town, southern Togo, lying on the Gulf of Guinea near the border of Benin. Founded in the late 17th century by Ane peoples fleeing from Asante attacks in Elmina (now in Ghana), Aného developed as a slave port and commercial centre. It was the capital of German Togoland from 1885 to 1887 and of the French occupation from 1914 to 1920. Aného remains an important intellectual centre for Togo, though it has not grown as rapidly as Togo's other major cities. Pop. (1987 est.) 16,000.