The Ghana–Togo border is 1,098 km (682 miles) in length and runs from the tripoint with Burkina Faso 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 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 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, Denmark, Portugal and the Netherlands 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'.

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

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 serve ...

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 to ...

* 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