Kivu

American  

[kee-voo] / ˈki vu /

noun

1. Lake, a lake in central Africa, on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. 1,040 sq. mi. (2,700 sq. km).

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Kivu British  

/ ˈkiːvuː /

noun

1. a lake in central Africa, between the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaïre) and Rwanda at an altitude of 1460 m (4790 ft). Area: 2698 sq km (1042 sq miles). Depth: (maximum) 475 m (1558 ft)

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Example Sentences

Last year, a Rwanda-backed rebel group, M23, seized control of major eastern cities, including Goma, in North Kivu Province, and Bukavu, in South Kivu Province, severing a vast amount of territory from government reach.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

“We are able to bring in medical supplies in Ituri, but in other areas like Goma and South Kivu, access is very difficult.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

Witnesses say the drones hit Lake Kivu and a two-storey residential building frequently occupied by expatriates and aid workers in the rebel-held city early on Wednesday morning.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026

In early March, the M23 announced the death of one of its spokesmen, Willy Ngoma, in a drone strike near the Rubaya mine in North Kivu province.

From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026

I had been so young when I last saw them, in the mountains of South Kivu where my parents grew up, that I could not remember them.

From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana