The largest waterfalls in the world

The world is full of wonderful natural attractions and waterfalls are one of them. The water falling from the mountains fascinates with its beauty and power. In this post, we will tell you about the five most famous large and amazing waterfalls.

1. Angel Falls in the rainforests of Venezuela

Angel Waterfall is considered the highest and deepest in the world, its height is 979 meters. Angel is almost 20 times taller than the famous Niagara!

The waterfall was discovered in the early 20th century by explorer Ernesto Sanchez La Cruz. In 1933, American pilot James Angel was flying over a waterfall in search of diamonds and noticed nearby Mount Auyang Tepui, but decided not to land the plane. Later in 1937, James and his partner and wife Marie decided to go down the mountain, the landing of the aircraft was unsuccessful and the landing gear wheel was damaged. The company had to descend from the mountain for 11 days, many people learned about this adventure, as a result, the waterfall was named after the adventure of James Angel.

Since then, it has been called "Angel". In December 2009, the waterfall was renamed by the President of Venezuela to Kerepakupai Meru (English Kerepakupai Meru), (Spanish Salto Ángel) in accordance with one of its local names, residents still used to call this waterfall Angel.

Angel is one of the most difficult tourist destinations in the world. There is no infrastructure around it, roads, hotels and crowds of tourists. This is what helped preserve the pristine nature and the richest wildlife here – in these latitudes you can easily meet porcupines, deer, sloths, anteaters and monkeys.

2. Niagara Falls in North America

Niagara Falls (English Niagara Falls) is one of the widest in the world, comes from the Niagara River and is a complex of several waterfalls. Separates the state of New York from Canada. The waterfall is 57 meters high and 1204 meters wide, and it resembles a horseshoe in shape.

The Niagara Falls complex has 3 main streams: the "American Falls" (English American Falls) is 57 meters high, about 260 meters wide, the smallest "Veil" (English Bridal Veil Falls) is 24 meters high, 17 meters wide, "Canadian Falls" (English Canadian Falls) or "Horseshoe" (English Horseshoe Falls) is 57 meters high and about 620 meters wide.

Niagara Falls was discovered in the 17th century by French colonists, at first it was little known and rarely visited. Only a few years later, the waterfall became popular among the aristocrats, for whom the first guest houses were built.

Now the waterfall is especially popular in the warmer months, every year about 30 million people come to see the wonder of North America.

3. Victoria Falls in South Africa

Victoria Waterfall is the fourth widest waterfall in the world and is located in South Africa on the Zambezi River, located on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe. The width is about 1800 meters, and the height is 120 meters. Also, the waterfall is one of the largest in terms of water consumption.

The history of Victoria Falls: to many residents of South Africa, the waterfall was known as Mosi-oa-Tunya (Mosi-oa–Tunya), translated the name meant "Thundering smoke". It is believed that the first European to visit the waterfall is David Livingston. On November 17, 1855, during a trip along the Zambezi River, having sailed a little from the Ngonye waterfalls, he revealed a new, incredibly beautiful waterfall, which he named in honor of Queen Victoria. Describing the waterfall, David could not compare it with anything else – it was magnificent!

4. Iguazu Falls in Brazil and Argentina

Iguazu Falls is a complex of 275 waterfalls on the river of the same name, located on the border of the Brazilian state of Paraná and Argentina on the territory of the Iguazu National Parks, which are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The history of Iguazu Falls begins in 1541, when they were discovered by Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca in search of the treasures of the El Dorado country along the Parana River. It is known that the waterfalls did not make a special impression on him, but he noted that the waterfalls are significant.

Today, this popular tourist attraction in Brazil and Argentina welcomes travelers from all over the world.

5. Tugela Falls, South Africa

Tugela Falls is the second highest waterfall in the world. The disputes over its competition with the highest Angel Waterfall were conducted for a long time and ended in favor of the second one.

A complex of seasonal waterfalls located in the Dragon Mountains of Natal National Park in South Africa. This five-stage cascade falls from a height of 947 meters, its width is only 15 meters.

Tugela Waterfall is clearly visible after rain or at sunset, when it gives a glint from the Sun. The source of the Tugela River is located a few kilometers from the cliff from which the water falls. The water above the waterfall is drinkable. The cliff is often covered with snow and ice during the winter months.