Of all the beauties given to us by nature, waterfalls have the strongest attraction. They fascinate, sometimes frighten, but always delight. There are hundreds of them on the planet. There are high and small, wide and narrow, lonely and collected in one place, forming a unique landscape sculpture.
In the mountains of the Caucasus, in the Teberdinsky reserve, the Salynngan river flows. In its gorges there is a unique valley called Thirty Falls. In a Japanese park on the island of Honshu, one hundred waterfalls crash into the Osugidani Valley. Norway is the world famous country of waterfalls. But small Lesotho, lost in the mountains of South Africa, is proud of its 3,000 waterfalls!
Most of the population of our planet believes that the largest waterfall is Niagara. And it won't be right. The largest is a very imprecise definition. Experts evaluate waterfalls by height, power of the water flow and width. Let's try to rank waterfalls by their width to find out which one is the largest.
Khon
The widest waterfall in the world is located on the Mekong River, on the border between Kampuchea and Laos. The Mekong, called the Nine Dragon River by the Vietnamese,Indochina is the largest river. It starts from the sources in the Tibetan Plateau and with a roar carries its waters down through a deep gorge. Where the river comes out of it and floods the entire Cambodian plain, and there is the Kon (or Khon) waterfall.
Its bas alt ridge stretches for almost 13 km. By the beginning of the 20th century, Iguazu was considered the widest waterfall in the world, until in 1920, researchers discovered a new waterfall in Southeast Asia, significantly exceeding Iguazu in width. This cascade of waterfalls was called Kon (or Khon). It is still the widest by world standards. The height of the waterfall is relatively small, but its rapids, cascades and plums make it the widest.
Not far from the waterfall, in a safe flat place, the organizers set up a lot of tents with souvenirs and food outlets. There is even a dedicated photographer. Tourists say that the beauty of Kon gives peace and tranquility, and the locals awarded him with magical powers. It is believed that those who have seen the waterfall at least once received longevity as a gift. This cascade is the center of the national park. It is home to rare freshwater dolphins. Therefore, it is a closely guarded national site.
Seti-Kedas
Describing the widest waterfalls in the world, I would like to mention Seti-Kedas (another name is Guaira). He was in South America, on the Parana River. It was considered the border of Paraguay and Brazil.
Its width was 4800 m. It was a beautiful cascadewaterfalls. Below him was Iguazu. Water consumption per minute was equal to almost three Niagara.
The history of the waterfall is quite interesting. Discovered by an unknown gold digger. It has not been documented for a long time. All this time, until the 80s of the last century, a mass of water fell from a height of 30 meters, raising bewitching columns of water dust. But on the site of the waterfall, it was decided to build a hydroelectric power station, the most powerful in the world. In two weeks, the reservoir was filled, the rocks interfering with the construction were blown up. The national park has ceased to exist.
But nature does not tolerate such unceremonious interference. The last group of tourists viewing the falls from the suspension bridge fell into the churning stream. All 82 tourists died.
Iguazu
The widest waterfall in the world is located in South America. Iguazu Falls is considered the eighth wonder of the world. It stretched along the border of Brazil and Argentina. Its name is translated from Guarani as "big water". The width of this cascade is more than 4000 meters (much more than Niagara Falls). In an hour, Iguazu dumps one billion tons of water mass. It appeared on the maps of South America in 1541, when it was discovered by another Brazilian gold digger.
After more than one decade, a European gold digger accidentally came to him and gave his name - Maria's Jump. The royal court did not react to this find. Therefore, for several centuries the most beautiful cascade was in oblivion.
Iguazu got into the category "The widest waterfalls in the world"only in the 19th century. Modern researchers claim that this is not a single waterfall, but 275 cascades. Over the centuries, they have formed a wall that looks like a horseshoe. The width of some slopes is almost 700 meters. Water dust forms countless rainbows that are visible even on moonlit nights. The national parks of both countries are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and in 2001 Iguazu was recognized as one of the seven wonders of the world.
For tourists, whose flow is growing year by year, bridges, walkways, cable cars were built so that you can observe the water element as close as possible.
Victoria
Which is the widest waterfall in the world? Victoria. It carries its waters in the southern part of the African continent, on the Zambezi River. It has a width of almost 1800 m. It is considered the largest in the world (but only thanks to a successful advertising campaign).
From the language of local tribes, the name of the waterfall is translated as "rumbling smoke". According to existing legend, Scottish explorer David Livingston was the first to discover the waterfall and gave it the name of the then-living Queen Victoria. Water splashes can be seen almost 40 km away.
At its very top, the waterfall has a natural elevation, which turned out to be a natural reservoir, called the Devil's Font. Fearless tourists like to swim in it.
Niagaran
If you take a poll about what is the widest waterfall in the world, almost everyone will answer: Niagara. It is located in North Americaone of its sleeves is in America, the other is in Canada. The width of its cascades is about 1200 m. There are only three of them: Veil, American Falls (USA) and Horseshoe (Canada).
Niagara Falls is considered the most beautiful and famous in the world. The water descends with such a roar that already a few kilometers away you can’t hear your own voice. There are legends that this is why the Indians called it "rumbling water" - Niagara.
Inga and Vermilio
Continuing to describe the widest waterfalls in the world, let's talk about Inga. It is located on the Congo River in the republic of the same name. The waterfall consists of a series of cascades and rapids, forming in some places the most beautiful islands. Its width is 900 meters.
There is a beautiful Vermilion in North America. The width of its cascades is 1829 m. It is located in Canada, near the Peace River.
Stanley and Mokona
Which are the most beautiful and widest waterfalls in the world? Stanley and Mokona. Stanley, 1400 meters wide, occupies almost the entire Lualaba River. Macona is part of the Uruguay River in Argentina. This is a one of a kind large river waterfall. Its width is 2065 m.
Couple
Venezuela is famous for the Para waterfall, or, as the locals call it, S alto Para. Its width is 5608 m. It is located on the Kaura River, where its two parts converge. From above it looks like a crescent. It is surrounded by an almost impenetrable green jungle.
Gersoppa
These are not all the widest waterfalls in the world. Perhaps you can finish with the Gersoppa waterfall. It is located in India,the Sharavati river. This river is famous for its four streams:
- Rajoy. He is slow and unhurried.
- Buzzer. He easily drags a large number of boulders along the channel among the rocks, creating a wild noise for many kilometers around.
- Rocket. It is he who sets the speed of the flow of water of the entire waterfall.
- Rani. It's a slow winding stream.
Cascades and slopes of Gersoppa stretched for 472 meters. The locals consider the waterfall to be magical. He attracts tourists like a magnet. The water stream of Gersoppa from the top rushes down with lightning speed, unlike those already described.
Conclusion
Now you know which are the widest waterfalls in the world. Photos of the most famous are presented in the article. All of them are beautiful and interesting in their own way. We hope you found this information helpful.
