A small country located in Western Africa, Togo includes a swampy coastal plain, northern savannah, and central mountain range. The economy is largely dominated by agriculture, but the country is also one of the world’s largest producers of phosphates. With a complicated political history of colonization by both the English and the French, Togo gained independence in 1960, and has experienced various forms of political instability up to the present day. Despite sizable reductions in recent years, the overall poverty rate in the country remains quite high (with nearly half the population below the poverty line). Additional threats to the country include climate change (especially impacting agricultural productivity) and inflation, which may cause additional food insecurity.