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