Mount Afadja

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Mount Afadja" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Mount Afadja
Mount Afadja Location of Mount Afadja in Ghana
Highest point
Elevation	587 m (1,926 ft)[1]
Prominence	32 m (105 ft)[1]
Coordinates	7°01′37″N 0°36′12″E / 7.02694°N 0.60333°E / 7.02694; 0.60333[1]
Geography
Location	Hohoe Municipal District, Volta Region, Ghana
Parent range	Agumatsa Range

Mount Afadja, known as Afadjato to the Ewe people of Ghana and Togo, is one of the highest mountains in Ghana.^[2] 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 South District and Hohoe Municipality, respectively. It is about 178 kilometers (111 mi) northeast of Accra, and 178 kilometers (111 mi) northwest of Lomé. Part of the Agumatsa sub-range of the West Africa Mountains, its summit is often cited at 885 metres (2,904 ft) above sea level, but in reality is only 587 metres (1,926 ft).^[3] The summit of Mount Aduadu (746 metres (2,448 ft)) lies 3.5 kilometers (2 mi) to the east, while Ghana's highest peak, Leklata, lies about 4.6 kilometers (2.9 miles) to the east.^[4]

The mountain's name is "Afadja," while the suffix "-to" in the Ewe language means mountain. The correct name in the English language, therefore, would be "Mount Afadja", not "Mount Afadjato", which would be a repetition of the word "mountain" and the correct name in the French language would be "Mont Afadja", not "Mont Afadjato".

When the Ewe people migrated to the area, wild animals have been attacking them and sometimes killing their babies so the people decided fight back and during the war between animals and the people, the animal were running away and the people chase them, they came across a itching plant which prevented them from getting to the mountain to battle the animals since they are not in clothes. The people couldn't bypass the itching plant so they return home to narrate the story. Afar in the Ewe language means war, Dja means plant and To means mountain. Moreover, there were some creeping plants on the mountain that resembled the water yam plant; they therefore called it "Avadze-to". Today the word has been palatalized into "Afadjato".^[5]

Mount Afadja is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the Volta Region of Ghana, welcoming thousands of visitors from around the globe annually. The nearby Tagbo Falls and Wli Falls (the highest in West Africa) are also popular tourist attractions. There are several caves, streams and other waterfalls in the area.

Mount Afadja derives its name from the Ewe Word “Avadzeto” which means at war with the bush.^[6] 'Afadja' is the name of the mountain whereas 'to' in the Ewe language means mountain therefore it is called 'Afadjato' by the indigenes.^[7] The correct name would be 'Mount Afadja' as 'Mount Afadjato' will be a repetition of the 'Mountain.'^[7] The mountain is located in the Agumatsa Range near the villages of Gbledi and Liati Wote. The lush green mountains of the ridge mark the country's border with Togo.^[6]

The nearby Tagbo Falls and Wli Agumatsa Waterfalls (the highest in West Africa) are also considered tourist attractions. There are several caves, streams and other waterfalls in the area. There is a plant species on the mountainsides that causes severe irritation. Shielded by the tropical forests of Ghana, the mountain provides a home to many species of flora and fauna. More than 33 species of mammals and about 300 butterfly species live in the ecological region. Also, regularly spotted in the mountains is the Mona and spotted monkeys. People often come to climb the mountain or observe the surrounding beauty.^[6]

The mountain is located in the Volta region, close to the Ghana-Togo border and Volta Lake on the east of Ghana.