Lake Volta | |
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Location | Ghana, West Africa |
Coordinates | 6°30′N 0°0′E / 6.500°N 0.000°E |
Lake type | Reservoir |
Primary inflows | White Volta River Black Volta River |
Primary outflows | Volta River |
Catchment area | 385,180 km2 (148,720 sq mi) |
Basin countries | Ghana |
Surface area | 8,502 km2 (3,283 sq mi) |
Average depth | 18.8 m (61 ft 8 in) |
Max. depth | 75 m (246 ft) |
Water volume | 148 km3 (32.6 × 1012 gallons) |
Shore length1 | 4,800 kilometres (2,980 mi) |
Surface elevation | 85 m (279 ft) |
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. |
Lake Volta (French: Lac Volta), the largest artificial reservoir in the world based on surface area, is contained behind the Akosombo Dam which generates a substantial amount of Ghana's electricity. It is completely within the country of Ghana and has a surface area of 8,502 square kilometres (3,283 sq mi).[1] It extends from Akosombo in the south to the northern part of the country.[2][3]