Sokodé, Centrale Region, Togo

History | Geography | Economy | Airport | Festivals | Places of worship | Sport

🇹🇬 Sokodé is the second largest city in Togo and seat of the Tchaoudjo and Centrale Region in the centre of the country, 339 km north of Lomé. The city is situated between the Mo and Mono rivers, and it is a commercial centre for the surrounding agricultural areas. It is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious city, but is dominated by Islam. It is an administrative centre where the majority of Kotokolis live, Muslims whose cloths are reminiscent of North Africa. Then men wear big boubous and women the veil above beautiful colorful outfits.

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History Ancient indigenous stock of the region mixed with more recent migrants of Gurma, from the eastern part of the Niger Bend, between Ouagadougou and Niamey, who brought the political system of chiefdoms with them. Added to this structure were Sudanese traders and craftsmen (the Mandinka, from historic Mali) and Hausa, a dynamic force since the 16th century. By choosing, in late 1897, to establish an outpost at Sokodé, Germans entrenched the role of the now dominant Kotokoli chiefdoms.

The city developed in precolonial times as a commercial crossroads on the Kola nut route between Ghana and Benin. Currently it is centre on the only north-south road in Togo, linking the capital Lomé to Burkina Faso. Urbanisation accelerated during colonisation. The city consists of older villages that have now become neighbourhoods.

Sokodé continues to be governed by a system balanced between a municipal administration and traditional chiefs. Historically, the chiefs of various villages were included in a leadership council, the Tchaoudjo.

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Geography Sokodé's region is characterised by a dense network of rivers and hilly terrain. The two main rivers are the Kpondjo and Kpandi, which flow into the Na which in turn feeds the Mono River. The border between the Mono and the Volta River drainage basins is located a few km north of the city. It is now in the catchment of the river Mô.

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Economy The economy of Sokodé is dominated by transport, trade and handicrafts. There is little industrial activity, like cotton ginning and sugar processing.

Farmers grow primarily corn, cassava, yams, pepper and beans, and many gardeners and farmers live on the periphery of Sokodé. They have herds of cows in the fields. Meanwhile, nomadic Fulani frequently pass near Sokodé, with their herds of zebu en route between Burkina Faso and Nigeria.

The vegetables are grown especially along the Kpondjo and Inusayo rivers. Most agricultural areas are floodplains, with growers beginning cultivation following the rainy season.

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Airport Sokodé Airport (ICAO: DXSK) is an airport serving Sokodé in Togo.

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Festivals 'Gadao-Adossa-Kosso': the main Kotokoli festival consists of three days of festivities, from Friday to Sunday. Celebrated the evening before Adossa, Gadao's function is to thank the ancestors for abundant harvests. Adossa, or the Festival of Knives, is an initiation rite originating with Semassi warriors who demonstrate their strength and courage by undergoing physical challenges. The next day is Kosso, the Festival of Women, in which women dance in the Municipal Park in Sokodé City.

Among others, major festivals are held by different Sokodé clans. In most festivals traditional dancers are invited from the region, as well as riders mimicking the Semassi warriors, spinning at full speed in the middle of the crowd.

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Places of worship Among the places of worship, they are predominantly Muslim mosques. There are also Christian churches and temples : Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokodé (Catholic Church), Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Togo (World Communion of Reformed Churches), Togo Baptist Convention (Baptist World Alliance), Living Faith Church Worldwide, Redeemed Christian Church of God, Assemblies of God.

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Sport The town is home to AC Semassi F.C. who play at the Stade Municipal as do the Tchaoudjo Athlétic Club.

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Lome Time 

Sokodé has a population of over 86,500 people. Sokodé also forms the centre of the wider Sokodé metropolitan area which has a population of over 189,000 people. Sokodé is situated 339 km north of Lomé.

To set up a UBI Lab for Sokodé see: https://www.ubilabnetwork.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/UBILabNetwork

Sokodé is a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network for Craft and Folk Art see: https://en.unesco.org/creative-cities

Text Atribution: Wikipedia Text under CC-BY-SA license

Antipodal to Sokodé is: -178.854,-8.984

Locations Near: Sokodé 1.146,8.98404

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🇹🇬 Kara 1.183,9.533 d: 61.2  

🇧🇯 Djougou 1.667,9.7 d: 98  

🇧🇯 Copargo 1.533,9.833 d: 103.6  

🇫🇷 Meudon 2.238,8.812 d: 121.5  

🇧🇯 Natitingou 1.367,10.3 d: 148.3  

🇧🇯 Ouèssè 2.433,8.483 d: 152  

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🇧🇯 Dassa-Zoumé 2.183,7.75 d: 178.5  

🇫🇷 Vierzon 2.066,7.223 d: 220.5  

Antipodal to: Sokodé -178.854,-8.984

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🇺🇸 Lihue -159.35,21.967 d: 15969.2  

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🇺🇸 Honolulu -157.85,21.3 d: 15940.8  

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