The Most Famous Waterfalls On Earth

Posted by admin on Aug 27, 2007 in Amazing | 26 comments

NIAGARA FALLS

Niagara Falls (French: les Chutes du Niagara) is a set of massive waterfalls located on the Niagara River, straddling the international border separating the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York. The falls are located 17 miles (27 km) north-northwest of Buffalo, New York, 75 miles (120 km) south-southeast of Toronto, Ontario, between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York.

Niagara Falls is comprised of two major sections separated by Goat Island: Horseshoe Falls, mostly on the Canadian side of the border and American Falls on the United States side. The smaller Bridal Veil Falls also is located on the American side, separated from the main falls by Luna Island. Niagara Falls were formed when glaciers receded at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation (the last ice age), and water from the newly-formed Great Lakes carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment en route to the Atlantic Ocean. While not exceptionally high, the Niagara Falls are very wide. More than six million cubic feet (168,000 m³) of water fall over the crest line every minute in high flow, and almost 4 million cubic feet (110,000 m³) on average. It is the most powerful waterfall in North America.

The Niagara Falls are renowned both for their beauty and as a valuable source of hydroelectric power. Managing the balance between recreational, commercial, and industrial uses has been a challenge for the stewards of the falls since the 1800s.

ANGEL FALLS

Angel Falls (indigenous name: Parekupa-meru) is the world’s highest free-falling, freshwater waterfall at 979 m (3,212 ft), with an uninterrupted drop of 807 m (2,648 ft). It is located in the Canaima National Park, in the Gran Sabana region of Bolivar State, Venezuela.

The base of the falls feeds into the Churun River, a tributary of the Carrao River. In the indigenous Pemon language Angel Falls is called Parekupa-meru meaning “waterfall of the deepest place”. The falls are sometimes referred to as Churun-meru, an error, since that name corresponds to another waterfall in the Canaima National Park. Churun in the Pemon language means “thunder”.

Although sighted in the early 20th century by the explorer Ernesto Sanchez La Cruz, the waterfall was not known to the Western world until it was visited in 1935 by American aviator James “Jimmie” Crawford Angel on a flight while he was searching for a valuable ore bed. In 1936, Angel returned and landed his plane at the top of the waterfall. The falls are named “Angel Falls” after him.

For the native Pemon Indians, the mesa on which the falls are located is called “Auyan-tepui”, or “Aiyan-tepui”. which means “Devil’s Mountain”

The official height of the falls was determined by a National Geographic Society survey in 1949. David Nott’s book, Angels Four, chronicles the first successful climb up the face of Auyan Tepui (Devil’s Mountain) to the top of the falls. The falls are one of Venezuela’s top tourist attractions. The height of the falls is so great that before getting anywhere near the ground the water is buffetted by the strong winds and turned into mist.

Angel Falls spills from a flat-topped plateau named, Auyantepui, into what is known as the Devil’s Canyon 979 Meters below.

 

 

 

VICTORIA FALLS

The Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya (the Smoke that Thunders) is a waterfall situated in Africa, between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe. Mosi-oa-Tunya is the name given to the Falls by the local people and Victoria Falls is the name that David Livingstone, a British missionary, gave them when he discovered them between 1852 and 1856. The Falls are, by some measures, the largest waterfall in the world, as well as being among the most unusual in form, and having arguably the most diverse and easily-seen wildlife of any major waterfall site.

Although Victoria Falls constitute neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, their claim to be the largest is based on a width of 1.7 km (1 mile) and height of 108 m (360 ft), forming the largest sheet of falling water in the world. The falls’ maximum flow rate compares well with that of other major waterfalls.

The unusual form of Victoria Falls enables virtually the whole width of the falls to be viewed face-on, at the same level as the top, from as close as 60 m (200 ft), because the whole Zambezi River drops into a deep, narrow slotlike chasm, connected to a long series of gorges. Few other waterfalls allow such a close approach on foot.

Many of Africa’s animals and birds can be seen in the immediate vicinity of Victoria Falls, and the continent’s range of river fish is also well represented in the Zambezi, enabling wildlife viewing and sport fishing to be combined with sightseeing.

Victoria Falls are one of Africa’s major tourist attractions, and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The falls are shared between Zambia and Zimbabwe, and each country has a national park to protect them and a town serving as a tourism centre: Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park and Livingstone in Zambia, and Victoria Falls National Park and the town of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.

IGUACU FALLS

Iguaçu Falls (Iguaçu Falls; Portuguese: Cataratas do Iguaçu IPA [kata'ɾatɐs du igwa'su]; Spanish: Cataratas del Iguazú IPA [kata'ɾatas del iɣwa'su]) are spectacular waterfalls of the Iguazu River located on the border of the Brazilian state of Paraná and the Argentine province of Misiones.

The name Iguazu comes from the Guarani or Tupi words y (water) and guasú (big). Legend has it that a god planned to marry a beautiful aborigine named Naipí, who fled with her mortal lover Tarobá in a canoe. In rage, the god sliced the river creating the waterfalls, condemning the lovers to an eternal fall. The first European to find the falls was the Spanish Conquistador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca in 1541, after whom one of the falls in the Argentine side is named. The falls were rediscovered by Boselli at the end of the nineteenth century, and one of the Argentinian falls is named after him.

The falls are easily reached from the two main towns on either side of the falls: Foz do Iguaçu in the Brazilian state of Paraná, and Puerto Iguazú in the Argentine province of Misiones as well as from Ciudad del Este (Paraguay) on the other side of the Parana river from Foz do Iguaçu . The falls are shared by the Iguazú National Park (Argentina) and Iguaçu National Park (Brazil). These parks were designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1984 and 1986, respectively.

On the Brazilian side there is a long walkway along the canyon with an extension to the lower base of the “Garganta del Diablo”. The Argentian access is facilitated by a train (“Tren a las Cataratas”) (in early August 2007 the name for the free train operated in the National Park is “Tren ecologico de la selva”) that brings visitors to different walkways. The “Paseo Garganta del Diablo” is a one kilometer long way to bring the visitor directly over the falls of the “Garganta del Diablo”. Other walkways allow access to the elongated stretch of falls on the Argentinian side and to the ferry that connects to the San Martin island.

The fall area provides opportunities for water sports and rock climbing.

Gocta Cataracts

The Gocta Waterfall (in Spanish: la catarata Gocta), a waterfall with 2 drops, has been known for centuries to the local residents in Peru’s province of Chachapoyas in Amazonas, which is approximately 700 kilometers to the north-east of Lima. Its existence was made public following an expedition in 2005 by the Edward Smith and Joseph Valle & German Stefan Ziemendorff with a group of Peruvian explorers. At the time of his discovery he successfully persuaded the Peruvian government to map the falls and to measure their height. On 11 March 2006, following his third expedition to the falls, he held a press conference, the contents of which were published by several of the world’s wire services. He stated that the total height was accurately measured at 771 meters (2,532 feet), based on outdated and incomplete information gleaned from the National Geographic Society, which ranked Gocta as the third tallest free-leaping waterfall in world after Angel Falls in Venezuela and Tugela Falls in South Africa.

Stefan Ziemendorff’s inaccurate comments as to the waterfalls’ ranking have since been widely disputed. Citing various encyclopedias, reference books, and webpages accessible through Google, Gocta Cataracts are unofficially listed as the world’s fifth tallest, after adding Ramnefjellsfossen (Norway) and Mongefossen (Norway). Furthermore, The World Waterfall Database ranges Gocta as the 14th tallest.

The waterfall, which can be seen from kilometers away in the heart of the Chachapoyas region, has been christened Gocta Falls, after the name of the nearest settlement.

The daily El Comercio, whose reporter visited the place, said that the impressive waterfall had remained unknown to outsiders until now, because local people feared the curse of a beautiful blond mermaid who lived in its waters if they revealed its whereabouts.

On March 13, 2006 the Peruvian government announced to the press, published on that date by La República, that the area surrounding the falls would be developed as a tourist attraction, with a target date for sometime in mid-2007.

Tugela Waterfalls

Tugela Falls are the world’s second highest waterfall. The total drop in five free-leaping falls is 3,110 feet (947 meters). They are located in the Drakensberg (Dragon’s Mountains) in the Royal Natal National Park in KwaZulu-Natal Province, Republic of South Africa. They are easily viewed after a heavy rain from the main travel road into the park, glistening from the reflection of the late afternoon sun. The source of the Tugela River (Zulu for ‘sudden’) is at Mont-Aux-Sources several kilometers from the escarpment from which the falls drop. The water is pure and safe to drink above the falls.

There are 2 stunning trails to the Tugela Falls. The most spectacular trail is to the top of Mount-Aux-Sources and starts at the Sentinel car park at Witsieshoek via Phuthadjhaba from where it is a relatively short climb to the top of the Amphiteare. (About 5 hours return) Via two chain ladders you can can gain easy access to the summit. This is the only day hiking trail which will take you to the top of the Drakensberg escarpment and to the head of the Tugela Falls. Another trail to the foot of the Tugela Falls starts at Royal Natal National Park. The easy seven kilometre gradient up the Tugela Gorge winds though indigenous forests. The last part of the hike to the Tugela Falls is a boulder hop. A little chain ladder takes you over the final streach from where you have a stunning view of the falls rushing down the Amphitheater in a series of five spectacular cascades.

Significant waterfalls include these alphabetically:
* Angel Falls, the world’s highest at 979 metres (3212 feet), in Venezuela
* Bridalveil Fall, California – 189 m (620 ft) high: sheer drop when flowing
* Cascata delle Marmore in Italy is the tallest man-made waterfall in the world
* Gocta, the fifth highest in the world at 771 m (2533 ft), located in the province Chachapoyas, Peru
* Kaieteur Falls, (Potaro River in central Guyana) located in the Kaieteur National Park, a region that is also claimed by Venezuela. It is 226 m (741 ft)
* High Force on the River Tees is one of the tallest waterfalls in England
* Iguazu Falls, a tall and extremely wide fall located in South America on the Argentina/Brazil border
* Jog Falls, India’s eighth highest (listed as 313 ranking on the World Waterfall Database), located in Karnataka state, India
* Jurong Falls in Singapore is the tallest artificial waterfall in Asia
* Multnomah Falls: 611 feet high 30ft wide
* Niagara Falls is the most powerful falls in North America
* Ramnefjellsfossen, the world’s third highest at 808 m (2685 ft), at Stryn, Nesdalen, Norway
* Rhine Falls, Europe’s largest, located in Switzerland
* Tugela Falls, the world’s second highest at 947 m (3110 ft), in KwaZulu-Natal province, Republic of South Africa
* Victoria Falls, the largest waterfall in the world, over a mile long and located on the Zambezi river on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia.
* Yosemite Falls, arguably the tallest in North America, located in Yosemite National Park, United States
* Krimmler Falls, Europe’s tallest waterfalls, height: 390 m, located in Krimml, Salzburg, Austria