Lake Kivu Facts, Depth, Description, Location & Size
Lake Kivu Facts, Depth, Description, Location & Size – Lake Kivu is one of Africa’s most impressive bodies of water. Located in the Great Rift Valley’s Albertine (western) Rift, which straddles the boundary between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. The Ruzizi River receives the water from Lake Kivu and carries it south to Lake Tanganyika.
The tranquility of Lake Kivu makes it an ideal destination for a day vacation. Gisyeni or Kibuye town may be on your itinerary. Kibuye is a great place to come if you’re looking for some peace and quiet while seeing the local fruit bat population. Vacationers to Gisyeni can soak in the natural hot springs, learn about local culture by seeing a historic fishing hamlet, or just kick back with a picnic and some lakeside R&R
Lake Kivu – Gisenyi
Details of Lake Kivu
Even if the Kenya Coast and Zanzibar are not in Rwanda, visitors to the Land of a Thousand Hills can still enjoy a beach vacation. One of Africa’s Great Lakes, picturesque Lake Kivu is a popular vacation spot for both locals and visitors.
Lake Kivu is a terrific place to spend a few days relaxing in one of Africa’s most beautiful regions on the way between seeing the gorillas in Volcanoes National Park and the chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest National Park. When you’re not lounging by the pool, you may choose from a variety of activities, such as kayaking, cultural tours, and boat cruises.
Why not add a day or two of relaxation before returning to reality at one of the many resorts, five-star hotels, backpackers, or family-friendly motels that dot the shores of Lake Kivu.
Lake Kivu Depth, Size
With an average depth of 240 meters (787 feet) and a maximum depth of 480 meters (1,575 feet), it is Africa’s deepest fresh water lake. Maximum dimensions are 89 kilometers (55 miles) in length and 48 kilometers (30 miles) in breadth. It has a surface elevation of 1,460 m (4,790 ft), a water volume of 500 km3 (120 cu mi), and a total land area of 2,700 km2 (1,040 sq mi). The lake is 1,460 meters (4,790 ft) above sea level and has a total surface area of about 2,700 km2 (1,040 sq mi). Located atop a rift valley that is progressively being driven apart, the lake bottom is exceptionally deep, with a maximum depth of 480 m (1,575 ft), ranking it tenth in the world. Majestic mountains form the lake’s backdrop.
Stunning beaches, peninsulas, and islands like as Idjwi, Goma (Congo), and Bukavu (Congo) form an archipelago around Lake Kivu. Lake Kivu is home to the world’s tenth-largest inland island.
In 1894, German Count Adolf von Gotzen came to the Lake for the first time. Since then, it has remained historically significant as a result of its involvement in the Hutu-Tutsi conflict in Rwanda and the ensuing Rwandan Genocide of 1994 and the first and second Congo Wars. Because so many of the genocide’s victims were dumped in Lake Kivu, the lake became notorious.
Lake Kivu Methane Extraction
It was recently discovered that at a depth of 300 meters (1,000 ft), Lake Kivu contains roughly 55 billion cubic metres (72 billion cubic yards) of dissolved methane gas. Up until 2004, the gas was extracted on a modest scale and used to fuel boilers at a brewery called Bralirwa in Gisenyi.
