Volta
Volta is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index. Akosombo Dam stands on this watercourse and is written up below. 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
- Dams Recorded
- 1
- Coordinates
- 6.05°, 0.38°
About Volta
The Volta River (Akan: Asuo Firaw, Ewe: Amuga, French: Fleuve Volta) is the main river system in the West African country of Ghana. It flows south into Ghana from the 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, 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.
The country of Burkina Faso was formerly called Upper Volta, after the river.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Volta River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Volta in Depth
History
The Akwamu people who once built a kingdom on both the east, and the west banks of the river spanning present day Ghana, Togo, and Benin call it Firaw. They have a deity dedicated to the river named Mfodwo.
The Volta River was named by Portuguese gold traders in Ghana. It was their furthest extent of exploration before returning (volta is Portuguese for "twist" or "turn"). 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.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Volta River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Volta: Key Facts
| Length | 1,500 km |
|---|---|
| Average discharge | 1,288 m³/s |
| Drainage basin | 388,000 km² |
| Mouth | Gulf of Guinea |
| Tributaries | Daka River, Black Volta, Todzie River |
Facts from Wikidata Q192415 (CC0).
Akosombo Dam
Akosombo Dam
Rock-fill dam · Eastern Region, Ghana
Akosombo Dam is a rock-fill dam on the Volta in Eastern Region, Ghana, standing 114 m (374 ft) high and completed in 1965. It carries an installed hydroelectric capacity of 1,020 MW. The structure impounds Lake Volta.
The Akosombo Dam, also known as the Volta Dam, is a hydroelectric dam on the Volta River in southeastern Ghana in the Akosombo gorge and part of the Volta River Authority. The construction of the dam flooded part of the Volta River Basin and led to the subsequent creation of Lake Volta. It covers 8,502 square kilometres (3,283 sq mi), which is 3.6% of Ghana's land area, making it the largest artificial lake by surface area in the world. With a volume of 148 cubic kilometers, Lake Volta is the world's third-largest man-made lake by volume; the largest being Lake Kariba which contains 185 cubic kilometers of water.
The primary purpose of the Akosombo Dam was to provide electricity for the aluminium industry. The Akosombo Dam was called "the largest single investment in the economic development plans of Ghana". The dam is significant for providing the majority of both Togo and Benin's electricity, although the construction of the Adjarala Dam (on Togo's Mono River) hopes to reduce these countries' reliance on imported electricity.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Akosombo Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Dam type
- Rock-fill
- Structural height
- 114 m (374 ft)
- Installed capacity
- 1,020 MW
- Impounded river
- Volta
- Reservoir
- Lake Volta
- Location
- Eastern Region, Ghana
- Year completed
- 1965
- Height rank
- #43 of 115 indexed
- Output rank
- #50 of 102 indexed
- Coordinates
- 6.2989°, 0.0544°
Notable: Formed Lake Volta, the largest artificial lake in the world by surface area (8,502 km²).
Among the 115 dams indexed in YearMaps, Akosombo Dam ranks #43 by structural height, behind Jinping-I Dam (305 m). By installed generating capacity it ranks #50, behind Three Gorges Dam (22,500 MW).
Nearest cities: Koforidua (42 km), Ho (57 km), Tema (73 km).
More about Akosombo Dam
Construction
In May 1960, the Ghana government called for tenders for construction of the hydroelectric dam. In 1961, an Italian consortium, Impregilo which had just completed the Kariba Dam, won the contract. In 1961, the Volta River Authority (VRA) was established by Ghana's Parliament through the passage of the Volta River Development Act. The VRA's fundamental operations were structured by six Board members and Nkrumah as chairman. The VRA's primary task is to manage the development of the Volta River Basin, which included the construction and supervision of the dam, the power station and the power transmission network. The VRA is responsible for the reservoir impounded by the dam, fishing within the lake, lake transportation and communication, and the welfare of those surrounding the lake.
Design
The dam was conceived in 1915 by geologist Albert Kitson, but no plans were drawn until the 1940s.
The development of the Volta River Basin was proposed in 1949, but because funds were insufficient, the American company Volta Aluminum Company (Valco) lent money to Ghana so that the dam could be constructed. President Kwame Nkrumah adopted the Volta River hydropower project and commissioned Australian architect Kenneth Scott to design a residence for him overlooking the dam.
The dam is 660 m (2,170 ft) long and 114 m (374 ft) high, comprising a high rock-fill embankment dam. It has a base width of 366 m (1,201 ft) and a structural volume of 7,900,000 m3 (10,300,000 cu yd).
Power generation
The dam provides electricity to Ghana and its neighboring West African countries, including Togo and Benin. Initially 20% of Akosombo Dam's electric output (serving 70% of national demand) was provided to Ghanaians in the form of electricity, the remaining 80% was generated for Valco. The Ghana government was compelled, by contract, to pay for over 50% of the cost of Akosombo's construction, but the country was allowed only 20% of the power generated. Some commentators are concerned that this is an example of neocolonialism. In recent years the production from the Valco plant has declined allowing capacity at Akosombo to be used to service growing domestic demand.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Akosombo Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Akosombo Dam: Key Facts
| Crest length | 660 m |
|---|---|
| Officially opened | 1965 |
Facts from Wikidata Q1282314 (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
Volta: Quick Answers
- Where is Volta?
- Volta is located in Ghana, at 6.0460° N, 0.3784° E.
- Are there dams on the Volta?
- Yes. YearMaps records one dam on the Volta: Akosombo Dam.
- How tall is Akosombo Dam?
- Akosombo Dam is 114 metres (374 ft) high and was completed in 1965.