Aného, previously known as Anecho, is a town in southeastern Togo, lying on the Gulf of Guinea near the border of Benin. Founded in the late 17th century by Ane people fleeing from Denkyira attacks in Elmina, Aného developed as a slave port and commercial center. 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 center for Togo, though it has not grown as rapidly as Togo’s other major cities. Its estimated population in 2005 was 25,400.