Waterfalls are an amazing phenomenon of nature, fascinating with its beauty and sometimes frightening with its power. Wherever they are, waterfalls are invariably extremely popular tourist destinations. Perhaps, with a roar falling tons of water – a spectacle that is worth seeing with your own eyes at least once in your life.
The highest waterfall in the world is in Venezuela, in the territory of the Canaima National Park. Streams of water are falling from one mountain plateau to another from a height of 1034 meters. Called this waterfall Angel (translated as “Angel”), his name was given in honor of the aviator James Einjel – in 1933 he flew over the waterfall, trying to see from the air the deposits of diamonds, which were spoken by natives. Interestingly, this waterfall falls from a mountain called Auyantepui, which translates as “Devil’s Mountain”.
The widest waterfall on Earth is the Khon cascade in Laos. The total width of this waterfall on the Mekong River exceeds 10 kilometers.
Another powerful waterfall is Victoria, located in West Africa. It collapses from a height of 1800 meters and a width of 1800 meters. It is the only waterfall in the world, simultaneously having more than a kilometer in width and over 100 meters in height (also, check Interesting facts about Victoria).
The famous Niagara Falls is constantly on the move – for a year it shifts by 70-90 centimeters. It may seem that this is very little, but by the present moment the waterfall has already moved from its place of origin by more than a dozen kilometers. If the movement continues, in 20 thousand years Niagara will reach Lake Erie and disappear forever.
The noise of Niagara can be heard 2 kilometers from the waterfall during the day, at night – for as much as 7 kilometers.
The European Country of Waterfalls is Norway. And 14 waterfalls from those that are on the territory of this state are the highest on the European continent, and 3 are among the ten largest in terms of the height of water fall in the world.
Scientists have established that the noise of the waterfall has a beneficial effect on the human psyche, soothing it and helping to cope with stress.
The thunder of falling water also helps the birds to navigate during migration (see facts about birds).
The most famous valley of waterfalls in Russia is called “Thirty-three waterfalls on the Djegosh Creek”, it is located in the Caucasus, near Sochi. Waterfalls are not higher than 10 meters, the length of the cascade is about one and a half kilometers.
Waterfalls are not only on land, but also on the bottom of the world’s oceans. It is extremely difficult to study and observe them, but it is for certain known that there are at least 7 such waterfalls. They arise in places with a complex bottom relief, due to the difference in temperature and water salinity. The largest underwater waterfall is located between Greenland and Iceland, in the Danish Gulf. Its dimensions are impressive – a height of 4 kilometers, a length of 200 kilometers.
The largest waterfall, created by the hands of people, appeared in Italy thanks to the works of the Romans. The height of the Cascata affair of Marmore is 165 meters.
In Antarctica there is a “bloody” waterfall – its streams are rusty-red, and the reason for this is a high concentration of iron oxide in water. An unusual waterfall flows from the Taylor Glacier, and its source is a lake covered with 400 meters of ice.
