{"id":59,"date":"2024-03-23T20:28:04","date_gmt":"2024-03-23T20:28:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/dr-congo\/?p=59"},"modified":"2026-08-01T00:06:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T00:06:49","slug":"north-kivu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/dr-congo\/north-kivu\/","title":{"rendered":"North Kivu"},"content":{"rendered":"

North Kivu (French: Nord-Kivu<\/i>; Swahili: Kivu Kaskazini<\/i>) is a province in the far east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the north shore of Lake Kivu. Its capital is Goma, it covers 59,483 km², and its population is projected at about 8,147,400 — the second largest of the 26 provinces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Capital<\/th>\nGoma<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Population<\/th>\n8,147,400 (2020 projection)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Area<\/th>\n59,483 km²<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Territories<\/th>\n6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cities<\/th>\nGoma, Butembo, Beni<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Languages<\/th>\nFrench, Swahili, Kinande, Kihunde, Kinyarwanda<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Neighbours<\/th>\nIturi, Tshopo, Maniema, South Kivu, Uganda, Rwanda<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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

North Kivu has three statutory cities and six territories. Each territory is run from a headquarters town, which is not always the biggest settlement in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Territory \/ City<\/th>\nHeadquarters<\/th>\nNote<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Goma<\/td>\nCity (ville)<\/td>\nProvincial capital, Lake Kivu<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Butembo<\/td>\nCity (ville)<\/td>\nMain trading city<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Beni<\/td>\nCity (ville)<\/td>\nNorth of Butembo<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Beni<\/td>\nOicha<\/td>\nCoffee and cocoa<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lubero<\/td>\nLubero<\/td>\n17,095 km², most populous<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Masisi<\/td>\nMasisi<\/td>\n4,734 km², cattle highlands<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nyiragongo<\/td>\nKibati<\/td>\n333 km², smallest<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rutshuru<\/td>\nRutshuru<\/td>\nVirunga park, Uganda border<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Walikale<\/td>\nWalikale<\/td>\n23,475 km², tin mining<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Other towns people search for: Kanyabayonga, Kirumba and Lubero centre in Lubero; Kiwanja, Bunagana and Shangi in Rutshuru; Sake and Kitshanga in Masisi; Mubi and the Bisie mining camp in Walikale; Mangina and Eringeti in Beni Territory.<\/p>\n

Geography<\/h2>\n

North Kivu sits in the Albertine Rift. Lake Kivu forms its southern edge and Lake Edward its eastern, with the Rwenzori range rising above 5,100 m on the Uganda border and the Virunga volcanoes, including active Nyiragongo, standing over Goma. The Rutshuru, Rwindi, Semliki, Osso and Lowa rivers drain the province. Virunga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, covers much of the east. It borders Ituri<\/a> to the north, Tshopo<\/a> to the north-west, Maniema<\/a> to the south-west and South Kivu<\/a> to the south. Uganda and Rwanda lie east.<\/p>\n

Demographics<\/h2>\n

DR Congo has held no census since 1984, so every figure is a projection. At 8.1 million over 59,483 km², North Kivu averages roughly 137 people per km², well above the national average. French is the official language and Swahili the everyday lingua franca. Kinande is spoken by the Nande in Beni and Lubero, Kihunde in Masisi and Walikale, Kinyarwanda in Rutshuru and Masisi, and Kinyanga in Walikale.<\/p>\n

Economy and Local Life<\/h2>\n

Farming employs most households: arabica coffee, cocoa, papaya for papain, potatoes, beans and bananas in the Beni–Lubero highlands, cattle on the Masisi pastures. Mining is the cash sector — cassiterite from the Bisie deposit in Walikale, plus coltan, gold, tungsten and niobium. Butembo is the commercial engine, with traders running goods to Uganda through the Kasindi and Bunagana crossings. Goma handles lake traffic to Bukavu and is the base for aid agencies working across the east.<\/p>\n

Administrative Situation<\/h2>\n

The AFC\/M23 coalition took Goma on 30 January 2025 and has run a parallel administration in the areas it holds since. Provincial government functions have operated from Beni in practice. 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 through early 2026; the framework is non-binding and has not changed lines of control. Check current advice before travelling.<\/p>\n

History<\/h2>\n

North Kivu was part of a single Kivu Province until 1988, when that province was split into North Kivu, South Kivu and Maniema. The 2015 repartitioning that created 26 provinces left its boundaries unchanged.<\/p>\n

Getting There<\/h2>\n

Goma International Airport is the main gateway, with flights from Kinshasa and Kisangani; Beni (Mavivi) and Butembo have smaller airports. Route Nationale 2 links Goma to Rutshuru, Butembo and Beni. Route Nationale 3 runs west from Goma through Walikale toward Kisangani and is often impassable in the rains. Boats cross Lake Kivu between Goma and Bukavu, and the Grande Barrière crossing at Goma connects to Gisenyi in Rwanda.<\/p>\n

FAQ<\/h2>\n

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

Goma, on the northern shore of Lake Kivu. Beni has served as the working seat of provincial administration since 2025.<\/p>\n

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

Six: Beni, Lubero, Masisi, Nyiragongo, Rutshuru and Walikale. It also has three cities: Goma, Butembo and Beni.<\/p>\n

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

About 8,147,400 on a 2020 projection. There has been no national census since 1984, so all figures are estimates.<\/p>\n

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

Swahili is the common spoken language and French is official. Kinande, Kihunde, Kinyarwanda and Kinyanga are widely used locally.<\/p>\n

What are the biggest towns in North Kivu?<\/h3>\n

Goma, Butembo and Beni are the three statutory cities. Oicha, Kanyabayonga, Kirumba, Rutshuru, Kiwanja, Sake and Walikale are the next tier.<\/p>\n

Is North Kivu on Lake Kivu?<\/h3>\n

Yes. Lake Kivu forms the southern boundary and Goma sits on its north shore. Lake Edward lies on the eastern side of the province.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

North Kivu (French: Nord-Kivu; Swahili: Kivu Kaskazini) is a province in the far east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the north shore of Lake Kivu. Its capital is Goma, it covers 59,483 km², and its population is projected at about 8,147,400 — the second largest of the 26 provinces. Capital Goma Population […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"North Kivu: Towns, Cities & Territories in DR Congo","_seopress_titles_desc":"North Kivu's 6 territories and 3 cities, from capital Goma to Butembo, Beni, Oicha and Walikale, with population, area, languages and how to get there.","_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-59","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-dr-congo","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/dr-congo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59","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=59"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/dr-congo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":143,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/dr-congo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59\/revisions\/143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/dr-congo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/dr-congo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/dr-congo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}