History of Togo - Pre-colonial

Pre-colonial

Various tribes moved into the country from all sides - the Ewe from Benin, and the Mina and the Guin from Ghana. These three groups settled along the coast. The Portuguese built forts in neighboring Ghana (at Elmina) and Benin (at Ouidah), but not in Togo, which had no natural harbors. For the next 200 years, the coastal region was a major trading center for Europeans in search of slaves, earning Togo and the surrounding region the name "The Slave Coast".