. Catholic and Protestant missions ran most schools, and a large radio station was built at Kamina.

Decline and legacy

British and French troops invaded in August 1914 and the Germans surrendered on 26 August. The territory was divided in 1916, and the League of Nations later confirmed it as British Togoland and French Togoland.

Connections (5)

More states of West Africa →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). German Togoland. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/german-togoland
MLA
“German Togoland.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/german-togoland. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “German Togoland.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/german-togoland.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘German Togoland’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/german-togoland (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻