Editing Geography of Ghana (section)

==Rivers and lakes==
{{See also|List of rivers of Ghana|l1=Rivers in Ghana}}
[[Image:Lake Volta Ghana.jpg|thumb|200px|Lake Volta]]
[[Image:Lake Bosumtwi1, Ghana.jpg|thumb|200px|Lake Bosumtwi]]

Ghana is drained by a large number of streams and rivers.<ref name=":0" /> In addition, there are a number of coastal lagoons, the huge man-made [[Lake Volta]], and [[Lake Bosumtwi]], southeast of [[Kumasi]], which has no outlet to the sea.<ref name=":0" /> In the wetter south and southwest areas of Ghana, the river and stream pattern is denser, but in the area north of the [[Kwahu Plateau]], the pattern is much more open, making access to water more difficult.<ref name=":0" /> Several streams and rivers also dry up or experience reduced flow during the dry seasons of the year, while flooding during the rainy seasons is common.<ref name=":0" />

The major drainage divide runs from the southwest part of the Akwapim-Togo Ranges northwest through the Kwahu Plateau and then irregularly westward to the Ivory Coast border.<ref name=":0" /> Almost all the rivers and streams north of this divide form part of the Volta system.<ref name=":0" /> Extending about {{convert|1,600|km}} in length and draining an area of about {{convert|388,000|km2}}, of which about {{convert|158,000|km2}} lie within Ghana, the Volta and its tributaries, such as the [[Afram River]] and the Oti River, drain more than two thirds of Ghana.<ref name=":0" /> To the south of the divide are several smaller, independent rivers.<ref name=":0" /> The most important of these are the Pra River, the Tano River, the Ankobra River, the [[Birim River]], and the [[Densu River]].<ref name=":0" /> With the exception of smaller streams that dry up in the dry seasons or rivers that empty into inland lakes, all the major rivers in Ghana flow into the Gulf of Guinea directly or as tributaries to other major rivers.<ref name=":0" /> The Ankobra and Tano are navigable for considerable distances in their lower reaches.<ref name=":0" />

[[Image:Lake Volta, Ghana.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Lake Volta]] is the world's largest artificially created lake.]]
Navigation on the Volta River has changed significantly since 1964.<ref name=":0" /> Construction of the dam at Akosombo, about {{convert|80|km}} upstream from the coast, created the vast Lake Volta and the associated hydroelectric project.<ref name=":0" /> Arms of the lake extended into the lower-lying areas, forcing the relocation of 78,000 people to newly created townships on the lake's higher banks.<ref name=":0" /> The Black Volta River and the White Volta River flow separately into the lake.<ref name=":0" /> Before their confluence was submerged, the rivers came together in the middle of Ghana to form the main Volta River.<ref name=":0" />

The Oti River and the Daka River, the principal tributaries of the Volta in the eastern part of Ghana, and the Pru River, the Sene River, and the Afram River, major tributaries to the north of the Kawhu Plateau, also empty into flooded extensions of the lake in their river valleys.<ref name=":0" /> Lake Volta is a rich source of fish, and its potential as a source for irrigation is reflected in an agricultural mechanization agreement signed in the late 1980s to irrigate the Afram Plains.<ref name=":0" /> The lake is navigable from Akosombo through Yeji in the middle of Ghana.<ref name=":0" /> A {{convert|24|m|adj=on}} [[Pontoon (boat)|pontoon]] was commissioned in 1989 to link the Afram Plains to the west of the lake with the lower Volta region to the east.<ref name=":0" /> Hydroelectricity generated from Akosombo supplies Ghana, Togo, and Benin.<ref name=":0" />

On the other side of the Kwahu Plateau from Lake Volta are several river systems, including the Pra, Ankobra, Tano and Densu.<ref name=":0" /> The Pra is the easternmost and the largest of the three principal rivers that drain the area south of the Volta divide.<ref name=":0" /> Rising south of the Kwahu Plateau and flowing southward, the Pra enters the Gulf of Guinea east of Takoradi.<ref name=":0" /> In the early part of the twentieth century, the Pra was used extensively to float timber to the coast for export.<ref name=":0" /> This trade is now carried by road and rail transportation.<ref name=":0" />

The Ankobra, which flows to the west of the Pra, has a relatively small drainage basin.<ref name=":0" /> It rises in the hilly region of [[Bibiani]] and flows in a southerly direction to enter the gulf just west of [[Axim]].<ref name=":0" /> Small craft can navigate approximately {{convert|80|km}} inland from its mouth.<ref name=":0" /> At one time, the Ankobra helped transport machinery to the gold-mining areas in the vicinity of [[Tarkwa]].<ref name=":0" /> The Tano, which is the westernmost of the three rivers, rises near [[Techiman]] in the centre of the country.<ref name=":0" /> It also flows in a southerly direction, and it empties into a lagoon in the southeast corner of Ivory Coast.<ref name=":0" /> Navigation by steam launch is possible on the southern sector of the Tano for about {{convert|70|km}}.<ref name=":0" />

A number of rivers are found to the east of the Pra.<ref name=":0" /> The two most important are the Densu and Ayensu, both of which rise in the [[Atewa Range]], and which are important as sources of water for [[Accra]] and [[Winneba]] respectively.<ref name=":0" /> The country has one large natural lake, Lake Bosumtwi, located about {{convert|32|km}} southeast of Kumasi.<ref name=":0" /> It occupies the steep-sided meteoric crater and has an area of about {{convert|47|km2}}.<ref name=":0" /> A number of small streams flow into Lake Bosumtwi, but there is no drainage from it.<ref name=":0" /> Apart from providing an opportunity for fishing for local inhabitants, the lake serves as a tourist attraction.<ref name=":0" />