Waterfalls are an amazing natural phenomenon, fascinating with their beauty and sometimes frightening with their power. Where they exist, waterfalls are invariably extremely popular tourist spots. Perhaps, tons of water falling with a roar is a sight that is worth seeing with your own eyes at least once in your life.

1. The highest waterfall in the world is located in Venezuela, in the Canaima National Park. Streams of water fall from one mountain plateau to another from a height of 1034 meters. This Falls is called Angel (translated as “Angel”), it received its name in honor of the aviator James Angel - in 1933 he flew over the waterfall, trying to see from the air the deposits of diamonds that the aborigines were talking about. Interestingly, this waterfall falls from a mountain called Auyantepui, which translates as “Devil’s Mountain.”
2. The widest waterfall on Earth is the Khon Cascade in Laos. The total width of this waterfall on the Mekong River exceeds 10 kilometers.
3. Another powerful waterfall is Victoria, located in West Africa. It falls from a height of 120 meters with a width of 1800 meters. This is the only waterfall in the world that is simultaneously more than a kilometer wide and over 100 meters high.
4. The famous Niagara Falls is constantly in motion - it moves 70-90 centimeters per year. This may seem like very little, but by now the waterfall has already moved more than ten kilometers from its place of origin. If the movement continues, in 20 thousand years Niagara will reach Lake Erie and disappear forever.
5. The sound of Niagara can be heard 2 kilometers from the waterfall during the day, and as much as 7 kilometers away at night.
6. The European “Land of Waterfalls” is Norway. Moreover, 14 of those waterfalls that are located on the territory of this state are the highest on the European continent, and 3 are among the ten highest waterfalls in the world.
7. Scientists have found that the sound of a waterfall has a beneficial effect on the human psyche, calming him down and helping him cope with stress.
8. The sound of falling water also helps birds navigate during migration (see bird facts).
9. The most famous valley of waterfalls in Russia is called “Thirty-three waterfalls on the Dzhegosh stream”, it is located in the Caucasus, near Sochi. The waterfalls here are no higher than 10 meters, the length of the cascade is about one and a half kilometers (see facts about Russia).
10. Waterfalls exist not only on land, but also on the bottom of the world's oceans. It is extremely difficult to study and observe them, but the existence of at least 7 such waterfalls is known for certain. They occur in places with complex bottom topography, due to differences in temperature and salinity of the water. The largest underwater waterfall is located between Greenland and Iceland, in the Gulf of Denmark. Its dimensions are impressive - height 4 kilometers, length 200 kilometers.
11. The largest waterfall created by human hands appeared in Italy thanks to the work of the Romans. The height of Cascata del Marmore is 165 meters.
12. There is a “bloody” waterfall in Antarctica - its streams are rusty-red in color, and the reason for this is the high concentration of iron oxide in the water. The unusual waterfall flows from the Taylor Glacier, and its source is a lake covered with 400 meters of ice (see photo).

Waterfalls are some of nature's most beautiful and impressive creations. The sight of water falling freely through the air and crashing on the ground in a cloud of splashing and thundering roar is truly one of the most beautiful experiences in life.

In addition, most of the waterfalls are located in pristine, breathtaking terrain, and beautiful rainbows can always be seen in the areas near the waterfalls.

Bird's eye view of Angel Falls The world's tallest Angel Falls was discovered by American pilot Jimmy Angel in 1935 while he was prospecting for gold in southeastern Venezuela. He was flying his small plane through a narrow canyon when he noticed an arrow of water rushing from a height of 979 meters from the tepui down to the mountainous tropical lowland.

The Tugela Falls in South Africa are almost as high, with a total height of 933 meters. (Some sources indicate a height of 850 meters, while it is still the second highest). However, not many people have heard of Tugela Falls because it is not the tallest waterfall.

The tallest waterfall in North America, Yosemite Falls is the sixth tallest waterfall in the world.
Located in Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, it presents a fantastic and breathtaking spectacle. In fact, other than Angel Falls, few people have ever heard of any other tallest waterfalls.
The fact is that most high waterfalls are located in remote mountains, far from human eyes. And besides, they are usually found on small rivers. After all, many rivers are born in the mountains, where they must flow for a long time, receiving more and more water from their tributaries, before they become really large. But what if a river like the Amazon, Nile, or Mississippi falls off a cliff? One such super waterfall is Khon Falls on the Mekong River in Laos.
Its height is only 22 meters, yet an average of 11,000 cubic meters of water flows through it per second. Read on.

Much more famous is the waterfall on the Nile River in Africa. Murchison Falls National Park is established in Uganda. But the largest waterfall in the world, consisting of a single stream, is another African giant, Victoria Falls. Situated on the mighty Zambezi River in Zimbabwe, this fearsome giant lets out a deafening roar as a wall of water approximately one mile wide crashes down to the ground from a height of almost 120 meters.
The story of the discovery of Victoria Falls is also known. The first European to see it was David Livingstone, who named it after Queen Victoria. Iguazu Falls The most spectacular waterfall creator in the world is the South American Parana River.
On one of its tributaries, on the border of Brazil and Argentina, is the Iguazu Falls. A series of rocky and wooded islands divide the river into approximately 275 streams that fall 280 feet from cliffs more than two miles wide.
Water flows averaging about 1,600 cubic meters per second increase to more than 11,000 during times of flood. In 1986, Iguazu Falls was declared a natural heritage of humanity by UNESCO. You've probably never even heard of the largest waterfall on Earth. Located downstream on the Parana River, Guaira Falls had 7.5 times the average flow of Iguazu.

Unfortunately, it was flooded by the construction of the Itaipu Dam in 1982. Niagara Falls North America's most famous waterfall is located near the middle of the Niagara River, which flows from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario.
On one side of the island in the river is the long, straight line of the American Falls; on the other is the graceful crescent of Horseshoe Falls. Both fall approximately 51 meters, together forming the famous Niagara Falls. Etienne Bruhl, the first European to see Lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron and Superior, may also have been the first to see Niagara Falls, in 1615. Of course, it was hidden deep in the wilderness 400 years ago.
Today, Niagara Falls is famous mainly because it is located near one of the world's largest population centers. Of course, this is an amazing sight, even if it cannot be compared with some of the giants in other countries. The American Falls plummet from 21 to 33 metres, while the Canadian Horseshoe Falls plummet from 51 meters into the Pond of the Maiden of the Mists. More than 4,300 cubic meters of water rushes through the falls every minute during peak flow. Niagara has gained particular fame as a place that attracts lovers. The falls also appeal to daredevils, scores of those who have found fame—or death—trying to survive one of the fastest river floats around, a drop of no more than five seconds from Niagara Falls.

The wooden barrel could even be considered the official vehicle of the falls. If you think that there are many huge waterfalls in the Himalayas and Andes, you are not alone, I thought the same thing. Yet, even though Asia is the largest continent, there is only one waterfall worthy of making the list. North America puts on quite a show with half a dozen superwaterfalls.
Yet tiny Norway surpasses Canada, the United States and Mexico combined in this part - as many as eight. With France and Switzerland having one super waterfall each, Europe easily beats the other continents with a total of ten waterfalls for the record books. Even tiny, arid Australia has three times as many superwaterfalls as Asia.

List of the 20 highest waterfalls in descending order:

Angel, Venezuela
Tugela, South Africa,
Utigård, Norway,
Monge, Norway,
Mutarazi, Zimbabwe
Yosemite Falls, USA,
Espelands, Norway,
Lower Mar valley waterfall, Norway,
Tissestrengene, Norway,
Cuquenan, Venezuela
Sutherland, New Zealand,
Kjell, Norway,
Takkakau, Canada
Tape, USA,
Upper Mar Valley waterfall, Norway,
Gavarnier, France,
Vettis, Norway,
Hanlen, Canada
Tin Main, Australia,
Silver Strand, USA.

Ecology

A waterfall is one of the most impressive miracles that nature has given us. The sight of a powerful stream of water falling from an incredible height fills us with awe.

Many tourists and photographers flock to these places to get a charge of admiration and once again be convinced of the greatness and beauty of the world around us.

Here are some of the tallest, most powerful and incredibly beautiful waterfalls from around the world.

1. Victoria Falls, Zambia and Zimbabwe

Famous explorer David Livingston Named this waterfall in honor of the British Queen Victoria, and locals call it “Thundering Smoke”. Victoria Falls is incredibly loud, and the fog that forms as the Zambezi River falls 108 meters into the gorge rises several hundred meters in height. The width of the waterfall is slightly less than 2 kilometers, and with a strong flow, about 12,000 cubic meters of water per second passes through here.

2. Niagara Falls, USA and Canada

Niagara Falls is probably the most famous waterfall in the world, the name that first comes to mind when you think of the word "falls". It is located on the border between the state of New York in the USA and the province of Ontario in Canada. Although there are dozens of much taller waterfalls in the world, few can compare with Niagara's volume of falling water, which reaches 2,800 cubic meters per second. If you are planning to visit Niagara Falls, you can take the Maid of the mist boat ride to get to the horseshoe of the falls.

3. Reichenbach Falls, Switzerland

Nestled among the deep gorges and massive peaks of the Alps, the Reichenbach Falls are perhaps best known as the site of the death of the famous character Sherlock Holmes. Arthur Conan Doyle was so delighted with the beauty of this 250-meter cascade near the town of Meiringen that he decided that it was in such a place that the last battle between the famous detective and Professor Moriarty should take place. The waterfall can be reached by cable car in Willingen.

4. Kaieteur Falls, Guyana

At 251 meters high and 100 meters wide, Kaieteur Falls is not only twice the height of Victoria Falls and five times the height of Niagara Falls, it is also the most powerful in the world. It is located in pristine rainforest in the ancient Guiana Highlands. On the way to the waterfall you can see colorful Guiana cocks of the rocks, blue butterflies and other amazing animals.

5. Iguazu Falls, Argentina and Brazil

Another waterfall, located on the border of two countries: Argentina and Brazil, was included in UNESCO World Heritage List and is one of the seven new natural wonders of the world. The waterfall was formed as a result of a volcanic eruption and is divided into separate streams by various islands. Of the 275 Iguazu Falls, the Devil's Throat Falls is considered the highest, reaching 80 meters in height. During the rainy season from November to March, the volume of water flow can reach 12,750 cubic meters per second.

6. Detian Falls, China

p>Detian Falls forms part of the border between China and Vietnam and is the fourth largest waterfall located on the border. This waterfall may not compare with the previous ones in height, width and incredible volume of flow, but it can definitely be called one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world. Streams of water framed by karst rocks and rice fields create an unforgettable experience. The best time to visit this waterfall is mid-summer.

7. Gullfoss Waterfall, Iceland

Gullfoss Waterfall is a magnificent 32 meter high two-stage waterfall on the Hvitau River. Water from rain and glacial runoff, especially in summer, creates one of the largest flows here in terms of volume in the world. On a sunny day, the sky is filled with many rainbows, and in winter, snow and frost on the rocks give it an extraordinary shine.

8. Sutherland Falls, New Zealand

To the south of the most beautiful fjord Milford Sound New Zealand's South Island is home to one of the country's most famous waterfalls - Sutherland Falls. This incredibly tall waterfall, 580 meters high, falls from a lake located in the valley. Many tourists claim that the noise from the falling water of Sutherland is much more deafening than near other more famous waterfalls.

9. Jim Jim Falls, Australia

Jim Jim Falls is a classic rectangular waterfall with a powerful stream of water that falls from a height of 215 meters from straight rocks Kakadu National Park in Australia. The best time to view this waterfall is during the rainy season, which lasts from December to March. But by June, powerful streams turn into a thin stream of water.

10. Angel Falls, Venezuela

Angel Falls is the tallest waterfall in the world. Its height reaches 979 meters, and the height of its continuous fall is 807 meters. It is located in Kainama National Park in Venezuela and included in the list UNESCO World Heritage Site. The waterfall was named after James Angel, an American pilot who discovered it in 1937. It is so high that during the dry season the water evaporates before reaching the ground.

Angel is located in a wild, remote area and is not easily accessible. Tourists who want to admire this natural wonder are offered tours by river and air.

Huge, roaring streams of water falling from a great height can fascinate anyone: the most beautiful waterfalls on the planet amaze, delight, impress and attract with their unique charm. They also represent difficult natural boundaries, so the largest waterfalls in width are usually located on the border of two and sometimes three states.

A waterfall is a falling stream of river water from a high steep cliff or slope that crosses the river bed, forming a sharp drop in height, and the height of the fall must exceed one meter (anything less is ledges and thresholds). Waterfalls form in mountainous areas where the river carries its waters over different rock formations. Some rocks are hard enough not to succumb to erosion, others are too soft and, under the influence of fast mountain rivers, succumb to destruction quite quickly.

As a result, a height difference gradually begins to form: the waters of the river begin to fall from hard to softer soil, resulting in the formation of a steep and sheer cliff. This happens until the water reaches a solid layer of rock, which stops the fall of the water, after which the river continues its movement in the channel, and at the foot, as a result of the impacts of strong water jets, huge “erosion” boilers (reservoirs) are formed.

Waterfalls can have a tectonic origin, being located on the boundary of a fault that separates two blocks of the earth's crust, one of which is lowered to a certain height in relation to each other. For example, the largest waterfall in the world, Angel, whose height is 1054 meters, was formed in the highlands, at the point of transition of one plateau to another (near the Churun ​​River, which carried its waters to the cliff, there was no choice but to start falling down and , once on the lower plateau, continue your way).

These unique formations can unexpectedly appear in one place or another of the river - as a result of an earthquake, ground shift, volcanic activity, etc. Human activity can also cause waterfalls to form, such as when overflowing bodies of water overflow a dam.

Varieties

Since a cliff, like a river, can have different shapes and be of different sizes, there is a classification consisting of a large number of types of falling streams. They are divided by height, width and depth of water.

For example, Angel in Venezuela (1034 m) is the highest waterfall in the world, Khon in Laos is considered the widest (its length together with the islands is 10,783 m), and the deepest is Inga in the Congo (42,476 m3/s). But Victoria on the Zambezi River, 1.8 km wide and 120 m high, is considered the only waterfall in the world whose height exceeds 100 meters and width is more than a kilometer.

Speaking about the types of waterfalls, the following types can be distinguished:

• Water slopes - the rock has a slight slope, and therefore the water flows do not have a steep angle of incidence;
• Cataracts are wide, but low;
• Cascades - consist of a series of water streams falling one after another from stone ledges (the widest cascade on our planet is Khon in Laos: its length along the river and width, together with the islands, is about 10 km).

Movement

Interestingly, the waterfalls do not have a clearly fixed location and move up the river. This happens due to the enormous pressure of water flows, which every year erode the rocks more and more, and the rocks located at the edge break off and fall down, as a result of which the water begins to fall from the new edge of the cliff, located a couple of centimeters upstream.

For example, the famous Niagara moves 70-90 cm per year, and at the moment has moved away from its place of formation by more than ten kilometers. Therefore, there is a possibility that in 20 thousand years this large waterfall will reach Lake Erie and cease to exist.

Soothing sounds

Scientists have long noticed that the sound of a waterfall has a calming effect on the human psyche. For example, Khon in Laos is the calmest, so its sound is considered the most favorable for sick people. If the patient’s financial capabilities allow it, doctors recommend visiting Khon; if not, they let you listen to the soothing sound of a waterfall on a disc.

During treatment, the sound of not only this, but also other most famous waterfalls on the planet is used, and the noise of the waterfall can be completely different - from gentle murmur to thunderous peals.

For example, the noise of Niagara during the day can be heard at a distance of two kilometers, and at night, when audibility improves, up to seven kilometers. It is interesting that thunder-like peals are used to their advantage not only by people, but also by representatives of the animal world: the noise of the waterfall is also a reference point for birds during migrations.

Valleys of tumbling rivers

The number of waterfalls in a given area directly depends on how many rivers flow in a given area and the complexity of the terrain. If only one river flows, there is only one falling stream. But if there are a sufficient number of rivers and mountain streams in the area, then the abundance of rivers flowing from the slopes is often amazing.

For example, the second name of Norway is the Land of Waterfalls: due to the huge number of rivers and high rocky mountains, they can be seen almost everywhere, while fourteen of them are the highest in Europe, and three are among the eight highest waterfalls in the world.

In addition, there are many countries that, although they cannot be characterized in the same way as Norway, on their territories you can see the most beautiful waterfalls in the world, located one after another - the valley of waterfalls. One of the most famous places of this kind is Yosemite National Park: the Valley of Waterfalls located on its territory is the only place in the world where many large and world-famous waterfalls are located in a small area.

But in Europe, the most famous valley of Lauterbrunnen waterfalls is located in the Swiss Alps: there are 72 cascading streams, some of which are more than a hundred meters high, and the most popular waterfall in this area is Staubbach - its height exceeds 300 meters.

Another valley of waterfalls is located in the Caucasus near Sochi. These are “Thirty-three waterfalls on the Dzhegosh stream”, located one after another for half a kilometer. The highest waterfall reaches only ten meters.

At the bottom of the ocean

Relatively recently, scientists discovered that waterfalls at the bottom of the world's oceans (some of them exist in reality, and some are an optical illusion) over the past decades, about seven underwater waterfalls have been found. Unfortunately, moving streams in the middle of a body of water are extremely difficult to capture on camera and fully study them, and therefore it is quite difficult to see and detect these natural phenomena.

It is known that they arose in places with a complex topography of the ocean floor, where there is a difference between the level of salinity of water and its temperature: warm salty water, which has a higher density, rushes down in a huge stream to displace less dense and fresher water.

Underwater waterfalls are quite large and are not inferior in size to their terrestrial counterparts, and some are even much larger. For example, between Tasmania and Australia there is a large underwater waterfall, which is 400 m long and 150 km wide. The largest underwater waterfall is located in the Gulf of Denmark between Iceland and Greenland: its height is 4 km and its length reaches 200 km (it can well be called the deepest waterfall on our planet).

Despite the fact that it is not easy to see underwater waterfalls, nature has provided us with the opportunity to imagine exactly what this amazing phenomenon looks like by creating the illusion of an underwater waterfall near the island of Mauritius, located in the western Indian Ocean, not far from Madagascar. It was formed thanks to a unique combination of coral reefs, amazing water clarity, sand and silt deposits.

Unfortunately, this amazing natural phenomenon can only be observed from a bird’s eye view, and such a walk is not cheap: a 15-minute helicopter sightseeing tour will cost $450 for two.

Victoria Falls is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the widest continuous flow waterfall. Its height is 120 meters (which is twice as high as Niagara Falls), and its width is approximately 1800 m.

Where is Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls is located on the border of the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe, on the Zambezi River in South Africa. The indigenous people of Zambia call it Mosi-oa-Tunya, which means "thundering smoke". Also from the local population you can hear the name Chongue (“place of the rainbow”).

Who discovered Victoria Falls in Africa

The waterfall first received widespread publicity in 1855. While traveling along the mouth of the Zambezi River, Scottish explorer David Livingstone saw "a beauty that cannot be compared with anything seen in England." The Scot named the waterfall in honor of Queen Victoria and dubbed it the most wonderful sight in Africa.

For exactly 50 years, Victoria Falls was heard only from travelers who described it in notes. In 1905, a railway was built across the Zambezi River towards the city of Bulawayo. Since then, the flow of tourists has only increased, and the tourist town of Livingstone has appeared on the Zimbabwean side.

By the mid-19th century, the days of the British colonial empire were numbered and South Africa regained its independence. The wave of tourists to Victoria Falls resumed in the 1980s - by which time the annual number of tourists had increased to approximately 300 thousand people.

Description of the area

Above the Victoria Falls, along the Zambezi River, there are islands of different sizes; as you approach the abyss, their number increases. These islands divide the falls into four parts. The right bank of the river is known for “jumping water” - this is the name of the 35-meter wide stream. Behind the island of Boaruca, the width of the waterfall is approximately 460 meters. This is followed by the second main stream behind Livingston Island (530 m). And on the left bank of the Zambezi River there is an eastern waterfall.

The entire flow of Victoria Falls water falls into a narrow crevice and passes through it for about 120 meters, then flows into a zigzag gorge.

Devil's Font

On the Zimbabwe side, at the very precipice of Victoria Falls, there is a section where the water flow is relatively weak, and a narrow rocky ridge creates a so-called pool. This area is known to tourists as the "Devil's Font" and becomes popular from September to December when the water level is low. Desperate extreme sportsmen swim a couple of meters from the cliff. There have also been accidents where swimmers have been carried over the edge, so you should carefully weigh your decision before venturing into the “devil’s pool.”

Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park

In the Thundering Smoke Park in Zambia you can see such wild animals as elephants, giraffes, zebras, antelopes, two white rhinoceroses, and hippos splash peacefully in the river. There are no predators here, so the animals are not shy and are accustomed to humans.

Tourist information

Entertainment and excursions on the territory of Victoria Falls

• Explore the rapids of the Zambezi River behind the waterfall - for fans of kayaking and rafting. For less extreme tourists, boat trips are offered.
• Experience an adrenaline rush by jumping from a bridge right above the gorge - bungee jumping to the sound of a thundering waterfall.
• See all the beauty of Victoria Falls from a bird's eye view - helicopter and paragliding excursions.
• Book a jeep safari in the national park.
• Fly over the canyon on a zip line - Zip-line attraction.
• Visit the Victoria Falls Museum to learn about how it has changed over its thousand-year history.

When is the best time to go?

Depending on the season, Victoria Falls can be seen in different states. From January to July, the water level in the Zambezi rises, the river flow becomes faster and more powerful (during this period, extreme sports at the waterfall are limited). From August to December, the river dries out significantly, its flow becomes less rapid and strong - this is the peak season for extreme travelers.

How to get to Victoria Falls

The best way is to fly to the capital of Zambia - Lusaka. Next, you can use local airlines to get to the city of Livingston. The cheaper way is by bus, but the travel time is 7 hours.

It’s better to book a hotel in Livingston in advance to take a break from the road, and in the morning visit Victoria Falls, half an hour’s drive from the city.

Where is Victoria Falls on the map of Africa:

Geographical coordinates: 17°55′28″ south latitude and 25°51′24″ east longitude.