headstream of the Volta River in West Africa. It rises north of Ouagadougou, in Burkina Faso, in a lowland between two massifs, and flows generally southward for about 400 miles (640 km) to empty into Lake Volta in Ghana, a large artificial reservoir created by the Volta River Project and extending just above the former confluence of the Black Volta (or Mouhoun) and White Volta rivers. Innumerable turns along its course gave rise to the name Volta (Portuguese: “Twist”). Its gradient is relatively gentle (about 2 feet per mile 【40 cm per km】), and rainfall in its river valley is likewise relatively low. Principal riparian towns (in Ghana) are Daboya and Yapei, the latter marking the limit for canoe traffic.