Drainage Features

Drainage refers to the distribution of water bodies in an area. They are rivers, lakes, ponds, lagoons, dams, the sea and wetlands.

Major Drainage Features

a) RIVERS:

Major rivers of Ghana include the following; The Volta, River Tano, River Ankobra, River Pra and River Densu. Smaller rivers are River Bia, River Offin, River Birim, River Anum and River Ayensu.

• River Volta: It is the largest and longest river in Ghana. The river with its tributaries cover about 67% of the total land area of Ghana. River Volta takes its source from the Sikasso Plateau in Burkina Faso. It has the following rivers as its tributaries: Black Volta, White Volta, Oti, Afram and Daka.

b) LAKES:

A lake is a still water body surrounded by land from all sides except a side where it is fed by a river, stream or any other moving body of water. Lake Bosomtwe and Lake Volta are the two main lakes in Ghana.

• Lake Bosomtwe: It is the only natural lake in Ghana. It is located near Kumasi in the Ashanti Region. There are about thirty (30) villages near the lake with a combined population of about 70,000 people. The Ashanti consider it a sacred lake.

• Lake Volta: This is however artificial and a large reservoir contained behind the Akosombo dam to control the volume of water.

c) DAMS:

There are a number of dams and ponds in Ghana. These include the Akosombo Dam and Kpong Dam. Other smaller ones are the Dawhenya Dam, The Tono and Vea Dams. Dams can be used to generate electricity, drinking water and for irrigation.

d) LAGOONS: A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by barrier islands. Examples of some Coastal lagoons are Korle lagoon, Songhor lagoon and Keta lagoon.

e) Gulf of Guinea: The sea to the South of Ghana is called Gulf of Guinea. The name “Guinea” is usually said to have been a corrupt form of the name Ghana picked up by the Portuguese. All major rivers in Ghana flow into the Gulf of Guinea.

Map showing Drainage Features