Lake Volta

Lake Volta is the largest reservoir, man-made lake, in terms of surface area contained behind the Akosombo Dam. It is completely within the country of Ghana and has a surface area of 8,502 square kilometres.

Area: 8,502 km²

Catchment area: 385,180 km²

Location: Ghana, West Africa

Max. depth: 75 m (246 ft)

Fish: Synodontis schall, Synodontis velifer, Synodontis violaceus, Synodontis sorex, Chiloglanis voltae

Did you know: Lake Volta is the third-largest reservoir by nominal volume (150 km³).

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.Source: Wikipedia