The Burkina Faso–Ghana border is 602 km (374 m) in length and runs from the tripoint with

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre i ...

in the west to the tripoint with

Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...

in the east.

Description

The border starts in the west at the tripoint with Ivory Coast on the

Black Volta The Black Volta or Mouhoun is a river that flows through Burkina Faso for approximately 1,352 km (840 mi) to the White Volta in Dagbon, Ghana, the upper end of Lake Volta. The source of the Black Volta is in the Cascades Region of Bu ...

river; the border continues north along this river up to the 11th parallel north. The border then turns east, following this parallel until it reaches the Red Volta (though note that the border is not entirely straight in this sector, as at several points the boundary jogs north or south). The border follows the Red Volta briefly to the south-east, before turning to the north-east via a series of irregular overland lines. It then reaches the

White Volta The White Volta or Nakambé is the headstream of the Volta River, Ghana's main waterway. The White Volta emerges in northern Burkina Faso, flows through North Ghana and empties into Lake Volta in Ghana. The White Volta's main tributaries are the ...

, following this river briefly, and then the Nouhao, before it turns to the south-east in a straight line down to the Togolese tripoint.

History

Europeans had begun exploring the coast of Ghana (then referred to as the Gold Coast) from the 15th century, and it became the centre of a various trading networks, notably in

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

and slaves;

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...

and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

all had trading posts here at one point.

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

also took an interest in the region, and during the 19th century became the predominant regional power, taking over all the rival trading posts and declaring the Gold Coast colony in 1867.McLaughlin & Owusu-Ansah (1994), ''Britain and the Gold Coast: the Early Years'' The British gradually extended their rule into the interior, against often determined resistance by native kingdoms such as the Asante; the northern region of what is now Ghana was annexed to the Gold Coast colony in 1901. The 1880s saw an intense competition between the European powers for territories in Africa, a process known as the

Scramble for Africa The Scramble for Africa, also called the Partition of Africa, or Conquest of Africa, was the invasion, annexation, division, and colonization of most of Africa by seven Western European powers during a short period known as New Imperialism ...

. The process culminated in the

Berlin Conference The Berlin Conference of 1884–1885, also known as the Congo Conference (, ) or West Africa Conference (, ), regulated European colonisation and trade in Africa during the New Imperialism period and coincided with Germany's sudden emergenc ...

of 1884, in which the European nations concerned agreed upon their respective territorial claims and the rules of engagements going forward. As a result of this

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

had gained control the upper valley of the

Niger River The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through Mal ...

(roughly equivalent to the areas of modern

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Ma ...

and

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesFrench Sudan French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Fra ...

) was originally included, along with modern Niger and

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana t ...

(then referred to as Upper Volta, within the

Upper Senegal and Niger Upper Senegal and Niger () was a colony in French West Africa, created on 21 October 1904 from colonial Senegambia and Niger by the decree "For the Reorganisation of the general government of French West Africa". At its creation, the "Colony of ...

colony and became a constituent of the federal colony of

French West Africa French West Africa (french: Afrique-Occidentale française, ) was a federation of eight French colonial territories in West Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guinea (now Guinea), Ivory Coast, Upper Volta (now B ...

(''Afrique occidentale française'', abbreviated AOF).Decree 7 September 1911, ''rattachant le territoire militaire du Niger au gouvernement général de l'Afrique occidentale française'', published in the Official Journal of the French Republic on 12 September 1911
Online
A border had been delimited between the Gold Coast and French territory by mutual agreement on 14 June 1898. A more precise border was then drawn up by an exchange of notes in 1904, and officially approved in 1906. The border was later demarcated on the ground via series of pillars. During the period 1932-47 the internal arrangements of French West Africa were altered: Upper Volta was abolished and its territory split out between French Sudan, Niger and Ivory Coast; as a result during this period the Ghana-Upper Volta was thereby abolished, becoming a continuance of the Ghana–Ivory Coast border. The Gold Coast gained full independence from Britain (as Ghana) in 1957; France granted Upper Volta independence in 1960, and their mutual frontier became an international one between two sovereign states. The two states conducted some re-demarcation in the late 1960s-early 1970.

Settlements near the border

Burkina Faso

* Dankana * Batie Nord *

Ouessa Ouessa is a town in southern Burkina Faso, very close to the border of Ghana. Across the border is the town of Hamile Hamile is a village in the Jirapa/Lambussie district, a district in the far northwestern Upper West Region of north Ghana, close ...

* Boura *

Léo Léo is a proper noun in French, meaning lion". Its etymological root lies in the Latin word Leo. Léo is used as a diminutive or variant of the names Léon, Léonard, Léonardon, Leonardo, Léonid, ''Léonor'', '' Léonore'', ''Eléonore'' ...

* Bieha *

Songo Songo may refer to: * Songo music, a type of contemporary Cuban music originating in Havana * Songo people, of northern Angola * Songo-salsa, a style of music that blends Spanish rapping and hip hop beats with salsa music and songo * Songo.mn, an ...

* Youga

Ghana

* Kalba *

Hamile Hamile is a village in the Jirapa/Lambussie district, a district in the far northwestern Upper West Region of north Ghana, close to the border with Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic= ...

Wechiau Wechiau is a small town and is the capital of Wa West district, a district in the Upper West Region of north Ghana adjacent to the border with Burkina Faso. Wechiau has a stretch of the Black Volta and this is the home to a wild population of Hip ...

* Kolingwu * Tumu * Kwonehogo *

Navrongo Navrongo is a town and the capital of Kassena-Nankana District in the Upper East Region of northern Ghana, adjacent to the border with Burkina Faso. Navrongo is the capital of Kassena-Nankana District – which is within the Upper East Region of ...

* Gulen * Bongo * Nangodi * Lamboya *

Bolgatanga Bolgatanga ( Frafra: '), colloquially known as ''Bolga'', is a town and the capital of the Bolgatanga Municipal District and Upper East Region of Ghana, adjacent to the border with Burkina Faso. Bolgatanga has over 2012 settlement and a popula ...

* Paga * Mogoumnore *

Bawku Bawku is a town and is the capital of the Bawku Municipal District, district in the Upper East region of north Ghana, adjacent to the border with Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=n ...

Border crossings

The main border crossing is at Paga; lesser-used crossings are located at Tumu, Bawku and Hamile.Phillip Briggs (2019) ''Bradt Travel Guide - Ghana'', pgs. 61

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burkina Faso-Ghana border Borders of Burkina Faso Borders of Ghana International borders