Planet Earth

Waterfalls

Types of waterfalls

A waterfall is the natural fall of water in the course of a river from a height of over one meter. If the height of the falling water is less than one meter, it is a natural phenomenon called rapids. Waterfalls are very diverse and are all lovely in their own way, the largest of them all different from each other. The type is determined by the landscape. There are dozens of different types of waterfalls - from broad powerful cataracts to the streams, flowing down the ledge in branched thin rivulets. Some waterfalls exist all year round, others occur only during specific seasons, because they are dependent on the melting of the snow in the mountains. On this basis some waterfalls stay unheeded by the statisticians.

The highest waterfalls

The highest waterfall in the world is Angel Falls in the tropical forests of South America, in Venezuela. There water falls almost continuously from a kilometer height! The waterfall is named after the pilot called Angel, who got into an air crash in 1933 and made a small journey back to civilization, which became famous. He was neither a pioneer nor a researcher, but the name stuck. Most likely, this was due to the "lucky" last name. On the local language (and by a decree of the late Chavez it was established on an official level) the waterfall is called Kerepakupai vena, which means " waterfall of the deepest place".

The most famous waterfalls

But the height of the waterfall isn’t everything. There are other important characteristics, such as the power of the water flow, width, height above the sea level... But for many people the only criterion is the beauty, and in this terms the Angel waterfall and an unnamed, unknown small waterfall in the forest are on the same level. Some waterfalls also become famous due to their tourist accessibility. So, almost everyone knows about Niagara Falls, which is located on the border between Canada and the United States, it is very wide - 792 meters, but its height is only 51 meters. And Iguazu is a little higher and almost 4 kilometers wide! The powerful African Victoria Falls (120 meters) is also very famous.

Origin page: водопады.

20 highest waterfalls

Name ↑↓	Height, m ↑	Continent -choose- all Europe Asia Africa N.America S.America Australia
Angel (Kerepakupai Meru)	979	Южная Америка
Tugela	948	Африка
Las Tres Hermanas	914	Южная Америка
Oloupena	900	Северная Америка
Yumbilla	895	Южная Америка
Vinnufossen	860	Европа
Balaifossen	850	Европа
Puukaoku	840	Северная Америка
James Bruce	840	Северная Америка
Browne	836	Австралия и Океания
Strupenfossen	820	Европа
Ramnefjellsfossen	818	Европа
Waihilau	792	Северная Америка
Colonial Creek	788	Северная Америка
Mongefossen	774	Европа
Gocta	771	Южная Америка
Mutarazi	762	Африка
Kjelfossen	755	Европа
Johannesburg	751	Северная Америка
Yosemite	739	Северная Америка
Trou de Fer	725	Африка