a lake in the mountains of central Africa between Congo and Rwanda

Kivu was the name for a large "Region" in the Democratic Republic of Congo under the rule of Mobutu Sese Seko that bordered Lake Kivu. It included three "Sub-Regions" ("Sous-Regions" in French): Nord-Kivu, Sud-Kivu and Maniema, corresponding to the three current provinces created in 1988. The capital of the Kivu Region was in Bukavu, and the capitals of the three Sub-Regions were in Goma, Uvira and Kindu.