Lake Volta

Lake Volta

Space Imaging view of Lake Volta from the International Space Station in Space, by NASA.

Lake Volta in Ghana
Location Ghana, West Africa
Coordinates 6°30′N 0°0′E / 6.500°N 0.000°E / 6.500; 0.000Coordinates: 6°30′N 0°0′E / 6.500°N 0.000°E / 6.500; 0.000
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 (62 ft)
Max. depth 75 m (246 ft)
Water volume 148 km3 (32.6 × 1012 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 is a large reservoir contained behind the Akosombo Dam. It is completely within the country of Ghana and has a surface area of 8,502 square kilometres (3,283 sq mi).

Geography

Lake Volta lies along the Greenwich meridian, and just six degrees of latitude north of the Equator. The lake's northernmost point is close to the town of Yapei, and its southernmost extreme is at the Akosombo Dam, 520 km (320 mi) downstream from Yapei. Akosombo Dam holds back both the White Volta River and the Black Volta River, which formerly converged where the middle of the reservoir now lies, to form the single Volta River. The present Volta River flows from the outlets of the dam's powerhouse and spillways to the Atlantic Ocean in southmost Ghana.

The main islands within the lake are Dodi, Dwarf, and Kporve.[1] Digya National Park lies on part of the lake's western shore.

History

The lake is formed by the Akosombo Dam, which was originally conceived by the geologist Albert Ernest Kitson in 1915, but whose construction only began in 1961 with completion in 1965. Because of the formation of Lake Volta, about 78,000 people were relocated to new towns and villages, along with 200,000 animals belonging to them. About 120 buildings were destroyed, not including small residences, as over 3,000 square miles (7,800 km2) of territory were flooded.

Economy

The Akosombo Dam provides electricity for much of the country, as well as for export to Togo, Benin, and nearby countries, to earn foreign exchange value. Lake Volta is also important for transportation, providing a waterway for both ferries and cargo watercraft. Since the huge lake lies in a tropical area, the water remains warm year-round naturally. Given good management, Lake Volta is the location of a vast population of fish and large fisheries.

The lake also attracts tourism, and tourist cruises visit the island of Dodi.[1]

Recent developments include a large-scale enterprise to harvest submerged timber from the flooded forests under Lake Volta. This project harvests high-value tropical hardwood without requiring additional logging or destruction of existing forest and, according to Wayne Dunn, "could generate the largest source of environmentally sustainable natural tropical hardwood in the world."[2] The Ghanaian-owned company Underwater Forest Resources has committed itself to making said lumber available in the global market, while Flooring Solutions Ghana have become the suppliers of hardwood floors, using the rare wood from the Lake. In addition to generating foreign currency for the region and reducing the dependence of locals on fishing as a primary economic activity, the removal of submerged trees is improving navigation on the lake and increasing safety.[2]

An estimated 7,000 - 10,000 child slaves work in the fishing industry on Lake Volta.[3]

Panorama and landscape of Lake Volta in Ghana: Lake Volta is the largest reservoir by surface area in the world.

Photos

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Dodi Island cruises
  2. 1 2 "Harvesting an Underwater Forest". Archived from the original on March 4, 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  3. ↑ Made in Free World website
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