River · Togo
Mono
Mono is the longest river of Togo, a narrow country in West Africa. It runs about 400 kilometres to the south and reaches the Bight of Benin through a chain of quiet lagoons.
Picture credit: Kulttuurinavigaattori (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Sampo Kiviniemi (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Sampo Kiviniemi (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is the Mono?
The river starts here: Hills of northern Togo.
It ends in the Bight of Benin, through a system of lagoons.
Countries on the river: Togo.
The story behind it
The Mono starts in the green hills of northern Togo and then heads south, growing wider as small streams join it. For its last stretch it forms the border with the neighbouring country, so a canoe can have one bank in Togo and the other one abroad. A big dam at Nangbeto holds back part of the river and makes electricity for towns and workshops. Behind the wall lies a long lake where fishermen set out early in the morning. Near the coast the Mono does not reach the sea directly: it slips into shallow lagoons full of reeds, crabs and wading birds, and only then finds the ocean. Because the river is measured in different ways, you may read slightly different lengths for it. In the rainy season the lower valley floods, and families move their goats to higher ground.
Questions children ask
How long is the Mono?
The Mono is roughly 400 kilometres long. No other river in Togo runs further, which is why it appears on almost every map of the country.
Which country does the Mono flow through?
The Mono belongs to Togo, from the northern hills all the way to the coast. Along its lower course it also serves as a border, so the far bank already belongs to the neighbours.
Where does the Mono end?
The Mono reaches the Bight of Benin, part of the Atlantic Ocean. Before that it spreads into shallow lagoons where fresh water and salt water mix.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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