White Volta

With a total length of 550 miles, the White Volta River ranks third among the longest rivers in Ghana. The river's source is north of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso's capital, between two massifs, and it flows largely south through Burkina Faso and Ghana until it reaches its mouth at the Lake Volta reservoir. Because Volta is the Portuguese word for a twist, and the Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive in the area in 1471, the White Volta, like the other Volta rivers, is named after the multiple bends it makes along its path. Daboya and Yapei, two major settlements on the White Volta, are also located in Ghana.

Many villages along the White Volta's banks and elsewhere rely on it for drinking water. It also floods several of the communities along its banks on a seasonal basis. The White Volta originates in northern Burkina Faso, flows through northern Ghana, and empties into Ghana's Lake Volta. The Black Volta and the Red Volta are the two primary tributaries of the White Volta.

Length: 550 miles (shared with Burkina Faso)