Lake Kivu - African Great Lake

Lake Kivu is one of the African Great Lakes. It lies on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, and is in the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East AThe lake covers a total surface area of some 2,700 km² (1,040 sq mi) and stands at a height of 1,460 metres (4,790 ft) above sea level. Some 1 370 km² or 58 percent of the lake's waters lie within DRC borders.frican Rift. Lake Kivu empties into the Ruzizi River, which flows southwards into Lake Tanganyika.

 The lake bed sits upon a rift valley that is slowly being pulled apart, causing volcanic activity in the area, and making it particularly deep: its maximum depth of 480 m (1,575 ft) is ranked eighteenth in the world. The world's tenth-largest inland island, Idjwi, lies in Lake Kivu, as does the tiny island of Tshegera, which also lies within the boundaries of Virunga National Park; while settlements on its shore include Bukavu, Kabare, Kalehe, Sake, and Goma in Congo, and Gisenyi,Kibuye, and Cyangugu in Rwanda.

Fishing boats on Lake Kivu

Fishing boats on Lake Kivu

Mount Nyiragongo is an active stratovolcano with an elevation of 3,470 metres which is 

about 20 km (12 mi)  north of the town of Goma and Lake Kivu.

Volcano Crater

Volcano crater

Island of Idjwi

Lake Kivu with Goma in the background

Lake side resort

Lake shore

Hippopotamus in Ruzizi River

Picture Source: Collected from Internet