What is a waterfall in geography? The largest waterfall in the world

I present to you a selection of waterfalls that amaze with their power and height, surrounded by the pristine beauty of wild landscapes. One vacation photo against the background of any of these creations of nature - and life has not been lived in vain.
It is impossible to deny that the waterfalls are one of the most beautiful natural phenomena. Crystalline jets of water that roar from dizzy height, splitting and playing in the rays of the sun - a truly bewitching sight, especially against the backdrop of sheer cliffs and picturesque meadows. Any waterfall represents power and grandeur, but there are such instances in the world that you can admire for hours.
Tugela, South Africa


The Tugela Falls are the second largest in the world. He is in South Africa, in royal national park. The height of the waterfall is 411 meters.
Iguazu, Argentina




This waterfall, located on the border of Brazil and Argentina, is considered one of the most powerful in the world. In fact, Iguazu is not just one waterfall, but a whole system of 275 waterfalls ranging in height from 60 to 80 meters and a length of about 3 kilometers. The largest waterfall is a U-shaped natural formation, called the "Devil's Throat" by the Spanish conquistadors.
Yosemite waterfall in Yosemite National Park, USA



This waterfall can be admired in California, in the national park of the same name. Yosemite is one of the highest waterfalls in the world - 739 meters. It is interesting that in winter the waterfall almost "calms down", and in spring and summer it reaches its maximum scope. The national park is also known for its rocks, which the most desperate lovers of extreme recreation try to conquer.
Angel Falls, Venezuela



Angel is the highest waterfall in the world. Its height is 979 meters, which is 15 times more than the height of the famous Niagara. The waterfall is located in Venezuela, in the Canaima National Park, and every year thousands of tourists come to the country to see this miracle of nature with their own eyes, and risky base jumpers even jump from it. The waterfall is named after the American aviator Jimmy Angel, who, flying over Venezuela, noticed this waterfall from a height and opened it to the whole world.
Waterfalls of Kauai Island, Hawaii




Kauai is the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands that emerged 6 million years ago. A huge amount of precipitation contributes to the formation in the mountains deep canyons with many waterfalls. The Guinness Book of Records listed the rain that lasted on this island for 247 days without a break, from August 27, 1993 to April 30, 1994.
Niagara Falls, USA






Niagara Falls in the northeastern United States is one of the most powerful in the world - about 2.8 million liters of water per second falls from a height of 53 meters. Tourists love Niagara Falls because it is relatively easy to get to and see from all angles.
Victoria, South Africa




Victoria Falls is also called the Thundering Smoke of Africa because of the unimaginable rumble emitted by thousands of liters of water falling every second into the white abyss of the water haze they raise. Victoria is one of the giant waterfalls, its height is 108 meters. His official name the waterfall is indebted to David Livingston, an explorer from Scotland. He visited here in 1855 and was so delighted with the beauty and power of the waterfall that he named it after the queen.
Gokta, Peru




Gokta is the fifth largest waterfall in the world, located in Peru. Its height is 771 meters. Unbelievable, but true: the world learned about this waterfall only in 2005, and before that only natives admired its beauties.
Sutherland, New Zealand



There is a waterfall in New Zealand called Sutherland. It is located on the South Island and is considered one of the most beautiful and mysterious waterfalls peace. Getting to the waterfall is not easy, but it's worth it - a narrow jet of water flying from a height of 580 meters, surrounded by dense greenery and rocks, is a fantastic sight!
Kaieteur, Guyana


This miracle of nature lurks in tropical forests Guyana, countries in South America. Kaieteur is one of the largest waterfalls in the world. Its height is about 226 meters. For a long time, only locals knew about this waterfall, but in 1870 an English geologist accidentally discovered it. Getting to the waterfall is quite difficult, but this does not stop the flow of tourists who want to see Kaieteur with their own eyes.
Vinnufossen, Norway


Norwegian waterfall Vinnufossen - the highest in Europe (860 meters). Falling from a great height, the water splits into four streams, which makes the waterfall even more beautiful.
Dettifoss, Iceland




The Icelandic waterfall Dettifoss is the most powerful in Europe. Its height is about 40 meters, and its capacity is about 200 cubic meters of water per second. The waterfall is surrounded beautiful rocks, gorges and lakes and is very popular with both local residents as well as tourists.
Inga, Congo




Inga Falls is part of the famous Livingston Falls in the Congo. This is one of the largest and most powerful waterfalls in the world. Its height is 96 meters.
Rovijoki, Norway




Rovijoki waterfall in the Norwegian town of Skibotn, famous primarily for its astrophysical observatory, which is the northernmost observatory in the world.
Salto del Laja, Chile


Salto del Laja is a picturesque 35-meter waterfall in Chile, which is often called the pearl of this country.
Zhenzhutan, China


The Zhenzhutan Waterfall in the Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve in China is irresistible in its pristine beauty. At the top of the rock there is a threshold, against which its waters hit, forming many smaller waterfalls, and with swift jets it falls down like real water pearls.
Rideau, Canada


Frozen Rideau Falls in Ottawa, Canada. The name of the waterfalls was given by Samuel de Champlain in 1613, for whom the sight of falling water resembled a curtain (rideau - curtain, French). Later, the Rideau River was named after the falls, and many other objects in Ottawa were named after it.

Hi all! Today I again have something interesting to read for you. And so I thought it would be interesting to speculate about what a waterfall is?

The water forms a picturesque landscape, falling steeply over several ledges. Those waterfalls that fall gently are called waterfalls. Mighty and wide waterfalls are called cataracts, an example is the waterfall on the river. Congo.

Gradually, the ledge of the waterfall collapses, especially in places near the base, and then it recedes upstream. For example, the famous Niagara Falls, striking in its scale, annually "eats" 0.7 - 0.9 m of the rock from which it falls.

And for the entire time of its existence, it "moved away" more than 10 km from the place where it arose. And if it continues like this, then it will reach Lake Erie in 20 thousand years, and having swallowed it, it will cease to exist.

Famous waterfalls of the world.

On the river of the same name (border of Canada and). This waterfall is divided into two main parts: American - 49 m high and Canadian - 50 m high. The waterfall is famous for its loss of water - about 426,000 m 3 / min.

on the Zambezi River (border between Zimbabwe and Zambia). The height of this waterfall is from 60 m to 107 m, the length is about 1.5 km. He is thrown into a narrow huge abyss and disappears in it.

Waterfall on the river of the same name (border of Brazil and Argentina) 73 m high.

on the Churun ​​River (Basin of the Caroni River, Venezuela). It is the tallest waterfall in the world. Overall Height- 1054 m, and the height free fall- 979 m.

On the Merced River (California, USA), 491 m high.

Yellowstone Lower and Upper waterfalls on the Yellowstone River (Yellowstone national park, Wyoming, USA) with a height of 94 m and 33 m, respectively.

On the river of the same name (Natal province, PAR). Its total height is 859 m, and the free fall height is 518 m.

On the Parana River (border of Paraguay and Brazil) with a height of about 114 m. It is believed that this waterfall has the largest average water loss among all waterfalls - 793,000 m 3 / min.

- This is a cascade of waterfalls on the Yosemite Creek (California, USA). Its total height is 739 m, and the Upper Yosemite Falls is the highest at 436 m.

On the Meadow River (California, USA) with a height of 357 m.

On the river of the same name (Orinoco river basin, Venezuela) with a height of 625 m.

On the river Po (basin of the river Adour, Central Pyrenees, France) with a height of 422 m.

On the Maclay River (New South Wales, Australia) 482 m high.

That's all, I hope that now it has become clear what a waterfall is, and a journey through the most famous waterfalls the world you liked 🙂

Waterfall- a stream of water, striving or falling from a height. The word "waterfall" itself appeared in ancient egypt, and it meant "falling water." Waterfalls appeared almost 20 thousand years ago. And many of them have less than 10 thousand years of life left.

Until 1982, the largest waterfall in the world, Guaira, was on Earth. But this waterfall had a volume of water transfusion 8 times greater than that of the famous Iguazu Falls. However, this waterfall was flooded by human forces - a dam was built on it to protect the population from water.

Waterfalls form very slowly. Starting with a small stream that is fighting for its existence, and ending with tons of overflowing water. A waterfall is not just falling water. The waterfall is a bustling life, it is a beautiful sight that has a calming and relaxing effect. Waterfalls attract lovers from all over the world who want to seal their affairs with an eternity of seething water.

The highest waterfalls in Russia:

IN grand canyon, USA. WATERFALL, the fall of water in a river from a ledge that crosses a river bed. Water can fall over several ledges, forming a series of cascade waterfalls; less steeply falling waterfalls are called waterfalls. Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

WATERFALL, the fall of the waters of a river or stream from a steep slope or cliff. Where the bed of the river crosses the junction of various rocks, certain types of EROSION occur. More soft rock breaks down faster, forming a sharp level drop. If the layer is more ... ... Scientific and technical encyclopedic dictionary

WATERFALL, waterfalls, man. A stormy stream of water, rapidly falling from a ledge formed by a sharp drop in the channel. The river forms a waterfall. mountain waterfall. Dictionary Ushakov. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov

Sutherland, utigard, tugela, water skid, angel, victoria, cascade, iguazu, boyoma, padun, vitoria, cataract, havarny Dictionary of Russian synonyms. waterfall n., number of synonyms: 23 angels (1) ... Synonym dictionary

The fall of water in a river from a ledge that crosses a river channel. Water can fall over several ledges, forming a series of cascade waterfalls; waterfalls that fall less steeply are called waterfalls ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

WATERFALL, a, husband. A stream of water rapidly falling from a height. Mountain c. | adj. waterfall, oh, oh. Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 ... Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov

This is the name of the place where a river or stream falls over a steep or even steep ledge. Thresholds are not quite correctly distinguished from V. by a series of successive, but usually insignificant V. heights, which are often instead of one large one. IN.… … Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

A place where a stream bed forms a ledge from which water falls down. The following types of water are distinguished: 1) the Niagara mass of water is overthrown by a wide front and its width is equal to or more height; characteristic of horizontally occurring settlements decomp. ... ... Geological Encyclopedia

waterfall- sleepless (Fedorov); wildling (Bryusov); silvery white (Bryusov); gray-haired (Balmont) Epithets of literary Russian speech. M: The supplier of the court of His Majesty, the partnership of the printing press A. A. Levenson. A. L. Zelenetsky. 1913 ... Dictionary of epithets

waterfall- The fall of the water of the river from the ledge that crosses the river channel. Water can fall over several ledges, forming a series of waterfalls - a cascade. [Glossary of geological terms and concepts. Tomsk State University] Topics geology, geophysics ... ... Technical Translator's Handbook

Books

• Waterfall, Zulfiya. Waterfall…
• Waterfall, G. R. Derzhavin. On July 20 (8), 1816, Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin, the greatest poet of his time, the predecessor of the great Pushkin, died. More than 150 years have passed since then, and many of Derzhavin's poems excite...

Attractive in their dangerous beauty, waterfalls have always attracted attention and excited the human imagination.

It is especially fascinating to realize that over the largest and most powerful of the bottom, such as Niagara, Victoria or Iguazu, a person has absolutely no power. They show us the beauty and power of wildlife.

Geographic feature. The meaning of waterfalls

Powerful waterfalls are an almost inexhaustible source of energy, which is widely used in the construction of hydroelectric power plants. Staying near waterfalls brings not only aesthetic pleasure, but also has a healing effect: water falling from a height forms water dust, in which negatively charged ions are formed under the influence of sunlight. Such dust, saturated with plant phytoncides, which are always in abundance near waterfalls, has a very positive effect on the body.

However, there are also contacts with waterfalls that are unpleasant for humans. Waterfalls and rapids, which cannot be curbed, are a serious obstacle to navigation. Therefore, on many rivers where there are waterfalls, navigable channels are being laid, allowing liners and ships to make a safe journey.

Characteristics and types of waterfalls

The waterfall is a water stream falling from a steep cliff. Often large waterfalls consist of a chain of small rapids and cascades. One of the features of large waterfalls is their "movement": the constant fall of water leads to the destruction of the ledge and the movement of the waterfall up the river.

It is noteworthy that almost all the powerful waterfalls of the world are located on the border of two or three states. And this is understandable, because a large waterfall is a natural insurmountable barrier that protects the territory of the state much more reliably than the most modern instruments and weapons.

Types of waterfalls:

• cataract- a large waterfall, in which the bulk of the water falls in a wide sheet from a relatively small height;
• waterfall- smooth sloping waterfall without steep overthrows of water;
• cascade- a series of waterfalls located one after another.

Origin of waterfalls

The origin of waterfalls is different. For example, they may appear due to the fact that the river crosses a natural ledge, which was formed even before the appearance of water. In another case, the appearance of a waterfall may be the result of the activity of the river itself, which erodes the soft layers of rocks.

In the mountains a large number of waterfalls owe their appearance to tectonic activity. also in mountainous areas many waterfalls that arose in hanging valleys due to an overabundance of water in rivers that came down from glaciers.

The largest waterfalls in the world

Because waterfalls vary in width, height, and amount of water they carry, there is no one that holds the title of largest. We list some of the most powerful and wide waterfalls that adorn our planet.

(Kohn waterfall)

So the most wide waterfall peace - Kon- located on the border of Cambodia and Laos on the Mekong River. The width of the Kona runoff is more than 12.5 km. Actually, this is a cascading system of waterfalls, located in an amazing beautiful place. By the way, Kohn is also considered one of the most peaceful among the known waterfalls. Opened in 1920.

(Iguazu Falls)

The title of powerful waterfall the world belongs Iguazu, aka "Devil's Throat", on the border of Argentina and Brazil. Through the ledge of the waterfall, such an amount of water falls every minute, which is difficult to even imagine - 700 thousand m 3! Iguazu, which has 275 cascades, is not only dangerous and powerful, it is also mesmerizingly beautiful. The waterfall was discovered in 1541.

(Niagara Falls)

And, of course, one cannot fail to mention the most famous waterfalls peace - NiagaraVictoria. Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River on the border of the United States and Canada, is relatively low - its height is only 52 m. However, due to the huge amount of water discharged and the long length, Niagara Falls is considered the most powerful in North America.

(Victoria Falls)

Waterfall Victoria, named after the Queen of Great Britain, was known to the local tribes under the name "Thundering Smoke", which, of course, is more in line with the impression it makes. The waterfall is 1800 meters wide and 128 meters high.

highest waterfall

(Angel Falls)

by the most high waterfall in the world is Angel located on the Churun ​​River in beautiful Venezuela. The total height of Angel is 1054 m, the height of the free fall of water is 979 m. In the language of the locals, its name is translated as "Waterfall of the deepest place."

Angel was discovered in 1935 by Juan Angel, a Venezuelan pilot who first flew over the waterfall, after whom he got his name.