Lake Volta
| Lake Volta | |
|---|---|
View of Lake Volta and Adomi bridge | |
Lake Volta in Ghana | |
| 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 trillion 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). It extends from Akosombo in the south to the northern part of the country.