Sokodé

File:FROBENIUS(1911) Tafel43 Wohnhaus des deutschen Stationsassistenten in Sokode.jpg

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.Barbier Jean-Claude, Klein Bernard, 1995, Sokodé, ville multicentrée du Nord-Togo – Petit atlas urbain, Orstom Editions Added to this structure were Western Sudanic 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 center on the only north-south road in Togo, linking the capital Lomé to Burkina Faso. Urbanization accelerated during colonization. The city consists of older villages that have now become neighborhoods.

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.

File:Sokodé-Kpangalam.jpg

Sokodé's region is characterized 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 kilometers north of the city. It is now in the catchment of the river Mô.

File:Cavalier-semassi.JPG

Sokodé is the city with the highest proportion of Muslims in Togo. 70% of the population is Muslim and the remaining 30% are Christians, mostly Catholics. Sokodé is home to the Tem people and most people in Sokodé speak Kotokoli (or Tem). The ethnonym Kotokoli is the name that was given to these speakers by traders of the Niger Bend. Many other languages are spoken in Togo, especially Ewé, the dominant language of the south, and Kabyé, dominant language of the Kara region, further north. The Kotokoli and Kabyè languages are closely related.

From the standpoint of urban landscape, the city can be divided into two parts: the center, with high density traditional housing, and the suburbs, with housing becoming progressively less dense as one moves away from the center. Modern materials have been increasingly replacing traditional materials (mudbrick).

Situated at an average altitude of {{convert|340|m|ft|-1|disp=or}}, midway between the ocean and the Sahel strip, Sokodé experiences a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw), with two distinct seasons: the rainy season, which lasts from April to October, peaking from July to September and the dry season from November to March. The rainfall is between {{convert|1,200|and|1,500|mm|0|abbr=on}} per year and the number of rainy days varies between 100 and 130. The average temperature is {{convert|26|°C|0}} (1961–1990). The evaporation rate is high, estimated at {{convert|1500|mm|0|abbr=on}} / year, and is particularly marked in the harmattan period from November to January. The humidity is very variable, and depends on all the above factors.

{{Weather box

|location = Sokodé (1991–2020, extremes 1901–present)

|metric first = yes

|single line = yes

|temperature colour =

|Jan record high C = 40.5

|Feb record high C = 41.0

|Mar record high C = 40.5

|Apr record high C = 40.5

|May record high C = 38.0

|Jun record high C = 36.5

|Jul record high C = 38.5

|Aug record high C = 38.0

|Sep record high C = 35.7

|Oct record high C = 40.5

|Nov record high C = 39.9

|Dec record high C = 38.0

|year record high C = 41.0

|Jan high C = 34.8

|Feb high C = 36.3

|Mar high C = 36.5

|Apr high C = 34.7

|May high C = 33.0

|Jun high C = 31.1

|Jul high C = 29.6

|Aug high C = 29.0

|Sep high C = 30.2

|Oct high C = 32.2

|Nov high C = 34.5

|Dec high C = 34.4

|year high C = 33.0

|Jan mean C = 27.0

|Feb mean C = 28.8

|Mar mean C = 29.8

|Apr mean C = 29.0

|May mean C = 27.8

|Jun mean C = 26.5

|Jul mean C = 25.6

|Aug mean C = 25.3

|Sep mean C = 25.8

|Oct mean C = 26.3

|Nov mean C = 26.9

|Dec mean C = 26.5

|year mean C = 27.1

|Jan low C = 19.2

|Feb low C = 21.4

|Mar low C = 23.1

|Apr low C = 23.2

|May low C = 22.6

|Jun low C = 21.8

|Jul low C = 21.5

|Aug low C = 21.5

|Sep low C = 21.3

|Oct low C = 21.2

|Nov low C = 19.3

|Dec low C = 18.5

|year low C = 21.2

|Jan record low C = 10.0

|Feb record low C = 11.0

|Mar record low C = 15.8

|Apr record low C = 18.0

|May record low C = 18.0

|Jun record low C = 16.0

|Jul record low C = 16.0

|Aug record low C = 16.8

|Sep record low C = 15.5

|Oct record low C = 16.0

|Nov record low C = 11.0

|Dec record low C = 10.0

|year record low C = 10.0

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 4.3

|Feb precipitation mm = 13.0

|Mar precipitation mm = 38.8

|Apr precipitation mm = 101.6

|May precipitation mm = 119.4

|Jun precipitation mm = 149.0

|Jul precipitation mm = 219.5

|Aug precipitation mm = 258.3

|Sep precipitation mm = 249.5

|Oct precipitation mm = 111.3

|Nov precipitation mm = 13.3

|Dec precipitation mm = 0.9

|year precipitation mm = 1278.9

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 0.4

|Feb precipitation days = 1.1

|Mar precipitation days = 4.6

|Apr precipitation days = 8.7

|May precipitation days = 11.9

|Jun precipitation days = 13.9

|Jul precipitation days = 18.8

|Aug precipitation days = 21.4

|Sep precipitation days = 19.9

|Oct precipitation days = 11.3

|Nov precipitation days = 1.4

|Dec precipitation days = 0.3

|year precipitation days = 113.7

|Jan humidity = 35

|Feb humidity = 49

|Mar humidity = 64

|Apr humidity = 71

|May humidity = 76

|Jun humidity = 82

|Jul humidity = 84

|Aug humidity = 85

|Sep humidity = 86

|Oct humidity = 80

|Nov humidity = 69

|Dec humidity = 54

|year humidity = 70

|Jan sun = 262.9

|Feb sun = 243.1

|Mar sun = 235.0

|Apr sun = 214.7

|May sun = 220.2

|Jun sun = 174.8

|Jul sun = 124.7

|Aug sun = 110.4

|Sep sun = 135.5

|Oct sun = 213.9

|Nov sun = 250.6

|Dec sun = 256.0

|year sun = 2441.8

|source 1 = NOAA (sun 1961-1990){{cite web

| url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-1-WMO-Normals-9120/Togo/CSV/SOKODE_65361.csv

| title = Climate Normals 1991–2020

| work = World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020)

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| access-date = 28 September 2023}}

{{cite web

| url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/TG/65361.TXT

| title = Sokode Climate Normals 1961–1990

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201031220837/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/TG/65361.TXT

| archive-date = 2020-10-31

| url-status = dead

| accessdate = 18 December 2018}}

|source 2 = Deutscher Wetterdienst (humidity 1961-1990)

{{cite web

| url = https://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_653610_kt.pdf

| title = Klimatafel von Sokodé/Tchauodjo / Togo

| work = Baseline climate means (1961–1990) from stations all over the world

| publisher = Deutscher Wetterdienst

| language = German

| accessdate = 18 December 2018}} Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)

{{cite web

| url = http://meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org/station-1564-Sokode.php

| title = Station Sokode

| publisher = Météo Climat

| language = French

| accessdate = 18 December 2018}}

}}

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

[https://www.britannica.com/place/Sokode Sokodé], britannica.com, USA, accessed on June 30, 2019

File:Sokodé-campagne.jpg

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.

File:Danseuses-Adossa.JPG

'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.

== Landmarks ==

File:Mosquée au grand marché.JPG

Among the places of worship, they are predominantly Muslim mosques.Britannica, [https://www.britannica.com/place/Sokode Sokodé], britannica.com, USA, accessed on July 7, 2019 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.J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann, ‘‘Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices’’, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, p. 2875-2877

A new market, the Sokodé Central Market, opened on January 16, 2025, with an inauguration attended by Togo’s President, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé. It is a two-level modern commercial complex with 36 stores and 508 sales areas, funded by the Togolese government at a cost of 2 billion CFA francs (about $3.2 million), with support from KfW of Germany.{{cite web|author=Segbedji, Julien|url=https://ledefenseurinfo.tg/en/sokode-a-new-modern-market-to-boost-the-local-economy/|title=Sokodé: a new modern market to boost the local economy|publisher=ledefenseurinfo.tg|date=17 January 2025|accessdate=19 March 2025}}

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

• Kotokro - the founder of Sokodé.
• Zarifou Ayéva - politician
• Mohamed Kader - footballer
• Edem Kodjo - former Prime Minister of Togo
• Assimiou Touré - footballer
• Arissou Traorè - footballer

• Sokodé Airport

{{Commons category}}

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{{Coord|8|59|N|1|08|E|region:TG_type:city|display=title}}

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Category:Populated places in Centrale Region, Togo