Nyiragongo ni ikirunga gifite uburebure bw’ibilometero 3.47 (metero 3,470) kiri ku ruhererekane rwa Virunga ruhuje pariki ya Virunga na Pariki y’u Rwanda y’Ibirunga. Kiri mu majyaruguru y’uburasirazuba bwa Repubulika Iharanira Demukarasi ya Congo, mu majyaruguru y’umugi wa Goma ho ibilometero hagati ya 19 na 20.
Uruhererekane rwa Virunga (Virunga Mountains) rugizwe n’ibirunga bya Karisimbi (4,507m), Nyamuragira (3,058m), Nyiragongo (3,470m), Bisoke (3,711m), Mikeno (4,437m) , Sabyinyo (3,674m) , Gahinga (3,474m) na Muhabura (4,127m). Ubumenyi bw’isi buvuga ko hari ubwoko bw’ibirunga bitatu: Ikirunga cyapfuye (Dead Volcano) bisobanuye ko kitakiruka, ikirunga cyasinziriye (Dormant Volcano) bivuze ko cyigeze kuruka kirabisubika ariko igihe kizagera kikongera kuruka, ikindi kirunga ni ikiruka (Active Volcano) ari na cyo cyiciro Nyiragongo irimo. Abantu bari hejuru mu misozi ya za Nyabihu na Rubavu mu masaha y’umugoroba gukomeza mu ijoro, bakunze kubona aho iki kirunga kiri hasa n’ahaka umutuku, bakikanga ko kiri kuruka cyangwa se cyaruka isaha ku isaha ariko inkuru y’iruka ryacyo iheruka tariki ya 17 Mutarama 2002, byumvikane ko hashize imyaka 18. Byagenze bite mu 2002? Tariki 17 Nyiragongo yararutse, ikwiza imishwaro abaturage batuye mu Ntara ya Kivu y’Amajyaruguru cyane cyane muri Goma. Ikirere cyose iki kirunga giherereyemo cyasaga umutuku, imyotsi nayo ari myinshi. Iruka ryacyo ryaje rikurikiye imitingito yari imaze iminsi iba ku butaka muri muri aka karere. Nyiragongo yararutse , amahindure (Lava) yari yiremeye imigezi, anyuramo aturutse mu ishyamba, agera mu mugi wa Goma ku kibuga cy’indege mpuzamahanga, igice kimwe cy’ikibuga gihagarara gukora ndetse bivugwa ko hari amahindure yageze no mu kiyaga cya Kivu, abantu babuzwe kuvomamo amazi. Mbere gato, abaturage bari baburiwe ngo bahunge, abagera ku 250,000 bava muri Goma, 2/3 byabo baza mu baturanyi mu mugi wa Gisenyi (ubu ni Rubavu), abandi 1/3 bahunga bagana mu burengerazuba bw’igihugu cyabo, abandi bagera ku 147 bahasiga ubuzima nk’uko byatangajwe muri raporo y’Umuryango w’abibumbye. Iki gihe muri Goma, zimwe mu nyubako zarasenyutse, izindi zirangirika bitewe n’aya mahindure yazitemberagamo n’imitingito yakurikiyeho iki kirunga gihagaritse kuruka. Bivugwa ko abantu bagera ku 120,000 basigaye nta nzu zo kubamo bagira. Amakuru avuga ko byibuze kuva mu 1882, iki kirunga kimaze kuruka inshuro 34. Irindi ruka ryateje impagarara cyane ni iryabaye mu 1977, tariki 10 Mutarama, abagera kuri 70 bahatakariza ubuzima.
