A partly rugged country
Togo is crossed by the Atakora chain, which runs from southwest to northeast. It extends over 850 km from the coastline southwest of Accra to the Niger River. It develops in Ghana and Benin but especially on the Togolese territory where it forms the chain of the Togo mountains. This mountainous massif extends for nearly 360 km and serves as a border to the west. It is however relatively narrow, since its greatest width reaches barely 60 km around Atakpamé and Bafilo. It is between Kpalimé and Atakpamé that the altitudes are the highest; they reach an average of 800 m, with occasional higher peaks, especially on the edges: 972 m at Dzogadzeto, 936 m at Odalakpodji. Its highest point is located at Mount Agou, near Kpalimé, with 986 m of altitude. The valleys, relatively deep (200 to 400 m), form a whole series of highlands called "plateaus" or "mounts". These are the plateaus of Kloto, Kouma, Danyi, Akposso, Akébou, Fazao, Malfakassa and the Défalé mountains. Adjoining the Tamberma country to the east, the latter are formed of long parallel chains populated with baobabs, palms and nérés. In addition to the heights of Atakora, the Dapaong plateau marks the Moba country with its stamp, where it is dominated by a series of mountains with steep slopes; these are the Niassété, Bombouaka and Bikoro mountains; they are extended to the west by the spectacular Gambaga escarpment, which is especially developed in Ghana. Below the Togo mountain range (notably the Défalé chain) are the Lama chain, the Assiré mountain and Mount Djamdé. Finally, the plateau of bar land extends southward from the eastern plain and covers more than two-thirds of the maritime region. It forms a surface that slopes slightly from north to south and dominates the lagoon area by about twenty meters. It is crossed almost diagonally by the Lama depression and from north to south by the most important rivers coming from the Atakora; these rivers (notably the Mono, the Haho, the Sio and some of their tributaries) have, by means of very wide valleys, divided the surface into a series of small plateaus, the most important of which are the Kouvé Plateau (150 m), the Tsévié Plateau (90 m) and the Noépé Plateau.
Vast alluvial plains
Togo is composed mainly of two vast plains covered with dry savannah that are separated by the Togo Mountains. In the southeast, the Mono floodplain is the larger of the two. It is irrigated by the basins of the Mono River and small streams, Haho and Sio, which both drain into Lake Togo. Separated from the coast by the "terre de barre" plateau, with very fertile sandy-clay soil, this plain is indented by the Lama depression. Two orographic units can be distinguished: a southern part with a gentle slope from the north of Tsévié to Anié and a northern part with a much steeper slope. Cotton is widely grown in this area, among other crops. In the Savannah region, there is the alluvial plain of the Oti, which flows into the Volta. It is closed to the north by the Dapango plateau and to the south by the Togo mountains. The land is very fertile and many market garden crops and rice are grown. A large-scale development project plans to develop fish farming. To the west of the Fazao plateau, the small plain of Mô-Fazao opens up to Ghana. The plain is landlocked and blocked by the Fazao wall, and is very poorly cultivated despite its fertility.
Irrigated land
Togo is watered by several rivers and tributaries, of which the Mono River is the most important. It rises in central Togo in the Tchaoudjo massif between the towns of Sokodé and Bafilo, then flows south. East of Notsé, it serves as a natural border between Togo and Benin until its mouth. There, it forms an extensive network of brackish lagoons and lakes, including Lake Togo (46 km2), which is mainly freshwater. It then flows into the Bay of Benin in the Gulf of Guinea. In total, it drains a watershed of more than 20,000 km2 over a distance of 467 km. In Togo, it has only one tributary, the Ogou, which has its source some 20 km from the Mono. The Oti River is the other major river in Togo, with a total length of 520 km. It originates in the Atakora Massif in Benin as the Pendjari and flows northeastward before heading westward to act as a border first between Benin and Burkina Faso and then between Togo and Benin for a short distance. In the north of Togo, it turns south, then serves as the border with Ghana before ending its course in the Volta, at the eponymous lake. Throughout its course, the river receives numerous tributaries, including in Togo the Koumongou, Kéran and Kara rivers. We should also mention the Todzie River, which has its source in Ghana, and forms the natural border to the southwest of Togo for about fifty kilometers.
A window on the ocean
From Lomé to Aného, the Togolese coastline stretches for 75 km along the Bay of Benin, in the Gulf of Guinea. It reveals a beautiful sandy cordon with numerous coconut groves, however beaten by a strong bar. The fine sandy beaches are of remarkable beauty, notably those of Coco Beach, Baguida and Avépozo. Like many African countries bordering the coastline, Togo has to face maritime erosion. Most of the region is formed by a plateau delimiting the "land of bar", called the Ouatchi plateau. Its soil reveals a reddish color due to a strong presence of oxidized iron. It is about 20 km wide and rises to an altitude of between 60 and 90 m above sea level. The development of this area between Bè and Aflao gave rise to the "lakes" of Lomé. The "Lama depression", an indentation in the sedimentary basin of southern Benin and Togo, connects the Haho and Mono valleys.
