Kivu 1200745 219602094 2008-06-16T01:09:28Z 71.208.250.55 '''Kivu''' was the name for a large "Region" in the [[Democratic Republic of Congo]] under the rule of [[Mobutu Sese Seko]] that bordered [[Lake Kivu]]. It included three "Sub-Regions" ("Sous-Regions" in French): [[Nord-Kivu]], [[Sud-Kivu]] and [[Maniema]], corresponding to the three [[Subdivisions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo|current provinces]] created in [[1988]]. The capital of the Kivu Region was in [[Bukavu]], and the capitals of the three Sub-Regions were in [[Goma]], [[Uvira]] and [[Kindu]]. ==History== The name "Kivu" dates from at least [[1914]], when the colonial government divided Congo into 22 districts. In [[1935]], the districts were grouped into 6 provinces, each named after its capital. [[Costermansville]] Province (which had the same composition as the later "Kivu Region") was renamed "Kivu Province" in [[1947]]. In the 2000s [[Kivu conflict|fighting]] there between the government [[Military of the Democratic Republic of the Congo|army]], the [[Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda]] (FDLR) rebels and renegade troops, including [[Laurent Nkunda]]'s forces, and a build-up of military supplies and forces, including the reported recruitment of [[child soldier]]s by armed groups. ==Geography== Kivu is also the name for the entire region surrounding [[Lake Kivu]], including the portions in [[Rwanda]] which contain the vast majority of the lake area's population ([[Gisenyi]], [[Rwanda]], with a population approaching 1,000,000, is the largest city in the [[Lake Kivu]] area <ref> [http://www.geo.arizona.edu/geo5xx/geos577/projects/kayzar/index.html| Lake Kivu Home Page]</ref>. The area is characterized by lush vegetation and an extended growing season due in part to its high altitude (1500m at the lakeshore) and the volcanic nature of its soil. The Kivu region represents the high point of the [[East African Rift]] Valley. The lake itself contains a massive amount of CO2 in its depths, and there is some concern that tectonic activity ([[Rift|rifting]]) and/or volcanic activity might cause a sudden release of its captured CO2. If this were to happen it would devastate the population around the lake. However, the likelihood of this occurring is in dispute with convincing arguments on both sides. {{DRCongo-geo-stub}} {{coor title dm|2|30|S|28|00|E|region:CD_type:adm1st}} {{Reflist}} [[CATEGORY:Geography of the Democratic Republic of the Congo]] [[CATEGORY:Subdivisions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo]] [[de:Kivu]] [[es:Kivu]] [[fr:Kivu]] [[nl:Kivu]]