Lake Volta is the world’s largest artificial reservoir by surface area.
Located entirely in Ghana, Lake Volta was created when the Akosombo Dam was built across the Volta River. Its impoundment transformed the valleys of the White Volta and Black Volta rivers into a huge reservoir covering about 8,500 square kilometres. The dam’s hydroelectric plant became a major source of Ghana’s electricity.
A common mix-up is Lake Kariba, which is larger by volume but has a smaller surface area. This distinction matters because a broad, relatively shallow reservoir can cover more land while storing less water than a narrower, deeper one. Lake Nasser and Bratsk Reservoir are also enormous, but neither exceeds Lake Volta in surface area.
The reservoir stretches for hundreds of kilometres through Ghana and includes islands such as Dodi, Dwarf and Kporve. Its creation brought electricity and transport benefits, but also displaced communities and altered ecosystems along the former river valleys.