Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira (alternately Nyamulagira) are Africa's two most active volcanoes, nestled within 15 km of each other along the East African Rift Zone.

Much hinges on the monitoring and understanding of these volcanoes; steep-sided Nyiragongo, with the fastest-known lava flows in the world, looms less than 15 km from the outskirts of Goma, a city of at least half a million people.   

The streets of Goma, a city of around half a million [1].

Both volcanoes, including the very active shield volcano Nyamuragira, are located in Virunga National Park, home to a group of endangered mountain gorilla and other special species.

Baby mountain gorilla [2].

The future of this unique area in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo is intimately connected not only to the local political situation but also to the scientific understanding and awareness of it as a dangerous and volcanically active environment.

The people especially must be educated about volcanic hazards [1].

IMAGE CREDITS:

Note: The header image used throughout this webpage is of Nyiragongo over Goma at twilight and is also from image credit [1], the excellent video Volcano Under the City.

[1] Volcano Under the City. Dir. Antoine de Maximy. Prod. Gary Glassman. DVD. Bonne Pioche, Greenspace Productions XII Inc., and WGBH Educational Foundation, 2005.

[2] "Virunga National Park - UNESCO World Heritage Centre."  2007. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Accessed 25 April 2007. http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=63