Kifuka is a village in South Kivu,

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

(DRC). The village, located at altitude in a mountainous region, is the nearest populated place to the site which receives the second most annual

lightning Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of an avera ...

strikes of any place worldwide, being struck by 158 lightning bolts per square kilometer each year (409 per sq mi).

Lightning

Kifuka's high density of lightning is a result of warm Atlantic air traveling over the Congo rainforest before colliding with cool mountain air. These masses generate static charges, resulting in lightning. Although the DRC is subject to seasonal monsoons, the lightning occurs in high density year-round, with added intensity from October to March and decreased activity from June to August. Outside of Kifuga, the

Albertine Rift The Albertine Rift is the western branch of the East African Rift, covering parts of Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania. It extends from the northern end of Lake Albert to the southern end of Lake Tan ...

, particularly the Virunga mountains, are also a source of high-density lightning strikes nearby and

thunderstorm A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are some ...

development. While Kifuka was once considered the most active area for lightning on earth,

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

has since dubbed the

Catatumbo lightning Catatumbo lightning ( es, Relámpago del Catatumbo) is an atmospheric phenomenon that occurs over the mouth of the Catatumbo River where it empties into Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela. Catatumbo means "House of Thunder" in the language of the Bari p ...

phenomenon as producing more bolts per square kilometer.

References

Populated places in South Kivu {{DRCongo-geo-stub