Volta River

Volta River
River
The Adome bridge crosses the Volta river south of the Akosombo Dam.
Country	Burkina Faso, Ghana
Mouth	Gulf of Guinea
- location	Atlantic Ocean
Basin	407,093 km2 (157,179 sq mi) [1]
Discharge	mouth
- average	1,210 m3/s (42,731 cu ft/s) [1]
Map of the Volta River and its main three tributaries, the White Volta, Red Volta, and Black Volta rivers.

The Volta is a river in western Africa that drains into the Gulf of Guinea. It is divided into the Black Volta, the White Volta and the Red Volta. The river gave its name to French Upper Volta and then the Republic of Upper Volta before that country was renamed Burkina Faso in 1984.

Lake Volta in Ghana is the largest man-made lake in the world, extending from the Akosombo Dam in southeastern Ghana to the town of Yapei, some 400 km to the north. The lake generates electricity, provides inland transport, and is a potentially valuable resource for irrigation and fish farming.

The Portuguese purchased much of their gold from inhabitants of this region during the Renaissance.

The deep of the river is 45 feet (14 m), in location of Lake Volta.

The river was named by Portuguese gold traders; it was their furthest extent of exploration before returning ("Volta" is Portuguese for "twist" or "turn").

References

External links

• Map of the Volta River basin at Water Resources eAtlas
• Volta River Authority, an agency of the government of Ghana
•  "Volta (river)". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911. 

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