Kifuka is a village in
South Kivu,
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...
(DRC). The village, located at altitude in a mountainous region, is the nearest populated place to the site which receives the second most annual
lightning
Lightning is a natural phenomenon consisting of electrostatic discharges occurring through the atmosphere between two electrically charged regions. One or both regions are within the atmosphere, with the second region sometimes occurring on ...
strikes of any place worldwide, being struck by 158 lightning bolts per square kilometer each year (409 per sq mi).
Lightning
Kifuka's high density of lightning is a result of
warm Atlantic air traveling over the
Congo rainforest before colliding with cool mountain air. These masses generate static charges, resulting in lightning.
Although the DRC is subject to seasonal monsoons, the lightning occurs in high density year-round, with added intensity from October to March and decreased activity from June to August. Outside of Kifuka, the
Albertine Rift, particularly the
Virunga mountains, are also a source of high-density lightning strikes nearby and
thunderstorm development.
While Kifuka was once considered the most active area for lightning on earth,
Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...
has since dubbed the
Catatumbo lightning phenomenon as producing more bolts per square kilometer.
References
Populated places in South Kivu
{{SouthKivu-geo-stub