Kagera
Kagera is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index. River courses organise settlement, agriculture and frontier-making more durably than any political boundary, and this reach is indexed against the dams, lakes and cities within its catchment.
- Feature Class
- River
- Coordinates
- -2.19°, 30.85°
About Kagera
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. With a total length of 597 km (371 mi) from its source located in Lake Rweru in Rwanda.
The section of river named Kagera begins in Burundi, flowing out from Lake Rweru. From the lake, it flows east along the Rwanda-Burundi and Rwanda-Tanzania borders to a confluence with the Ruvubu River. The waters of the Kagera are thus provided by two major tributaries, the Nyabarongo of Rwanda, which feeds Lake Rweru, and the Ruvubu of Burundi. It is unknown which of these two feeder rivers is the longer and hence the ultimate source of the Nile. From the confluence, the Kagera flows north along the Rwanda-Tanzania border, over Rusumo Falls and through Akagera National Park. It then takes a turn to the east, following the Tanzania-Uganda border and emptying into Lake Victoria in Uganda. In 1898, Richard Kandt was the first European to reach the source of the Kagera.
The river has featured prominently in the histories of the countries it runs through, particularly Rwanda.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Kagera River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Kagera in Depth
Geography
The Kagera rises in Burundi and flows into Lake Victoria. It is the largest single inflow into the lake, contributing approximately 6.4 billion cubic metres of water a year (about 28 per cent of the lake's outflow). The Kagera is formed by the confluence of the Ruvubu and the Nyabarongo, close to the northernmost point of Lake Tanganyika. It forms parts of the Burundi–Tanzania, Rwanda–Tanzania, Burundi–Rwanda, and Tanzania–Uganda borders. It lends its name to Akagera National Park in northern Rwanda, as well as to the Kagera Region of Tanzania. On the river are the Rusumo Falls, an important crossing point between Rwanda and Tanzania. It is near the town of Rusumo.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Kagera River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Kagera: Key Facts
| Length | 400 km |
|---|---|
| Average discharge | 349 m³/s |
| Drainage basin | 60,000 km² |
| Mouth | Lake Victoria |
| Drainage system | Nile basin |
| Tributaries | Nyabarongo River, Rurubu River |
Facts from Wikidata Q2750140 (CC0).
Major River Dossiers
Hand-written studies of the great river systems of history.
Connected Reaches
Nearby watercourses in the same drainage network.
Water Bodies in the Catchment
Settlements Along the Reach
Hydraulic Infrastructure Nearby
Surrounding Terrain
Kagera: Quick Answers
- Where is Kagera?
- Kagera is located in Tanzania and Burundi and Rwanda and Uganda, at 2.1936° S, 30.8529° E.
- Are there dams on the Kagera?
- No dam on the Kagera is recorded in the YearMaps dam index, which covers major structures only.