The Ghana–Togo border is 1,098 km (682 miles) in length and runs from the tripoint with

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 to the ...

in the north to the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

in the south.

Description

The border starts in the north at the tripoint with Burkina Faso; it then veers eastwards, almost re-touching the Burkinabe border and thereby creating a piece of Togolese territory almost cut off by only 0.14 km (140 m) from the main body of the country. The border then turns southwards, proceeding overland before reaching 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 ...

river. The border follows this river for a while, before veering south-eastwards, utilising overland lines and some small rivers, eventually reaching the

Oti River The Oti River or Pendjari River is an international river in West Africa. It rises in Benin, forms the border between Benin and Burkina Faso, flows through Togo, and joins the Volta River in Ghana. Geography The Oti River is about long. Its head ...

. The border then follows the Oti southwards, then veers eastwards along one of its branches, before turning south overland down to the

Mo River The Mo River is a river of Ghana and Togo, and it arises in Togo and flows west, forming a short part of the international boundary between Ghana and Togo. It empties into Lake Volta Lake Volta, the largest artificial reservoir in the world base ...

. After a brief section on the Mo the border then continues to the south, using various overland segments and some small rivers, before eventually terminating at the Atlantic coast just west of Togo's capital

Lomé Lomé is the capital and largest city of Togo. It has an urban population of 837,437

. The highest points of both countries,

Mount Afadja Mount Afadja, known as Afadjato to the Ewe people of Ghana and Togo, is the highest mountain in Ghana. The summit is located in the Volta Region, near the border with Togo, close to the villages of Liati Wote and Gbledi Gbogame in the Afadjato Sou ...

in Ghana and

Mount Agou Mount Agou (French: ''Mont Agou'', earlier known as ''Baumannspitze'' or Baumann Peak) is the highest mountain in Togo at . It is situated to the south east of Kpalimé in the Plateaux Region of Togo. The mountain lies close to the border with Gh ...

in Togo, lie close to each other near the border.

History

Europeans had begun exploring the coast of Ghana (then referred to as the

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

) 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 met ...

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 betwe ...

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 country located on ...

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 = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

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 ...

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.

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 for territory in Africa by the European powers, 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 colonisation of Africa, colonization of most of Africa by seven Western Europe, Western European powers during a ...

began taking an interest in acquiring colonies, signing treaties with chiefs along the coast of modern Togo in July 1884. The colony of

German Togoland Togoland was a German Empire 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, approximately 90,400 km2 (29,867 sq mi) in size. During the period kno ...

was then gradually extended inland. An initial border in the southernmost section west of Lomé was agreed upon by Britain and Germany on 14 July 1886. It was extended further to the north to the Volta-Daka confluence the following year. This section of the border was then delimited in more detail via an Anglo-German agreement of 1 July 1890. The border was extended further northwards via mutual agreement on 14 November 1899. The full boundary was then delimited in late 1901, and then demarcated on the ground 1901–02; this final boundary was approved on 25 June 1904. In the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

German Togoland was conquered by the Allies and then split into

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and French mandates along a mandate lines agreed upon on 10 July 1919. The new boundary between the mandates (i.e. the modern Ghana–Togo border) was then confirmed between Britain and France on 21 October 1929 following demarcation work conducted 1927–29. By

plebiscite A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

, British Togoland was incorporated into the Gold Coast colony in 1956, which gained independence as

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

the following year. France had also initiated a process of decolonisation at this time, culminating in the granting of broad internal autonomy to each African colony in 1958 within the framework of the

French Community The French Community (1958–1960; french: Communauté française) was the constitutional organization set up in 1958 between France and its remaining African colonies, then in the process of decolonization. It replaced the French Union, which ...

. French Togoland declared complete independence on 27 April 1960, whereupon the frontier with Ghana became one between two sovereign states. The two states undertook some re-demarcation work in the 1970s.

Settlements near the border

Ghana

* Wurinyanga * Nakpanduri * Bunkpurugu * Wawjawga * Kilingg * Nkanta * Breniasi * Agbome *

Denu Denu is a small town which is the capital of Ketu South Municipal, a district on the south-eastern corner of the Volta Region of Ghana, next to Aflao the border town with Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République t ...

Aflao Aflao is a town in Ketu South District in the Volta Region on Ghana's border with Togo. Aflao is the twenty-eighth most populous settlement in Ghana, in terms of population, with a population of 96,550 people. In the 18th century, Aflao served a ...

Togo

* Tami * Bantierk * Kpankpande * Passao * Biakopabe * Bidjabe * Dimouri * Kakpa * Bloma *

Kpalimé Kpalimé is a city in the Plateaux Region of Togo, 120 km north of Lomé and 15 km from the border with Ghana. It is the administrative capital of Kloto Prefecture. Kpalimé has a population of 75,084, making it the fourth-biggest tow ...

* Kpadafe * Agoueve *

Lomé Lomé is the capital and largest city of Togo. It has an urban population of 837,437

Border crossings

The main border crossing is at Aflao-Lomé; other crossings include Ho-Kpalimé and Leklebi-Kame.Phillip Briggs (2019) ''Bradt Travel Guide - Ghana'', pgs. 60-61

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghana-Togo border Borders of Ghana Borders of Togo International borders