The Ruvubu River (also spelt Rurubu and Ruvuvu) is a river in central Africa whose waters gather from the most distant, southern portion of the

Nile The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the List of river sy ...

basin. With a total length of and has a drainage basin of . It rises in the north of

Burundi Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is located in the Great Rift Valley at the junction between the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa, with a population of over 14 million peop ...

, near the town of Kayanza and then does a southward arc through Burundi, being joined by the Ruvyironza River near

Gitega Gitega (), formerly Kitega, is the political capital of Burundi. Located in the centre of the country, in the Burundian central plateau roughly east of Bujumbura, the largest city and former political capital, Gitega is the country's fourth la ...

. From there it runs northeast, through the Ruvubu National Park, up to the

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

n border. After a stretch along the border, the Ruvubu crosses properly into Tanzania, before joining the Nyabarongo River on the Tanzania–

Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

border near Rusumo Falls, to form the

Kagera River 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.Stanley, H.M., 1899, Through the Dark Continent, London: ...

. The Ruvubu gets its name from the

Kirundi Kirundi (), also known as Rundi, is a Bantu language and the national language of Burundi. It is mutually intelligible with Kinyarwanda, the national language of Rwanda, and the two form parts of the Rwanda-Rundi dialect continuum spoken in Buru ...

word for hippopatamus, imvubu, because the river is home to a large population of hippos.

Course

The Ruvubu River originates on the Congo-Nile ridge at Ngoga, at an altitude of . It flows from northwest to southeast to Mugera, and from there, takes a northeast direction. It flows for through Burundi, and drains most of Burundi’s part of the Nile watershed. Its watershed covers and covers the center of Burundi. Tributaries on both banks include the Kinyankuru River, Ndurumu River, Nyakigezi River, Nkoma River, Mubarazi River, Ruvyironza River, Nyabaha River and Kayongozi River. Most of these rivers have their source on the Congo Nile ridge. The Ruvubu passes through the Buyenzi, Kirimiro and Bweru natural regions. The Ruvubu marshes are largely flooded and occupied by permanent swamps.

References

Source

* * Rivers of Burundi Rivers of Tanzania Kagera River International rivers of Africa Burundi–Tanzania border Border rivers {{Tanzania-river-stub