This lake and its surrounding crater were created by a large meteorite strike that took place around 1.07 million years ago. The lake is around 25sq km, and up to 90m deep, while the crater it is within is larger, with crater walls rising to 600m and covering an area of 49sq km, 8.6km across at its widest and 8.1km at its narrowest, this is the largest natural fresh water body in Ghana, and is filled by rainwater. Lake Volta being artificially created by adding dams.
Over long historic periods the level of the water has risen to the lowest rim point of the crater and down to only a small pond. It is said it was a small pond up to about 300 years ago. In more recent history the lake levels have increased submerging several villages, and causing people to move up the slope.
The legends say that in 1648 an Ashanti hunter named Akora Bompe from the city of Asaman was chasing an injured antelope through the rainforest. Suddenly, the animal disappeared in a small pond. It was as if this body of water wanted to save the animal’s life. The hunter never got the antelope, though he settled close to the water and started catching fish.
This place he named “Bosomtwe”, meaning “good antelope”. This story suggests that at that time the lake level was very low. The large dead trees standing offshore in the lake is also evidence of this, for they are over 300 years old. Some people like to use the hotels on this lake as their base for exploring this part of Ghana rather than being in Kumasi.