{"id":57,"date":"2024-03-23T20:19:49","date_gmt":"2024-03-23T20:19:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/dr-congo\/?p=57"},"modified":"2026-08-01T00:06:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T00:06:49","slug":"south-kivu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/dr-congo\/south-kivu\/","title":{"rendered":"South Kivu"},"content":{"rendered":"

South Kivu (French: Sud-Kivu<\/i>; Swahili: Kivu Kusini<\/i>) is a province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, between Lake Kivu and Lake Tanganyika. Its capital is Bukavu, it covers about 65,070 km², and its population is projected at roughly 7,066,400 — the third largest of the 26 provinces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Capital<\/th>\nBukavu<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Population<\/th>\n7,066,400 (2020 projection)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Area<\/th>\nabout 65,070 km²<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Territories<\/th>\n8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cities<\/th>\nBukavu, Uvira, Baraka, Kamituga<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Languages<\/th>\nFrench, Swahili, Mashi, Kirega, Kifuliiru, Kibembe<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Neighbours<\/th>\nNorth Kivu, Maniema, Tanganyika, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Towns, Cities and Territories<\/h2>\n

South Kivu has four statutory cities and eight territories. Below each territory sit chiefdoms and sectors — 18 chiefdoms and 5 sectors in all, holding 185 groupements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Territory \/ City<\/th>\nHeadquarters<\/th>\nNote<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Bukavu<\/td>\nCity (ville)<\/td>\nProvincial capital, Lake Kivu<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Uvira<\/td>\nCity (ville)<\/td>\nCity status 2019, Lake Tanganyika<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Baraka<\/td>\nCity (ville)<\/td>\nLakeside port in Fizi<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Kamituga<\/td>\nCity (ville)<\/td>\nGold town, city status 2018<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fizi<\/td>\nFizi<\/td>\n15,789 km², Lake Tanganyika<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Idjwi<\/td>\nBugarula<\/td>\n310 km², island in Lake Kivu<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Kabare<\/td>\nKabare<\/td>\n1,960 km², ring around Bukavu<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Kalehe<\/td>\nKalehe<\/td>\n5,057 km², lake shore<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mwenga<\/td>\nMwenga<\/td>\n11,172 km², gold<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shabunda<\/td>\nShabunda<\/td>\n25,116 km², largest, forested<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Uvira<\/td>\nUvira<\/td>\n3,146 km², Ruzizi plain<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Walungu<\/td>\nWalungu<\/td>\n1,800 km², densest farmland<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Other towns people search for: Minova, Nyabibwe, Bunyakiri, Kavumu and Katana in Kalehe; Sange, Kiliba, Luvungi and Makobola in Uvira; Kitutu, Lugushwa and Mwenga centre in Mwenga; Misisi, Lulimba, Minembwe and Kazimia in Fizi; Kamanyola, Musunda and Nzibira in Walungu; Mudusa, Bugorhe and Cirunga in Kabare.<\/p>\n

Geography<\/h2>\n

South Kivu lies in the Albertine Rift. Lake Kivu forms its northern edge, Lake Tanganyika its south-eastern, and the Ruzizi River runs between the two along the Burundi border. The Mitumba Mountains cross the province, topping out at Mount Kahuzi at 3,308 m, and the land falls west into Congo Basin rainforest drained by the Elila, Ulindi and Lugulu rivers toward the Lualaba. Kahuzi-Biéga National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site; the Itombwe massif is a separate nature reserve. It borders North Kivu<\/a> to the north, Maniema<\/a> to the west and Tanganyika<\/a> to the south, with Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania to the east.<\/p>\n

Demographics<\/h2>\n

DR Congo has held no census since 1984, so every figure is a projection. About 7.07 million people over 65,070 km² gives roughly 109 per km², but the distribution is extreme: Walungu and Kabare carry 300–400 people per km² on volcanic soil, while forested Shabunda is nearly empty. French is official and Swahili the lingua franca. Mashi is spoken by the Shi around Bukavu and Walungu, Kihavu on Idjwi and in Kalehe, Kifuliiru and Kivira in the Uvira highlands, Kibembe in Fizi and Kirega in Mwenga and Shabunda.<\/p>\n

Economy and Local Life<\/h2>\n

Households live on cassava, bananas, beans, maize and sorghum; bananas take up much of the arable land in Walungu. Coffee and palm oil are the main cash crops, and Bukavu runs a quinine industry drawing on highland cinchona. Fishing works both lakes, with sambaza on Kivu and Tanganyika catches landed at Baraka and Uvira. Mining is artisanal and dominant in the west — gold at Kamituga, Lugushwa and Misisi, cassiterite and coltan across Walungu, Shabunda and Kalehe.<\/p>\n

Administrative Situation<\/h2>\n

The AFC\/M23 coalition took Bukavu on 16 February 2025, weeks after Goma, and has run a parallel administration in the areas it holds since. It also took Kavumu airport, Kalehe and Minova. AFC\/M23 announced the withdrawal of its fighters from Uvira on 17 January 2026. The DRC government and AFC\/M23 signed a Declaration of Principles in Doha on 19 July 2025 and a Doha Framework for a comprehensive peace agreement in November 2025, with further protocols into 2026; the framework is non-binding and has not redrawn lines of control. Check current advice before travelling.<\/p>\n

History<\/h2>\n

South Kivu was part of a single Kivu Province until 1988, when it was split off alongside North Kivu and Maniema. Bukavu, founded as Costermansville in the colonial period, has been its seat throughout. The 2015 repartitioning that created 26 provinces left the boundaries unchanged.<\/p>\n

Getting There<\/h2>\n

Kavumu Airport, about 30 km north of Bukavu, is the main gateway, with flights from Kinshasa and Goma. Boats cross Lake Kivu between Goma and Bukavu, and Lake Tanganyika links Uvira and Baraka to Kalemie. Route Nationale 2 runs south from Bukavu through Kamanyola to Uvira and on into Fizi; Route Nationale 5 continues down the Tanganyika shore. The Ruzizi bridges at Bukavu cross to Cyangugu in Rwanda and the Kavimvira post at Uvira crosses to Bujumbura in Burundi. Shabunda is reached mainly by airstrip.<\/p>\n

FAQ<\/h2>\n

What is the capital of South Kivu?<\/h3>\n

Bukavu, at the southern end of Lake Kivu. Uvira has served as the working seat of provincial administration since 2025.<\/p>\n

How many territories does South Kivu have?<\/h3>\n

Eight: Fizi, Idjwi, Kabare, Kalehe, Mwenga, Shabunda, Uvira and Walungu. It also has four cities: Bukavu, Uvira, Baraka and Kamituga.<\/p>\n

What is the population of South Kivu?<\/h3>\n

About 7,066,400 on a 2020 projection. There has been no national census since 1984, so all figures are estimates.<\/p>\n

What language is spoken in South Kivu?<\/h3>\n

Swahili is the common spoken language and French is official. Mashi, Kihavu, Kirega, Kifuliiru and Kibembe are the main local languages.<\/p>\n

Where is Idjwi Island?<\/h3>\n

Idjwi is a territory covering the largest island in Lake Kivu, about 50 km north to south. Its headquarters is Bugarula.<\/p>\n

Which countries border South Kivu?<\/h3>\n

Rwanda across Lake Kivu and the Ruzizi, Burundi across the Ruzizi plain, and Tanzania across Lake Tanganyika.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

South Kivu (French: Sud-Kivu; Swahili: Kivu Kusini) is a province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, between Lake Kivu and Lake Tanganyika. Its capital is Bukavu, it covers about 65,070 km², and its population is projected at roughly 7,066,400 — the third largest of the 26 provinces. Capital Bukavu Population 7,066,400 (2020 projection) Area […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"South Kivu: Towns, Cities & Territories in DR Congo","_seopress_titles_desc":"South Kivu's 8 territories and 4 cities, from capital Bukavu to Uvira, Baraka, Kamituga, Fizi and Idjwi island, with population, area, languages and travel.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-dr-congo","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/dr-congo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/dr-congo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/dr-congo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/dr-congo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/dr-congo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/dr-congo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":144,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/dr-congo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57\/revisions\/144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/dr-congo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/dr-congo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/dr-congo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}