Lake Rweru

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Lake Rweru
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Lake Rweru
LocationBurundi
Coordinates 2°22′40″S30°19′25″E / 2.37778°S 30.32361°E / -2.37778; 30.32361
Type Lake
Basin  countriesBurundi, Rwanda
Surface area100 km2 (40 sq mi)
Average depth2.1 m (10 ft)
Max. depth3.9 m (10 ft)
Shore length176 km (50 mi)
Surface elevation1,325 m (4,350 ft)
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Rweru is a lake close to the northernmost point of Burundi in central Africa. The northern shore of the lake forms part of Burundi's border with Rwanda. It is the most distant origin point of the Nile River. The Kagera River, considered by many as the start point of the Nile, rises at the northern part of the lake, located in Rwanda.

Contents

Geography

The lake has a surface area of 100 km2 (40 sq mi) between two countries, Burundi (80 km2 (30 sq mi)) and Rwanda (20 km2 (10 sq mi)). The lake has a shoreline of approximately 76 km. The lake is very shallow in most parts and has a mean depth of 2.1 m with its maximum depth at 3 m located in Burundi. The Kagera River flows out of the lake in Burundi and flows east along Rwanda's border until it joins the Ruvubu River. [1]

Controversy

In August 2014 fishermen in Burundi living around the lake in the Muyinga Province recovered over 40 unidentified bodies floating in the lake. Most of the bodies were wrapped in plastic. The bodies recovered were in the advance stages of decomposition, alarming the local villagers due to health concerns. [2] Burundi claims that all the bodies recovered were Rwanda n by nationality and there are no credible conclusions to how the bodies were killed. Both countries deny that the bodies are their citizens. [3] The Federal Bureau of Investigation from the United States agreed to take the case after both countries showed lack of interest to look into the matter. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Burera</span> Lake in Rwanda

Lake Burera or Bulera is a lake of northwestern Rwanda, at the border with Uganda. With an area pf 55 km2 (20 sq mi), it is the second largest lake entirely in Rwanda after Lake Ihema. Considering all other lakes in the country, it would be the 5th largest after Lake Kivu 2,700 km2 (1,040 sq mi) between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lake Rweru between Rwanda and Burundi at 133 km2 (50 sq mi) of which only 47 km2 (20 sq mi) are in Rwanda, Lake Ihema and Lake Cohoha 74 km2 (30 sq mi) also shared with Burundi of which only 19 km2 (10 sq mi) are in Rwanda. The lake is located in a densely populated North of the country in Burera District which got its name from this lake. The closet major city is the city of Musanze 25 km (16 mi) West of the lake.

Lake Ihema is a lake in the east of Rwanda, at the border with Tanzania. The lake lies within the marshland of the Kagera River in which it empties via a very short channel. With an area of 100 km2 (40 sq mi), it is the largest lake entirely in Rwanda. Considering all other lakes in the country, it would be the 3rd largest after Lake Kivu 2,700 km2 (1,040 sq mi) between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Lake Rweru between Rwanda and Burundi at 133 km2 (50 sq mi) of which only 47 km2 (20 sq mi) are in Rwanda. The lake is located in Kayonza District in the southern part of Akagera National Park which contains more than another dozen of lakes, of which Ihema is the largest.

References

  1. "Lake Rweru - Fortune of Africa Rwanda". fortuneofafrica.com. Archived from the original on 2017-03-09. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
  2. "Burundi investigates 'Rwandan bodies' in Lake Rweru". BBC News. 2014-08-26. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
  3. "Burundi says 40 corpses found in lake were Rwandans". Reuters. 2016-10-14. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
  4. "Mystery over bodies found in Lake Rweru". Daily Nation. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
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