The coastal plain
Naturally densely populated because of its access to the sea and the economic activities associated with this proximity, Ghana's coastline is also a particularly popular area for visitors. The coastal plain of the southern regions extends from Sekondi (in the west) to the Togolese border (in the east), with a width of about 80 km at either end of the country (compared to about 50 km at Accra). The region has no particular relief and is rather fragmented, oscillating between grasslands, groves, swamps and lagoons. If some areas of the coastal plain are well irrigated, the vast majority is very dry, even arid.
The south-western part of the country is more attractive than the Accra region: the road runs beautifully along the seashore and the endless palm trees. The beach, present everywhere in this region, gives a summery look to the landscape, which remains the same as far as the Ivory Coast. Another specific characteristic of the Ghanaian coastal plain: the presence of numerous fortresses and castles! The oldest of these buildings date back to the 15th century, silent witnesses of the European conquest of the West African coasts and the human trafficking that followed.
The Great North
The northern region of the country is dominated by a plateau with an altitude of 500 meters. The whole area is occupied by savannahs on about 150,000 km2: here, cotton is mainly grown. There are also, this time more specifically in the northwest, some reliefs in the form of rounded hills, which stretch to the border with Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire. In the west, the Precambrian plateau is an extension of the plateau of the far north of Ghana, also reaching an altitude of 500 meters. It is covered with forests and streaked in all directions by deep gorges. The Precambrian plateau descends to the coast and joins the Kwahu plateau in the east of the country.
A little further south, in the area known as Ashanti country - which covers the intermediate zone between the north and the south of the country - cocoa has been grown on a massive scale since time immemorial. The region is also famous for its countless gold mines. In the heart of Ashanti country, there is the Bosumtwi Lake, fed by the surrounding rivers.
Omnipresent Volta
Just above the coastal plain lie 60,000 square kilometers of dense rainforest and the Volta River basin. Here, the altitude does not exceed 100 meters and the soil is mainly composed of sandstone and other soft stones. It must be said that one of the particularities of Ghana is that more than 60% of the country is covered by the Volta River basin. The Volta artificial lake is simply one of the largest in the world: with its 8,500 km2, it covers an area three times larger than the surface of Luxembourg. The lake is fed by the White Volta and the Black Volta (two rivers that originate in Burkina Faso) and gives rise to secondary rivers: Pra, Ankobra and Tano. The construction of the dam has profoundly changed the face of the country. And this, for good and for bad. It is indeed responsible for coastal erosion in the Kéta region. Between the lake and the Togolese border are the hills of Akwapem and Togo. This island of green valleys is home to the highest peaks in the country, the highest of which, Mount Afadjato, reaches 885 meters.
