Lake Volta and Akosombo

Occupying the central part of Ghana, the Volta Basin covers about 45 percent of the
nation's total land surface.

The basin is characterized by poor
soil, generally of Voltaian sandstone.
Annual rainfall averages between 1,
000 and 1,140 millimeters.

The most widespread vegetation type
is savanna, the woodlands of which,
depending on local soil and climatic
conditions, may contain such trees as
Red Ironwood and Shea.

The basin's population, principally
farmers, is low in density, especially
in the central and northwestern areas
of the basin, where tsetse flies are
common. Archeological finds indicate,
however, that the region was once
more heavily populated.

Periodic burning evidently occurred
over extensive areas for perhaps m
ore than a millennium, exposing the
soil to excessive drying and erosion,
rendering the area less attractive to
cultivators.

Volta Basin

Occupying the central part of Ghana, the Volta
Basin covers about 45 percent of the nation's
total land surface.

Its northern section, which lies above the upper
part of Lake Volta, rises to a height of 150 to 215
meters above sea level.

Elevations of the Konkori Scarp to the west and
the Gambaga Scarp to the north reach from 300 to
460 meters. To the south and the southwest, the
basin is less than 300 meters.

The Kwahu Plateau marks the southern end of
the basin, although it forms a natural part of the
Ashanti Uplands.

Turbine view of Dam

In contrast with the rest of the region are the Afram
Plains, located in the southeastern corner of the basin.
Here the terrain is low, averaging 60 to 150 meters in
elevation, and annual rainfall is between 1,140 and
about 1,400 millimeters.

Near the Afram River, much of the surrounding
countryside is flooded or swampy during the rainy
seasons. With the construction of Lake Volta (8,515
hectares in surface area) in the mid-1960s, much of the
Afram Plains was submerged.

Despite the construction of roads to connect
communities displaced by the lake, road transportation
in the region remains poor.

Renewed efforts to improve communications, to
enhance agricultural production, and to improve
standards of living began in earnest only in the
mid-1980s.

Rear view of Dam

Akosombo Port

Navigation on the Volta River has changed significantly
since 1964.

Construction of the dam occurred at Akosombo, about 80
kilometers upstream. Lake Volta's potential as a source for irrigation is reflected in agricultural
mechanization agreement signed in the late 1980s to irrigate the Afram Plains.

The lake is navigable from Akosombo through Yeji in the middle of the country; a 24-meter
pontoon was commissioned in 1989 to link the Afram Plains to the west of the lake with the lower
Volta region to the east.

Hydroelectricity generated from Akosombo supplies Ghana, Togo, and Benin.

Information courtesy of GhanaWeb

Typical Volta Bank

Senchi Resort © 2005
Phone: +233 (0)251 20097 Mobile: +233 (0)244 329659 Email: senchirl@africaonline.com.gh
Address: Junction Opposite Atimpoku Police station, Accra-Akosombo Road, Eastern Region, Ghana
GPS Location Guide: N6o 13, 164 E0o 05, 341