Victoria waterfall images8/4/2023 The River Zambezi, upstream from the falls, experiences a rainy season from late November to early April, and a dry season the rest of the year. ![]() Victoria Falls seen from Zimbabwe in August, 2019. The main streams are named, in order from Zimbabwe (west) to Zambia (east): the Devil's Cataract (called Leaping Water by some), the Main Falls, the Rainbow Falls (the highest) and the Eastern Cataract. ![]() At less than full flood, additional islets divide the curtain of water into separate parallel streams. There are two islands on the crest of the falls that are large enough to divide the curtain of water even at full flood: Boaruka Island (or Cataract Island) near the western bank, and Livingstone Island near the middle - the point from which Livingstone first viewed the falls. The whole volume of the river pours into the Victoria Falls gorges from this narrow cleft. The only outlet to the First Gorge is a 110-metre-wide (360 ft) gap about two-thirds of the way across the width of the falls from the western end. The depth of the chasm, called the First Gorge, varies from 80 metres (260 ft) at its western end to 108 metres (354 ft) in the centre. The falls are formed where the full width of the river plummets in a single vertical drop into a transverse chasm 1,708 metres (5,604 ft) wide, carved by its waters along a fracture zone in the basalt plateau. There are no mountains, escarpments, or deep valleys only a flat plateau extending hundreds of kilometres in all directions. The river's course is dotted with numerous tree-covered islands, which increase in number where the river approaches the falls. įor a considerable distance upstream from the falls, the Zambezi flows over a level sheet of basalt, in a shallow valley, bounded by low and distant sandstone hills. The Victoria Falls are roughly twice the height of North America's Niagara Falls and well over twice its width. While it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, the Victoria Falls is classified as the largest, based on its combined width of 1,708 metres (5,604 ft) and height of 108 metres (354 ft), resulting in the world's largest sheet of falling water. The nearby national park in Zambia is named Mosi-oa-Tunya, whereas the national park and town on the Zimbabwean shore are both named Victoria Falls. Livingstone also cited an older name, Seongo or Chongwe, which means "The Place of the Rainbow", as a result of the constant spray. ![]() The World Heritage List officially recognises both names. Livingstone named his sighting in honour of Queen Victoria, but the Sotho language name, Mosi-oa-Tunya-"The Smoke That Thunders"-continues in common usage. Research in the late 2010s found that precipitation variability due to climate change is likely to change the character of the fall.ĭavid Livingstone, the Scottish missionary and explorer, is the first European recorded to have viewed the falls on 16 November 1855, from what is now known as Livingstone Island, one of two land masses in the middle of the river, immediately upstream from the falls near the Zambian shore. Zambia and Zimbabwe both have national parks and tourism infrastructure at the site. Since the mid 20th century, the site has been an increasingly important source of tourism. Though known to some European geographers before the 19th century, Scottish missionary David Livingstone identified the falls in 1855, providing the English colonial name of Victoria Falls after Queen Victoria. It is located on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe and is one of the world's largest waterfalls, with a width of 1,708 m (5,604 ft).Īrcheological sites and oral history describe a long record of African knowledge of the site. Victoria Falls ( Lozi: Mosi-oa-Tunya, "Thundering Smoke" Tonga: Shungu Namutitima, "Boiling Water") is a waterfall on the Zambezi River in southern Africa, which provides habitat for several unique species of plants and animals.
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