Nakanbé
Nakanbé is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index, part of the White Volta system. River courses organise settlement, agriculture and frontier-making more durably than any political boundary, and this reach is indexed against the dams, lakes and cities within its catchment.
- Feature Class
- River
- System
- White Volta
- Coordinates
- 11.58°, -0.78°
About Nakanbé
The White Volta or Nakambé (French: Volta blanche) is the headstream of the Volta River, Ghana's main waterway. The White Volta emerges in northern Burkina Faso, flows through Northern Ghana and empties into Lake Volta in Ghana. The White Volta's main tributaries are the Black Volta and the Red Volta.The river has a length of approximately 640–885 km, depending on the measurement method used, and drains a large transboundary basin shared primarily by Burkina Faso and Ghana.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: White Volta (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Nakanbé in Depth
Course and basin
The White Volta is one of the principal tributaries of the Volta River. It rises from Burkina Faso as Nakanbé and drains southward into northern Ghana to form Lake Volta. The Volta River Basin comprises the drainage basins of the Volta River and its various branches, including the White Volta, Black Volta, Red Volta, Oti, and Lower Volta sub basins.
The White Volta Basin spans some portions of Burkina Faso and Ghana. Within Ghana, the White Volta is significant for the country's northern region, where it provides opportunities for rural livelihoods through flood plains agriculture, animal watering, fishing, and domestic water use. Its significance lies in being the conduit for semi-arid/sub-humid West Africa to the rest of the Volta system.
Tributaries
The White Volta starts from the river called Nakanbé in Burkina Faso. Red Volta, or Nazinon, as well as Sissili, are two of the major tributaries of White Volta, and they also originate in Burkina Faso. There is also the Black Volta, or Mouhoun, which is one of the main branches in Volta system; however, it needs to be considered separately as the headwater of the whole Volta River system.
Tributary system of the White Volta gives importance of the river to the region since water supply and the possibility of floods in along the river depends on the quantity of precipitation in Burkina Faso.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: White Volta (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Nakanbé: Key Facts
| Length | 640 km |
|---|---|
| Average discharge | 249 m³/s |
| Drainage basin | 400,000 km² |
| Mouth | Lake Volta |
| Tributaries | Kulpawn River, Nasia, Red Volta |
Facts from Wikidata Q1259188 (CC0).
Major River Dossiers
Hand-written studies of the great river systems of history.
Connected Reaches
Nearby watercourses in the same drainage network.
Water Bodies in the Catchment
Settlements Along the Reach
Hydraulic Infrastructure Nearby
Surrounding Terrain
Nakanbé: Quick Answers
- Where is Nakanbé?
- Nakanbé is located in Burkina Faso and Ghana, at 11.5838° N, 0.7811° W.
- Are there dams on the Nakanbé?
- No dam on the Nakanbé is recorded in the YearMaps dam index, which covers major structures only.
- Which river system is the Nakanbé part of?
- The Nakanbé is part of the White Volta system.