Togoland

Togoland refers to a historic West African region that was once a German colony and later divided between British and French administration. Under German rule from 1884 to 1914, Deutsch-Togo occupied the coastal strip and adjacent inland areas along the Gulf of Guinea, with Lomé as capital. The territory's borders roughly align with today’s Republic of Togo and parts of eastern Ghana.

After World War I, the territory was taken from Germany and administered by the victorious powers under the League of Nations mandate system. The 1919 Treaty of Versailles allocated the area into two mandates: British Togoland and French Togoland. British Togoland comprised the eastern portions of the former colony and was administered as a British mandate, while French Togoland became a French colony.

In the mid-20th century, decolonization reshaped Togoland. In 1956-1957, a plebiscite in British Togoland approved union with the Gold Coast, which gained independence as Ghana in 1957. French Togoland achieved independence on 27 April 1960, becoming the independent nation of Togo. The two territories thus became separate states, sharing linguistic and cultural ties, including the Ewe-speaking population.

Today, the term Togoland is chiefly used in historical contexts to denote the former German colony and its postwar partition. The modern border between Ghana and Togo reflects the legacy of the colonial division, influencing regional relations and cross-border communities.