Togoland was a
German protectorate in
West Africa from 1884 to 1914, encompassing what is now the nation of
Togo and most of what is now the
Volta Region of
Ghana. The colony was established during the period generally known as the "
Scramble for Africa". The colony was established in 1884 in part of what was then the
Slave Coast and was gradually extended inland. At the outbreak of the
First World War in 1914 the colony was drawn into the conflict. It was invaded and quickly overrun by British and French forces during the
Togoland campaign and placed under military rule. In 1916 the territory was divided into separate British and French administrative zones, and this was formalized in 1922 with the creation of
British Togoland and
French Togoland.