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KIVU
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KIVU , a considerable See also:lake lying in the Central See also:African (or Albertine) rift-valley, about 6o m. N. of See also:Tanganyika, into which it discharges its See also:waters by the Rusizi See also:River. On the See also:north it is separated from the See also:basin of the See also:Nile by a See also:line of volcanic peaks. The length of the lake is about 55 m., and its greatest breadth over 30, giving an See also:area, including islands, of about too sq. m. It is about 4830 ft. above See also:sea-level and is roughly triangular in outline, the longest See also:side lying to the See also:west. The See also:coast-line is much broken, especially on the See also:south-See also:east, where the indentations See also:present a See also:fjord-like See also:character. The lake is deep, and the shores are everywhere high, rising in places in bold precipitous cliffs of volcanic See also:rock. A large See also:island, Kwijwi or Kwichwi, oblong in shape and traversed by a hilly See also:ridge, runs in the direction of the See also:major See also:axis of the lake, south-west of the centre, and there are many smaller islands. The lake has many See also:fish, but no crocodiles or hippopotami. South of Kivu the rift-valley is blocked by huge ridges, through which the Rusizi now breaks its way in a See also:succession of steep See also:gorges, emerging from the lake in a foaming torrent, and descending 2000 ft. to the lacustrine See also:plain at the See also:head of Tanganyika. The lake See also:fauna is a typically fresh-See also:water one, presenting no See also:affinities with the marine or " halolimnic " fauna of Tanganyika and other Central African lakes, but is similar to that shown by fossils to have once existed in the more See also:northern parts of the rift-valley. The former outlet or See also:extension in this direction seems to have been blocked in See also:recent See also:geological times by the See also:elevation of the volcanic peaks which dammed back the water, causing it finally to overflow to the south. This volcanic region is of See also:great See also:interest and has various names, that most used being See also:Mfumbiro (q.v.), though this name is sometimes restricted to a single See also:peak. Kivu and Mfumbiro were first heard of by J. H. See also:Speke in 1861, but not visited by a See also:European until 1894, when See also:Count von Gotzen passed through the See also:country on his See also:journey across the See also:continent. The lake and its vicinity were subsequently explored by Dr R. Kandt, See also:Captain Bethe, E. S. Grogan, J. E. S. See also:Moore, and Major St See also: The frontier agreed upon was the west See also:bank of the Rusizi, and the west See also:shore of the lake. The island of Kwijwi also See also:fell to Belgium. See R. Kandt, Caput Nili (See also:Berlin, 1904), and Karte See also:des Kivusees, 1: 285,000, with See also:text by A. v. Bockelmann (Berlin, 1902); E. S. Grogan and A. H. See also:Sharpe, From the Cape to See also:Cairo (See also:London, 1900) ; J. E. S. Moore, To the Mountains of the See also:Moon (London, 1901); A. St H. Gibbons, See also:Africa from South to North, ii. (London, 1904). Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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