Idjwi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Idjwi is an island in Lake Kivu, belonging to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At 40 km in length and with an area of 285 km², it is believed to be the largest inland island in Africa, and the eighth largest in the world. Idjwi is roughly equidistant between the DRC and Rwanda, with 10 to 15 kilometres 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 1 kilometre from a promontory of the Rwandan coast.

In 1996 the island was estimated to have a population of 112,000 DRC citizens and 46,000 Rwandan refugees. This is a massive increase from the estimated population of 50,000 in 1983. Malnutrition is common, especially among children, which is not surprising, given that almost all of the population is dependent on subsistence agriculture.