Rusumo Bridge Daraja la Rusumo (Swahili) | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 2°22′56.35″S30°46′59.64″E / 2.3823194°S 30.7832333°E |
Carries | B3 road (1 lane) |
Crosses | Kagera River |
Followed by | Kyaka Bridge |
Characteristics | |
Material | Steel |
Total length | 100 metres (330 ft) |
Width | 3.5 metres (11 ft) |
Load limit | 2 x 200 kN (2 x 22.5 tons) |
History | |
Architect | Luigi Corradi |
Designer | Luigi Corradi |
Constructed by | S.A.E. s.p.a. |
Construction start | 1971 |
Opened | 1972 |
Inaugurated | 1972 |
Location | |
Rusumo Bridge is an international bridge across the Kagera River linking Rwanda and Tanzania. [1]
Designed by Luigi Corradi and assembled previously in Turin, Italy. The bridge was completed in 1972 as a single-deck steel bridge over a span of 64 metres (210 ft). The structure was the first road bridge across the Kagera River in Rusumo area. The bridge is an arch bridge whose construction commenced in 1966.
On 28 April 1994, during the Rwandan genocide, more than 200,000 people crossed the bridge at Rusumo Falls into Tanzania within 24 hours in what field workers described as "the largest and fastest refugee exodus in modern times". [2]
Given the restrictions on the axle load and the use of only a single lane at a time, a new bridge, the Rusumo International Bridge, adjacent to the single lane bridge, was opened in 2014 to cope with expected increase of the traffic volume between Rwanda and Tanzania in the coming years.
The White Nile is a river in Africa, one of the two main tributaries of the Nile, the other being the Blue Nile. The name comes from the clay sediment carried in the water that changes the water to a pale color.
Kagera Region is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The region covers an area of 35,686 km2 (13,778 sq mi). The region is comparable in size to the land area of the Netherlands. Kagera Region is bordered to the east by Lake Victoria, Mwanza Region and Mara Region. The region is bordered to the south by Geita Region and Kigoma Region. Lastly, Kagera borders Rwanda to the west, Uganda to the north and Burundi to the south west. The regional capital city is Bukoba. According to the 2022 national census, the region had 2,989,299, and 2012 the region had a population of 2,458,023.
The Kagera River, also known as Akagera River, or Alexandra Nile, is an East African river, forming part of the upper headwaters of the Nile and carrying water from its most distant source. With a total length of 597 km (371 mi) from its source located in Lake Rweru in Rwanda.
Rusumo was a district (akarere) in the former Rwandan province of Kibungo. The district was abolished, along with the Kibungo Province, during local government reorganisation in 2006. The area covered by the Rusumo district is now contained in the larger Kirehe District, within the Eastern Province. Population: 149,643 ; area: 601 square kilometers. It is separated from Tanzania by the Kagera River, which is distinguished by the Rusumo Falls.
Ngara District is one of the eight districts of the Kagera Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the north by Karagwe District, to the east by Biharamulo District, to the south by the Kigoma Region, to the northeast by Muleba District and to the west by the countries of Rwanda and Burundi.
Kirehe is a district (akarere) in Eastern Province, Rwanda. Its capital is Kirehe town.
Rusumo Falls is a waterfall located on the Kagera river on the border between Rwanda and Tanzania, part of the most distant headwaters of the river Nile. The falls are approximately 15 m (49 ft) high and 40 m (130 ft) wide and have formed on Precambrian schists and quartz–phyllites.
The Ruvubu River is a river in central Africa whose waters gather from the most distant, southern portion of the Nile basin. With a total length of 416 km (258 mi) and has a drainage basin of 14,000 km2 (5,400 sq mi). It rises in the north of Burundi, near the town of Kayanza and then does a southward arc through Burundi, being joined by the Ruvyironza River near Gitega. From there it runs northeast, through the Ruvubu National Park, up to the Tanzanian border. After a stretch along the border, the Ruvubu crosses properly into Tanzania, before joining the Nyabarongo River on the Tanzania–Rwanda border near Rusumo Falls, to form the Kagera River.
Labeobarbus somereni, or Someren's barb, is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is found in Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. Its natural habitat is rivers. It is not considered a threatened species by the IUCN. Local names for the fish in Rwanda include ikinanga, inkwenwe, ifurwe (Satinsyi) and urwozi (Nyabarongo).
Synodontis ruandae is a species of upside-down catfish native to Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania where it is found in the Kagera River system. It was first described by Belgian ichthyologist Hubert Matthes in 1959, based upon holotypes discovered in the Kagera River at Rusumo, Rwanda. The specific name "ruandae" is derived from its type locality, Rwanda.
Kikagati is a town in the Western Region of Uganda. It sits across the Kagera River from the town of Murongo, in the Kagera Region of Tanzania.
Rusumo may refer to:
The Rusumo Hydroelectric Power Station, also known as the Rusumo Power Station, is a hydropower plant under construction, with initial planned capacity installation of 80 megawatts (110,000 hp) when completed. The project will involve the construction of a dam, with run of river design. A more expensive 90 megawatts (120,000 hp) reservoir design was considered before being abandoned in favor of an 80 MW project with a smaller environmental impact and an estimated cost of US$300 million compared to US$400 million for the bigger project. The World Bank announced on 6 August 2013 that it had approved loans totaling US$340 million towards the US$468.60 million needed for the project. In November 2013, the African Development Bank approved a loan of US$113 million towards completion of the project.
Mirama Hills is a town in the Western Region of Uganda.
Kagitumba is a town in Rwanda. It is located at the extreme North Eastern extremity at the confluence of the Kagitumba River and Akagera River. This location is also the tri-point border between Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania.
Ngara is a small town in Ngara District, Kagera Region, in Tanzania, East Africa.
Rusumo International Bridge is an international bridge, opened in 2014, across the Kagera River. It replaces the previous single lane Rusomo Bridge linking Rwanda and Tanzania. The project was funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Rusumo, is a town in Kirehe District in the Eastern Province of Rwanda.
The Isaka–Kigali Standard Gauge Railway is a planned railway line linking the town of Isaka in Tanzania to the city of Kigali in Rwanda.
Rusumo is a town in northwestern Tanzania, at the border with Rwanda. It sits across the Kagera River from Rusumo, Rwanda.