Editing Volta River

{{distinguish|Volga}}
{{short description|River in West Africa}}
{{Missing information|the name of the river in local languages|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox river
| name               = Volta River<br>''Fleuve Volta''
| name_native        = 
| name_native_lang   = 
| name_other         = 
| name_etymology     = 
<!---------------------- IMAGE & MAP -->
| image              = VoltaRiverWithAdombeBridge183-1-.jpg
| image_size         = 300
| image_caption      = The [[Adomi Bridge]] crosses the Volta river south of the [[Akosombo Dam]].
| map                = Volta River basin map.svg
| map_size           = 300
| map_caption        = Map of the Volta River drainage basin and its main three tributaries, the White Volta, Red Volta, and Black Volta rivers
| pushpin_map        = 
| pushpin_map_size   = 300
| pushpin_map_caption = 
| mapframe           = yes
| mapframe-zoom      = 6
<!---------------------- LOCATION -->
| subdivision_type1  = Countries
| subdivision_name1  = {{hlist|[[Ghana]]|[[Burkina Faso]]|[[Ivory Coast]]}}
| subdivision_type2  = 
| subdivision_name2  = 
| subdivision_type3  = 
| subdivision_name3  = 
| subdivision_type4  = 
| subdivision_name4  = 
| subdivision_type5  = 
| subdivision_name5  = 
<!---------------------- PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS -->
| length             = {{convert|1500|km|mi|abbr=on}} 
| width_min          = 
| width_avg          = 
| width_max          = 
| depth_min          = 
| depth_avg          = 
| depth_max          = 
| discharge1_location= [[River mouth|Mouth]]<ref name="brit">[http://www.library.eb.com/eb/article-9075703 Volta River], Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Library Edition. Retrieved on October 6, 2007.</ref>
| discharge1_min     = 
| discharge1_avg     = {{convert|1210|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="brit">[http://www.library.eb.com/eb/article-9075703 Volta River], Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Library Edition. Retrieved on October 6, 2007.</ref>
| discharge1_max     = 
<!---------------------- BASIN FEATURES -->
| source1            = 
| source1_location   = 
| source1_coordinates= 
| source1_elevation  = 
| mouth              = [[Gulf of Guinea]]
| mouth_location     = [[Atlantic Ocean]]
| mouth_coordinates  = {{coord|5|46|N|0|41|E|display=inline,title}}<ref>{{GEOnet2|32FA87A2E09D3774E0440003BA962ED3|Volta}}</ref>
| mouth_elevation    = 
| progression        = 
| river_system       = 
| basin_size         = {{convert|407093|km2|abbr=on}}<ref name="eatlas">[http://www.waterandnature.org/eatlas/html/af26.html Volta] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051026063230/http://www.waterandnature.org/eatlas/html/af26.html |date=2005-10-26 }}, Watersheds of the World. Water Resources eAtlas. Retrieved on October 6, 2007.</ref>
| tributaries_left   = 
| tributaries_right  = 
| custom_label       = 
| custom_data        = 
| extra              = 
}}

The '''Volta River''' ({{langx|ak|Asuo Firaw}}, {{langx|ee|Amuga}}, {{langx|fr|Fleuve Volta}}) is the main [[Drainage system (geomorphology)|river system]] in the [[West Africa]]n country of [[Ghana]]. It flows south into Ghana from the [[Bobo-Dioulasso Department|Bobo-Dioulasso]] highlands of [[Burkina Faso]]. 

The three main parts of the river are the [[Black Volta]], the [[White Volta]], and the [[Red Volta]]. In the northwest, the Black Volta forms the international borders of the [[Ivory Coast]], Ghana, and Burkina Faso. The Volta flows southward along the Akwapim-Togoland highlands, and empties into the [[Atlantic Ocean]] at the [[Gulf of Guinea]] at [[Ada Foah]]. One of its smaller tributaries, the [[Oti River|Oti]] River, enters Ghana from [[Togo]] in the east. The Volta River has been dammed at [[Akosombo]] for generating [[hydroelectricity]]. The [[reservoir]] named [[Lake Volta]] stretches from [[Akosombo Dam]] in the south to the northern part of the country, and is the largest man-made reservoir by area in the world.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lake Volta, Ghana|url=https://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view.php?id=58197|website=Visible Earth| date=7 April 2002 |publisher=NASA|access-date=7 March 2018}}</ref>

The country of [[Burkina Faso]] was formerly called [[Republic of Upper Volta|Upper Volta]], after the river.
[[File:Ada, Volta River.jpg|thumb|Ada, Volta River]]

==The reservoir==
Lake Volta is a reservoir impounded by the [[Akosombo Dam]] on the lower Volta River in southern Ghana. It is one of the largest reservoirs in the world. It extends from the Akosombo Dam in southeastern Ghana to the town of [[Yapei]] in the [[Central Gonja District]], [[Northern Region of Ghana]], some {{convert|400|km|mi}} to the north.

The dam's [[power plant]] generates electricity for the [[Volta River Authority]], and the reservoir also provides water transport routes. It is a resource for [[irrigation]] and [[fish farming]].

The depth of the river is about {{convert|45|ft|m}} below Lake Volta. The Volta River is crossed by the [[Adome Bridge]] just below the Akosombo Dam.

==History==
The [[Akwamu people]] who once built a [[Akwamu|kingdom]] on both the east and west banks of the river spanning present day [[Ghana]], [[Togo]] and [[Benin]] call it '''Firaw'''. They have a [[Akan religion#Abosom|deity]] dedicated to the river named Mfodwo.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wissing |first1=Kirsty |title=Assistance and resistance of (hydro-)power: Contested relationships of control over the Volta River, Ghana |journal=Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space |date=November 2019 |volume=37 |issue=7 |pages=1167, 1169 |doi=10.1177/0263774x18807482}}</ref>

The Volta River was named by Portuguese [[gold]] traders in Ghana. It was their farthest extent of exploration before returning (''volta'' is [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] for "twist" or "turn").<ref name="Volta - etymology"/> It has been known as the ''"River of return"'' (perhaps because it was where ships turned around and headed for home) or "river of the bend", in reference to its curved course.<ref name="Volta - etymology">{{Cite web |title=volta {{!}} Search Online Etymology Dictionary |url=https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=Volta |access-date=2025-01-15 |website=www.etymonline.com}}</ref><ref name="Bakewell">{{cite book|first=Ivor|last=Wilks|chapter=Wangara, Akan, and Portuguese in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries|editor1-last=Bakewell|editor1-first=Peter|title=Mines of Silver and Gold in the Americas|date=1997|publisher=Variorum, Ashgate Publishing Limited|location=Aldershot|page=15}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Akosombo Dam#Impacts|Impacts of the Akosombo Hydroelectric Project]] — environmental and human health issues from the Akosombo Dam and Lake Volta.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links == 
* {{commonscatinline}}

{{Rivers of Ghana}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Volta River| ]]
[[Category:Rivers of Ghana]]
[[Category:Rivers of Burkina Faso]]
[[Category:Gulf of Guinea]]
[[Category:Rivers of Ivory Coast]]