Lake Volta is in Ghana, where it forms one of the world’s largest reservoirs by surface area.
The reservoir stretches across much of southeastern and central Ghana behind the Akosombo Dam. It covers about 8,502 square kilometres and follows the former course of the Volta River system. The White Volta and Black Volta rivers feed it, while the regulated Volta River flows onward toward the Atlantic Ocean.
Construction of the dam began after Ghana’s independence, under President Kwame Nkrumah’s modernization programme. The lake was created in the early 1960s, flooding many settlements and requiring the relocation of roughly 78,000 people. Although the project caused major social and environmental disruption, it provided hydroelectric power, fishing grounds, transport routes and tourism opportunities.
Lake Volta is sometimes confused with Lake Kariba. Volta is generally identified as the world’s largest artificial reservoir by surface area, while Lake Kariba is commonly described as the largest by volume. The lake’s principal power facility is the Akosombo Dam, which remains important to Ghana’s electricity supply.