Aerial view of the Great Rift Valley, East Africa. East Africa: Mount Nyiragongo, an active volcano in the Virunga Mountains in Virunga National Park, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), near the border with Rwanda. with a deep main lava crater containing a liquid lava pool. Known for its devastating eruptions, some 2,000 people were killed in 1977, and in 2002 Goma was largely destroyed by lava, creating a refugee crisis.