The Rukarara River (or Lukarara) is a river in western

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

that is a tributary of the

Mwogo River The Mwogo River is a river in western Rwanda that is a tributary of the Nyabarongo River. Course The Mwogo rises in forested country in southern Rwanda to the east of the Congo-Nile Divide. It has its sources in the Kitabi sector of the Nyamagab ...

, in turn a tributary of the

Nyabarongo River The Nyabarongo (or Nyawarungu) is a major river in Rwanda, part of the upper headwaters of the Nile. With a total length of , it is the longest river entirely in Rwanda. It is extended in Lake Rweru including a upper course of Kagera River before ...

. It is the most distant headwater of the

Nile The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin language, Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered ...

Sources

The Rukarara rises in forested country in southern Rwanda to the east of the

Congo-Nile Divide The Congo-Nile Divide (or Nile Congo Watershed) is the continental divide that separates the drainage basins of the Nile and Congo rivers. It is about long. There are several geologically and geographically distinct sections between the point o ...

. The Kamiranzovu Swamp in the Nyungwe Forest Reserve provides a natural reservoir for the Rukarara. The source of the Rukarara is now known to be the overall source of the

. This was confirmed by a 2005/2006 expedition up the river with modern navigation equipment. The origin of the Nile, the furthest source from its mouth, is at an elevation of , at latitude and longitude .

Course

The Rukarara has its sources in the

Nyamagabe District Nyamagabe is a district (''akarere'') in Southern Province, Rwanda. Its capital is Gasaka. Geography, flora and fauna The district lies between Butare and Cyangugu in the south-west of Rwanda, and contains much of the former Gikongoro Provi ...

. The Nyirabugoyi and Rubyiro rivers are its main headwaters, both rising in the

Nyungwe National Park The Nyungwe Forest () is located in southwestern Rwanda, on the border with Burundi, where it is contiguous with the Kibira National Park to the south, and Lake Kivu and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. The Nyungwe rainfores ...

. The Rukarara is the longest of the streams that supply the Mwogo. The Rukarara flows south and then east, emptying into the Mwogo River. The Mwogo flows north, merging with the

Mbirurume River The Mbirurume (also called Bilirume, Biruruma, Birurume, Bitirume) is a river in western Rwanda that is a tributary of the Nyabarongo River. The Mbirurume rises in forested country in southern Rwanda to the east of the Congo-Nile Divide. It origi ...

south of Bwakira to become the

References

Sources

* * * * * * Rivers of Rwanda {{Rwanda-river-stub