Idjwi
Sign in to saveAlso known as Ijwi Kingdom, Ijwi
Idjwi, or Ijwi, is an inland island in Lake Kivu which forms part of South Kivu Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At in length and with an area of , it is the second-largest lake island in Africa and the tenth largest in the world. Idjwi is roughly equidistant between the Congo and Rwanda, with separating its western shore from the DRC mainland and a similar distance between its eastern shore and the coastline of Rwanda. The island's southern tip, however, lies only from a promontory of the Rwandan coast. It is accessible via boat from Bukavu.
Key facts
- Islands.name
- Idjwi
- Islands.image_name
- 29.13117E_2.jpg
- Islands.image_caption
- Idjwi, in the central-southern region of Lake Kivu
- Islands.location
- Lake Kivu
- Islands.pushpin_map
- Democratic Republic of the Congo#Rwanda#Africa
- Islands.area_km2
- 340
- Islands.length_km
- 70
- Islands.highest_mount
- Nyamusisi
- Islands.country
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Islands.country_admin_divisions_title
- Province
- Islands.country_admin_divisions
- South Kivu
- Islands.country_admin_divisions_title_1
- Territory
- Islands.country_admin_divisions_1
- Idjwi
- Islands.population
- 250,000
- Islands.population_as_of
- 2009
- Islands.density_km2
- 700
- Islands.ethnic_groups
- Bashi (Havu)
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- island
- Located in
- South Kivu
- Area
- 340
- Body of water
- Lake Kivu
- Image
- LakeKivu satellite.jpg
Show 1 more fact
- Commons category
- Idjwi
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~2 min read
Encyclopedic overview
4 sectionsContents
- Culture
- Demographics
- References
- Citations
Idjwi, or Ijwi, is an inland island in Lake Kivu which forms part of South Kivu Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At in length and with an area of , it is the second-largest lake island in Africa and the tenth largest in the world. Idjwi is roughly equidistant between the Congo and Rwanda, with separating its western shore from the DRC mainland and a similar distance between its eastern shore and the coastline of Rwanda. The island's southern tip, however, lies only from a promontory of the Rwandan coast. It is accessible via boat from Bukavu.
== Culture == Historically a clan-based Bahavu society and Bashi tribe, Idjwi island became a kingdom in the late 18th century (roughly between 1780 and 1840). Today, the island is split into two chiefdoms: Rubenga in the north, and Ntambuka in the south. Pygmies are found in both kingdoms, but moreso in Rubenga, where they do agricultural work for the chief.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Idjwi” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.
On the map
2 mapped locations