Lomé << loh MAY or law MAY >> is the capital and largest city of Togo. It lies on the Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean. About 2 million people live in the Lomé area. Lomé’s port is the main outlet for most of Togo’s export products. The city has an international airport, nearly all of Togo’s factories, and the University of Lomé. The city’s central market is one of the largest in Africa.
African merchants founded Lomé in 1880. In 1884, the city became part of a German protectorate. Called German Togoland, it grew to include all of present-day Togo and eastern Ghana. Lomé became its capital in 1897. From 1904 to 1911, a wharf was built at Lomé, along with three railroad lines extending from the city. These improvements secured the city’s status as the economic hub of the region. In 1960, Lomé became capital of the independent nation of Togo.
