To the north are Kavimvira's hot springs and the Nyangara marshlands; to the south lies the Ruzizi River, forming a natural border with the Kalungwe groupement of the Bavira Chiefdom.

[16] Kalundu, a lake port located at the southern end of the city, serves as a connection point for boats heading to Kalemie in Tanganyika Province, Kigoma in Tanzania, Pulungu in Zambia, and Bujumbura.

The presence of Lake Tanganyika significantly influences the climate and weather patterns in the region, as large bodies of water have an impact on local temperatures and precipitation.

[21] Grass-dominated savannas, serving as vital pastoral and agronomic reserves, are dominated by Imperata cylindrica, Hyparrhenia spp., Eragrostis spp., Urochloa eminii (Brachiaria ruziziensis or Congo grass), and Pennisetum spp.

[21] Drought-adapted xerophilous groves host species resilient to the arid microclimates of the region, while fragmented relics of forested areas persist as ecological vestiges in transitional zones.

[22] Uvira's geological substratum is composed of ancient Precambrian rock formations, such as gneisses, quartzites, and granites, as well as more recent Quaternary alluvial deposits.

[8] On 17 October 1900, the Congo Free State—under the rule of King Leopold II of Belgium—established a war council in Uvira to facilitate the conquest and administration of the Kivu region.

[8] Uvira's pivotal location at the northern entry to Kivu allowed for monitoring German East Africa positions in neighboring Ruanda-Urundi and Tanganyika.

According to early accounts by Alfred Moeller de Laddersous, the region's initial inhabitants were Bazoba, a community of fishermen along Lake Tanganyika's shores.

Gradually, the Bahamba clan expanded their paramountcy, occupying considerable localities along the north-western coastline of the Ruzizi Plain, stretching from Uvira to Luvungi.

In 1857–1858, Richard Francis Burton and John Hanning Speke embarked on a mission that brought them to Lake Tanganyika, while in 1871, Henry Morton Stanley joined David Livingstone at Ujiji, a town situated in the Kigoma-Ujiji District of the Kigoma Region, where they explored the mouth of the Ruzizi River.

[38] Conversely, the majority of Banyarwanda immigrants were mostly Tutsi herders who were accommodated by Fuliiru chief in Mulenge and Upper Sange, incrementally establishing their presence.

They operated mainly in the eastern Congo Free State, notably in areas like Uvira, Katanga, Nyangwe, Kasaï, Kabinda, Kirundu, and Baraka.

[44][45][46] Father Van der Burgt noted in his Dictionary that in 1897–8, there were a few discreet slave dealers in Uzige (in the region of Usumbura), Bangwana (Islamized people from Unyamwezi or the Congo basin), Basumbwa, Bavira (from the country of Uvira), and Bayangayanga (peddlers from the southern part of Burundi, specialized in the trade of salt and iron).

According to Richard Francis Burton:"The Uvira trade is important, the place is very busy because of the abundance and the low price of food: it is a large warehouse of slaves, ivory, clothing of bark and iron objects of the northern region of the lake, and in the travel season, it is rare that a day passes without several canoes coming there to fetch goods and food.

The conflict disrupted the existing networks and operations of Arab-Swahili slave traders, making it considerably more challenging for them to continue their slave-trading activities as before.

Motivated by their own economic interests and responding to international pressure, the Belgian colonial authorities actively sought to suppress the slave trade and implemented various anti-slavery measures advocated by abolitionists.

[52][53][54] During the First and Second Congo Wars, the region served as a major battleground for various armed groups, national armies, and militias, including the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (AFDL), Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA), Forces Armées Burundaises (FAB), Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD), Rally for Congolese Democracy-Goma (RCD-Goma), and various Mai-Mai militias.

[56][57] However, despite the formal end of the war, the region continues to face sporadic outbreaks of violence, often involving armed groups, militias, and inter-communal tensions.

[68] Beginning in February 2024, Uvira experienced an alarming rise in Lake Tanganyika's water levels, coupled with overflowing rivers, including the Mulongwe, Kalimabenge, Kamvimvira, and Kabimba.

Many displaced people continue to reside with host families, as extensive portions of Uvira, including segments of its city center, remain uninhabitable.

[79][80][17] Fishing contributes to food security, alleviating malnutrition, and improving the nutritional status of communities, particularly those living in rural areas or in nearby cities and towns such as Sange, Luvungi, and Kiliba.

[79] The primary communication channels that facilitate traffic with the outside world are: Uvira is home to a diverse population consisting of native ethnic groups of Bantu origin, including Vira, Fuliiru, Bembe, Zoba, Lega, Shi, Nyindu, Luba and Bangubangu.

[5] The city also hosts a significant expatriate community from countries including Burundi, Rwanda, Zambia, Tanzania, Belgium, France, Sweden, China, and India.

[85] The Roman Catholic Church holds a prominent position in the city, housing the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Uvira alongside its cathedral and three parochial jurisdictions.

[90] Despite these interventions, significant obstacles persist, including limited access to emergency healthcare services and difficulties in the timely identification of cases due to insufficient resources.

[89] In response to these challenges, the French Development Agency (AFD), the Veolia Foundation (VF), and REGIDESO launched a comprehensive water infrastructure improvement project in 2014.

[89] Key improvements included the expansion of the water treatment plant's capacity through advanced coagulation, flocculation, sand filtration, and chlorination processes.

[5][91] The city served as a vital crossroads for diverse media outlets, providing the local population with essential news, information, and entertainment in Swahili, Lingala, and French.

[5] Some of the city's prominent media outlets includes: The city is also enriched by the presence of several local media outlets: The education system in Uvira, like many parts of the Uvira Territory, faces numerous challenges, including a shortage of qualified teachers, limited resources, overcrowded classrooms, and inadequate funding.