Ruzizi River

Ruzizi River

The Ruzizi (also sometimes spelled Rusizi), is a river which flows from Lake Kivu to Lake Tanganyika in Central Africa, descending rapidly from about 1,500 metres above sea level to about 770 metres above sea level over its length. At its southern end, the Ruzizi Plain has only gentle hills, and the River flows into Lake Tanganyika through a delta, with one or two small channels splitting off from the main channel. Its overall length is 117 km (73 mi) and the age 10.6 ka, although southern overflow of Lake Kivu may have ceased for 2000 years between 8-6 ka. Through its path its receives the waters from the tributaries of Luvungi, Nyakagunda, Nyamagana, Muhira, Kaburantwa, Kagunuzi, Nyarundari, Mpanda and Ruhwa.

It delineates the southern border of Rwanda with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and, along with Lake Tanganyika, it forms the border between the DRC and Burundi. The Fizi-Baraka mountains tower over the river. The Bridge of Concord links the DRC and Burundi, near its mouth.

It is known by the locals living along this river that the great man-eating crocodile Gustave roams around the banks of the Ruzizi River and the northern shores of Lake Tanganyika. Gustave continues to terrorize the villagers who come across this River and other heavier wildlife in this area.