Virunga Volcanoes
The Virunga Volcanoes (also known as Mfumbiro and Mufumbiro respectively) are eight volcanoes in the border area between Rwanda , Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo . They lie between Lake Edward and Lake Kiwu and are part of the East African Rift Valley .
The two volcanoes that lie in the Democratic Republic of Congo are Nyiragongo (3462 m) and Nyamuragira (3063 m). When Nyiragongo erupted in 1977, 2,000 people died. In 2002, liquid lava flowed from the crater of this volcano and flooded the streets of the city of Goma , 20 km away . Most people were able to save themselves, there were 147 dead, but the approximately 250,000 inhabitants of the city of Goma were affected, some of whom fled to the neighboring states of Rwanda and Uganda. The Nyamuragira also caused resettlement of the population several times. In 2002, simultaneously with the eruption of Nyiragongo, liquid lava flowed from Nyamuragira in the direction of Lake Kiwu and changed its shore structure.
The central group includes Karisimbi , the highest volcano in the mountain range at 4507 m, Mikeno at 4437 m and Visoke (Bisoko) at 3711 m.
The eastern group includes Sabinyo (3634 m), the oldest of the Virunga volcanoes, Gahinga (3474 m) and Muhabura (4127 m).
The Virunga Volcanoes are covered in tropical montane rainforest and home to the rare mountain gorilla . In particular to protect the mountain gorillas, which are otherwise only found in the Bwindi National Park in Uganda, Prince Albert founded the first African national park in 1925, the Albert National Park , which in 1969 was divided into the Volcano National Park in Rwanda and the Virunga National Park in the DR Congo would.
Between the Karisimbi and the Visoke lies the former Karisoke Research Center , a research station for mountain gorillas. The name Karisoke is a combination of the names of the volcanoes between which the research center is located. It was founded in 1967 by Dian Fossey .
literature
- Key word: Virunga. Online in: German Colonial Lexicon , Volume III, Leipzig 1920, p. 627 f.
web links
Coordinates: 1° 26′ S , 29° 33′ E