river in West Africa, rising in Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) northwest of Ouagadougou. It flows about 200 mi (320 km) south-southeast to join the White Volta (Volta Blanche) near the Gambaga scarp in the Upper Region of Ghana. The combined rivers then turn southwestward as the White Volta. The gradient of the Red Volta is relatively gentle (about 2 ft per mi 【40 cm per km】), and the rainfall in its river valley is likewise relatively small. The Red Volta's chief riparian town is Kagao, about 40 mi south-southwest of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.