River · Burkina Faso
Mouhoun (Black Volta)
Mouhoun, also called the Black Volta, is the longest river of Burkina Faso. It curves through the west of the country, forms part of the border and ends in Lake Volta in Ghana.
Picture credit: Marco Schmidt (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Marco Schmidt (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Knowledge and philosophy (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is the Mouhoun (Black Volta)?
The river starts here: Highlands of western Burkina Faso.
It ends in the Lake Volta reservoir in Ghana.
Countries on the river: Burkina Faso.
The story behind it
This river has two faces. In the rainy season it is broad and brown and spreads over the fields; in the dry season it shrinks until parts of it are only a chain of muddy pools. Hippos survive the dry months in the deepest of these pools, and in some villages they are protected and shown to visitors from a safe distance. Along the banks farmers grow millet, maize and mangoes, and women fetch water for cooking and washing. Crocodiles, catfish and clouds of white egrets belong to the picture as well. For a long stretch the Mouhoun is also a border between Burkina Faso and its neighbours, which is one reason why books give different lengths and even different names for the same river.
Questions children ask
How long is the Mouhoun?
The river is given as about 1 352 kilometres long. Because it changes its name along the way and marks a border, you will meet other figures too.
Which countries does the Mouhoun flow through?
It is listed here as the longest river of Burkina Faso, where its great curve lies. Further downstream the same water serves as a border and finally reaches Ghana.
Where does the Mouhoun flow into?
It ends in Lake Volta, a giant reservoir in Ghana held back by a dam. From there the water leaves through the Volta river and reaches the Atlantic Ocean.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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