'Mount Karisimbi' is a dormant
volcano in the
Virunga Mountains on the border between
Rwanda and the
Democratic Republic of Congo. At 4507 m (14,787 ft), Karisimbi is the highest of the eight major mountains of the mountain range, which is a part of the
East African Rift Valley. Karisimbi is flanked by
Mikeno to the north,
Bisoke to the east and
Nyiragongo to the west, on the other side of the Rift Valley.
The name Karisimbi probably comes a word in the local language,
Kinyarwanda, which means ''Little white shell''. This is an allusion to the white snow cap that can sometimes be found on the volcano.
Between Karisimbi and Bisoke is the
Karisoke Research Center, which was founded by
Dian Fossey in order to observe the
mountain gorillas living in this area.
References
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