Lake Kivu - Definition and Overview

Lake Kivu can be seen on this map of Rwanda

Lake Kivu is one of the Great Lakes of Africa. It stands on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. Lake Kivu empties into the Ruzizi River, which flows southwards into Lake Tanganyika. It gained notoriety as a place into which were dumped many of the victims of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

The lake covers a total surface area of some 2700 km² and stands at a height of 1460 metres above sea level. The first European to visit was German Count Adolf von Götzen in 1894.