Togo 2-FRANCS (KM5)¶
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Reverse: RHIM GAZELLE
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Obverse: Republic of France (allegorical figure)
- Composition
- Aluminum
- Country
- Togo
- Approx. Size
- 27mm
- Area
- Africa
- Animal Class
- Mammals
- Species
- Rhim Gazelle
- KM#
- 5
This coin is part of the French Colonial period of Togo. It features the favourite Rhim Gazelle and has been exposed to some harsh elements. But, it is really hard to find, so this example will have to do.
Rhim Gazelles are also known as Slender-horned Gazelles and Sand Gazelles. They are adapted to the desert and seriously threatened, being hunted for meat, sport (just for the hell of it), and decoration (dead animal heads hanging on walls).
Togo¶
- Area
- Africa
Togo is a small sliver of a country with a population less than 4 million people. The pre-European history is a little hazy. Brazillian traders were apparently the first to settle in the area, but Germany achieved possession in 1884 by inducing the chiefs to place their territories under German protection (German Togoland). After World War I, the area was divided between Great Britain and France. In 1957 the British portion voted to join Ghana to the west and the French portion became the independent Republic of Togo in 1960. Approximately two-thirds of the population is engaged in agriculture. Cotton, coffee, and cocoa are the main exports, along with phosphates.
