The world of waterfalls: the highest, most powerful and beautiful falling rivers. highest waterfalls

Many of you think that Niagara Falls- the largest, tallest and widest in the world. This is wrong. It is popular due to professional and competent advertising. There are higher and wider waterfalls in the world, which are many times larger than Niagara.

The tallest waterfall in the world - Angel Falls

The waterfall is giant. It is found deep in the rainforests of Venezuela. The height of the Angel Falls is 973 meters(most high waterfall in the world).

The discovery happened quite by accident. In 1933 The Venezuelan government sent an expedition in search of ore deposits. An aviator named James Angel accidentally discovered Angel while making another overflight of the territory in search of ore. This is how the highest waterfall in the world was found.

photo of the highest waterfall in the world - Angel

Later, in 1937, James Angel, along with his wife and two other companions, decided to land on top of the falls, but they failed.

The plane on which they arrived was damaged and they were forced to return home on foot. The road home was 11 days, because this waterfall is located in one of the most inaccessible places.

Most fast way get to Angel - by river or air. In December 2009, by decision of the President of Venezuela, it was renamed Kerepakupai-meru after the name of the area where it is located. However, for most locals, as well as tourists from all over the world, he remained just "Angel".

The tour, by local standards, is quite expensive - $ 300, however, the sight that you will see is simply breathtaking. You can choose to take a tour either by plane or along the mouth of the river.

The most beautiful waterfall - Tugela

In the province of Natal, which is located in South Africa, high in the mountains is the second largest in the world - Tugela Falls. It takes its name from the river of the same name. The place where the waterfall is located runs along the river and there are only two paths leading to it. You can reach the top of the waterfall on foot in 6-8 hours.

Tugela is an amazingly beautiful sight of five cascades falling down. Nai high altitude waterfall cascade - 411 meters. The total height of the cascade is 948 meters, and the width is 15 meters. Tourists love to visit this place. The cost of the tour is $50.

Tugela photo

The most unusual waterfall - "Three Sisters"

Most picturesque waterfall. It is surrounded on all sides by forest, the height of the trees in which reaches 30 meters. It is located in Peru and consists of three branches of a cascade of water falling down. The tiers of the cascade have many jets, which below form a pool with small islands and thickets. This waterfall is especially beautiful in the sun, when its top is illuminated by a rainbow. From the heat, tourists escape under the crown of trees. The waterfall is 914 meters high and 14 meters wide.

photo "Three Sisters"

The most famous and popular is Niagara Falls.

"Niagara" in Indian translation - "rumbling water". This name was not given to him in vain. The roar from the waterfall can be heard for many kilometers. Being near him, in the literal sense, you can not hear anything.

Niagara is the most popular and famous waterfall in the USA, which separates the USA and Canada. It was formed over a thousand years ago as a result of the melting of a glacier. The characteristic green color of the water is due to the high content of particles. rocks dissolved in the waters of the Niagara River and Lakes Erie and Ontario.

The waterfall is 1200 meters wide and 53 meters high. Niagara Falls, although not the largest in the world, is definitely the most beautiful. Millions of tourists come to see this beauty. They can:

explore the surroundings from observation platforms and towers;

commit walking tour by galleries;

ride on cable car, by helicopter and hot-air balloon right above Niagara.

Niagara Falls also attracts "extreme-seekers".

In 1859 Frenchman Charles Blondin crossed the Niagara Gorge on a rope suspended at a height of 500 meters.

In 1901 American Annie Taylor descended from him in a barrel and, at the same time, remained alive. Attempts to repeat this trick were made more than once, but ended in a hospital bed, due to numerous bruises.

In the USA it is considered the main attraction. Over the years, the popularity has only increased. The cost of the tour is $30.

photo of Niagara Falls

The largest and widest waterfall in the world - Victoria

The waterfall got its name in 1855, thanks to an explorer named David Livingston, who, having visited it, decided to name it in honor of Queen Victoria. locals They call it "Thundering Smoke". Victoria Falls is located in South Africa, on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia. Victoria is 108 meters high and 1800 meters wide(this is the largest wide waterfall in the world).

During rain showers, Victoria turns into a continuous rain stream in which nothing is visible. During a drought, Victoria dries up considerably and its flow becomes slower. The waterfall is also a place for people who prefer extreme view sports. Here you can do:

bungee jump tied to the legs;

fly over the canyon on a cable;

sail on a boat along the rivers;

make an excursion to the "Devil's Throat", etc.

The cost of excursions is $50.

photo of myself big waterfall in the world - Victoria

Iguazu Falls - 8 wonder of the world

It was discovered by the Spanish traveler Alvaro Caseso. In 1541, off the coast of Argentina and Brazil, he was looking for gold.

Iguazu is considered the eighth wonder of the world. Every hour they spew over 1 billion tons of water. Height - 82 meters, width of all cascades - 4000 m.

The name "Iguazu" means " big water” and this is completely true. They began to form about 250 million years ago and consist of 270 cascades. Most of Iguazu Falls is located in Argentina. Excursions for tourists are arranged both from the Brazilian and from the Argentinean side. The cost of the tour is $30.

Photo: Iguazu Falls

If somewhere on earth exists lost World, then you can meet him at the edge of the Guiana Highlands in the southeast of Venezuela. Hundreds of thousands of years ago, isolated plateaus formed here with sharply descending slopes several hundred meters high. Such formations are usually called "tepui", and their isolation from the outside world made it possible to preserve the flora and fauna that existed there the same as they were thousands of years ago. But the main attraction of these places is the highest waterfall on the planet Angel.

The first Europeans probably visited these metas as early as the 16th and 17th centuries, but did not leave behind any records. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Guiana Plateau was visited by Ernesto Sanchez La Cruz, who, being a botanist, was surprised to find many species of plants that did not known to science. Perhaps Ernesto saw the waterfall itself, however, its discovery went unnoticed by the general public. The finest hour of Angel Falls came three decades later - in 1933, when the pilot James Angel flew over the Giana Plateau in search of diamonds and was attracted by wide plateaus with steep slopes (those very tepui). Suddenly, a powerful white jet of water opened up to his eyes, rushing down from a great height of one of the tepui directly into the green jungle. The pilot did not find diamonds, but the amazing area interested him and 4 years later, in 1937, James Angel returned to the same place in order to study it.

The landing on the tepuy was unsuccessful and the aircraft was damaged. The pilot, his wife and two other passengers descended from the very top of the waterfall for 11 days. The message that brave explorers were able to descend from a great height through the wet impenetrable jungle, teeming with poisonous insects and snakes, quickly spread, and the waterfall was named after Angel - Angel (this is how the name Angel is pronounced in Spanish).

This is interesting: James Angel's plane was found after 33 years and taken by helicopter to the Maracay Aviation Museum. It can currently be seen next to Ciudad Bolivar Airport.

In 1949, a well-prepared expedition set off to explore Auyan-tepui, the place from which the waterfall falls. It took the researchers 19 days to overcome the 35 kilometers of the way to the tepui - the terrain around was so difficult. But when the group finally climbed to the top, their labors were rewarded by a stunning picture that opened up: with a dull roar, tons of water fell off dizzy height and rushed down, disintegrating at the end into the smallest particles. The initial measurements of the height of the Angel Falls led the researchers into amazement: the wonder of the world consisted of two steps of falling - about 150 meters and 800 meters, respectively, more than 300 meters ahead of the highest waterfall known at that time. Later, with the help of modern technology, scientists were able to more accurately determine the height of Angel - 809 meters of continuous water fall and overall height waterfall at 979 meters. Auyan-tepuya itself is located at an altitude of 2950 meters above sea level.

Further studies of Angel and Auyan-tepui brought a lot interesting facts. It turned out that tepuya attracts rain clouds like a magnet, and rainfall here is approximately 7500 millimeters per year, which makes this area a place of exceptional humidity. For example, it is impossible to find a single whole tree on the plateau - they are all crippled by lightning due to constant summer thunderstorms. And there are always fogs. It is because of them, perhaps, that the waterfall remained unknown to the general public for such a long time. The often capricious weather of these places still upsets tourists, not showing their main attraction - Angel. What was it like for the Indians living here hundreds of years ago to observe a tepe constantly shrouded in mist, at the very top of which lightning strikes almost constantly. Perhaps that is why they called it Auyan, which translates as "Devil's Mountain."

Unfortunately, only possums, small lizards and black toads, typical of African countries, live on the top of the tepui - no prehistoric pterodactyls and lizards were found here. Despite the poverty of the fauna, the flora turned out to be richer and has rare plant species.

Scientists are still doing a lot of research that allows you to find out more and more interesting facts that hide the highest waterfall on the planet Angel. Venezuelan freight forwarders find unusual plant species that feed on insects, ancient ferns and other representatives local flora never met before.

Not only scientists, but also simple people trying to get to Angel to see the most incredible sight. Helicopters, planes, canoes along the Kerep River - tourists flock to the foot of Auyan Tepui from all over the world. The bewitching spectacle does not leave anyone indifferent: from a great height, a falling stream of water is lost in the fog and falls to the ground in the form of water splashes.

This is interesting: In 2009, Angel Falls was renamed Kerepakupai-Meru by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. The name is taken from the local names of the waterfall. The renaming is due to the fact that the waterfall was part of Venezuela before its discovery by James Angel by local explorers. However, the whole world continues to use the familiar name of the world's highest waterfall - Angel.

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It may not be as picturesque as Iguazu, Niagara or Victoria Falls, but it is definitely the highest waterfall in the world.

The water flow of Angel flies almost a kilometer before reaching the ground. Angel Falls is twenty times higher than the famous and popular Niagara Falls.

Higher and higher

Angel Falls (aka Salto Angel) is the highest free-falling waterfall in the world. Its height is, according to various estimates, 978 meters or 1054 meters. And the level of continuous water fall is 807 meters. This miracle of nature is located in the tropical forests of Venezuela, more precisely, on the territory of the Canaima National Park.

Almost a kilometer is such a high fall height that before touching the ground, the water stream crumbles into many tiny particles. It turns out that at the surface of the earth the waterfall looks like fog. After the overthrow, the water falls into the river called Kerep.

Do not pass, do not pass

Getting to Angel Falls is quite difficult, since the Venezuelan attraction is located in a dense rainforest. And there are no roads. The most desperate can pave the way to the waterfall through the air or along the river. However, enterprising travel companies already laid a route to Angel. They sell waterfall tours in sets. It includes a flight from Ciudad Bolivar or Caracas to Canaima, then the road by water. Tourists are offered food and various things necessary for a trip to the waterfall.

Angel Falls falls from a huge flat mountain, the natives call it "tepui". Mount Auyan Tepui (which translated into Russian means "Mountain of the Devil") is one of hundreds like it, which are located in the Guiana Highlands, in the southeast of Venezuela. These giants are distinguished by their massive heights, they seem to take off to the sky, end with flat tops and have completely vertical slopes. Tepui is also called "table mountains", this accurately describes their shape. Mountains formed billions of years ago from sandstone. However, vertical slopes are constantly destroyed under the influence of heavy rains, which are regular in the Guiana Highlands.

Unsuccessful search for gold

Since time immemorial, the natives of Venezuela have known about Salto Angel. The waterfall was first discovered in 1910. The discoverer is a Spanish explorer named Sanchez La Cruz. However, the world did not learn about the waterfall until it was officially discovered by the pilot and gold digger from America, James Crawford Angel. The waterfall was named after him.

Angel Falls

In 1937, James Angel flew over Venezuela in search of ore deposits and landed on one of the tops of a lonely mountain. Locals say he was looking for diamonds. This can be explained by the fact that the natives at the time of Angel spoke constantly about stones, which, according to descriptions, are very similar to diamonds. In fact, the place where Angel Falls falls is rich in quartz. On November 16, 1933, from the window of the Flamingo monoplane, James Angel first noticed a tepui, which attracted his attention. A few years later he returned there, but his plane got stuck in the swampy jungle on the mountain, the landing gear burst at the aircraft. The man and his three companions (including the pilot's wife, Marie) noticed an impressive waterfall that stretched thousands of feet down. The gaze fell on the water mass when the company had to descend the mountain on foot. The man and his colleagues were not very lucky with the 11-mile road back to civilization, so his plane remained lying on the top of the mountain, remaining a kind of rusting monument in honor of the opening of the waterfall. A little later, the world learned about Angel, then the news about the adventures of ore seekers spread around the planet. The waterfall got its name from the name of the pilot who discovered it. In Spanish, the surname Angel is read as Angel, hence the name. It is worth noting that the waterfall has nothing to do with angels.

great waterfalls

Jimmy Angel's plane stayed in the jungle for 33 long years, after which it was lifted into the air by a helicopter. Now the aircraft is in Maracay at the Museum of Aviation.

After the discovery, the study of the waterfall began. It was officially measured only in 1949. Then the height was determined by a special expedition of the National Geographic Society. Since then, Angel has become the main attraction of Venezuela.

IN local mountains waterfalls are fed by rain. In the dry season, Angel looks like a thin stream of water, but in the rainy season it is a full-fledged waterfall.

At the end of 2009, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, on his weekly show, in the wake of anti-imperialism, decided to rename Angel to Kerepakupai-meru. Initially, another name was proposed - Churun-meru, but the daughter of the President noticed that one of the smallest waterfalls in this area has such a name. Hugo Chavez explained the decision to give the name to the waterfall by the fact that the waterfall was owned by Venezuela long before James Angel landed on the top of the mountain. Therefore, the water cascade should not bear his name in any way. However, this does not mean at all that the waterfall will also be renamed on the world maps.

Tugela

Tugela Falls, the second highest in the world, is located in South Africa, in the KwaZulu Natal region. This giant has a slightly lower height than Angel - 948 meters. It consists of 5 separate tiers, and the highest of them is 411 meters. Tugela is a rather thin waterfall, its width is only 15 meters and the average volume of water ejected is 50 cubic meters per second.

The waterfall is fairly easy to get to. To the top, namely the top of the mountain, a car will deliver in five hours. But to the lower tier, you have to make a journey of 5 miles along the royal national park. By the way, no matter where South Africa the tourist did not stop, everywhere there is information on how to get to the Tugela waterfall.

Another largest waterfall in the world is in Peru. The three sisters are also known as Ayacucho. The waterfall is located quite far from the human eye. And the first to find the Three Sisters were photographers who went to this area to take pictures of another Peruvian beautiful waterfall Cataract. Its height is 267 meters.

The waterfall is called Three Sisters, as it consists of three tiers. The top two can be seen from the air, from which water enters the pool, which has become the third tier. Almost the entire waterfall is surrounded by forest, where the trees have grown up to 30 meters. The waterfall itself has a height of 914 meters.
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But on the other hand, it is the highest in the world - the Angel's water flow has to fly almost a kilometer to reach the ground! Angel Falls is 20 times higher than Niagara Falls!

Angel Falls(Angel Falls) or Salto Angel (Salto Angel) - the world's highest free-falling waterfall with a height of 978 meters. The waterfall is located in the tropical forests of Venezuela, on the territory of the Canaima National Park. Water overthrows from the top of Auyantepui, the largest of the Venezuelan tepui - its name in Russian means "mountain of the devil."

The height of the fall is so great that before reaching the ground, the water is sprayed into tiny particles and turns into fog. Fog can be felt even a few kilometers from the waterfall!

The falling water flow enters the Kerep River. It is not easy to get to the waterfall, as it is located in a dense tropical forest. And there are no roads leading to it. The only way to get there is by air or river. Falls tours are sold in packages and include a flight from Caracas or Ciudad Bolivar to Canaima, a boat ride, food and other things you need to visit the falls.

Angel Falls falls from the top of a flat mountain, called "tepui" by the natives. A flat mountain called Auyan Tepuy (Devil's Mountain) is one of more than a hundred like it, scattered in the Guiana Highlands in southeastern Venezuela. These dormant giants are characterized by their massive heights soaring into the sky, with flat tops and completely vertical slopes. Tepui, also called "table mountains" (which accurately describes their shape), formed from sandstone billions of years ago. Their vertical slopes are continuously destroyed under the influence of heavy rains falling on the Guiana Highlands.

The natives of Venezuela knew about Salto Angel from time immemorial. The waterfall was originally discovered in 1910 by a Spanish explorer named Ernesto Sanchez La Cruz. However, he was not known to the world until official opening American aviator and gold digger James Crawford Angel, after whom it was named. Angel was born in Springfield, Missouri in 1899.

James Angel in 1935 flew over the area and landed on the top of a lonely mountain in search of gold. His monoplane "Flamingo" got stuck in the swampy jungle at the top, and he noticed a rather impressive waterfall extending thousands of feet down. He didn't have much luck with the 11-mile hike back to civilization, and his plane was left chained to the mountain, a rusting monument to his discovery. Soon the whole world learned about the waterfall, which became known as Angel Falls, in honor of the pilot who discovered it.

Jimmy Angel's plane remained in the jungle for 33 years before being picked up by helicopter. It is currently housed in the Aviation Museum in Maracay.

The official height of the falls was determined by an expedition from the National Geographical Society in 1949. The waterfall is the main attraction of Venezuela.

On December 20, 2009, on his weekly show, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, on the wave of anti-imperialism, renamed Angel Falls in Kerepakupai-meru, in accordance with one of its local names. Initially, the name Churun-meru was proposed, but the daughter of the President noticed that one of the smallest waterfalls in the area had such a name, after which Chavez suggested a different name. The President explained this decision by the fact that the waterfall was the property of Venezuela and part of its national wealth long before James Angel appeared, and the waterfall should not bear his name. However, this does not mean that it will also be renamed on world maps)

It is said that a person can endlessly look at three things. One of them is the way water flows. And the sight of her falling from a height attracts even more. In our article we will talk about waterfalls - one of the wonders of nature.

Waterfalls are called falls of water in the river from a certain ledge located on the path of the channel. This term is suitable for falling from a height of more than a meter of water. Waterfalls always attract the attention of tourists, because this is an impressive sight.

by the most famous waterfall in the world is Niagara, meanwhile it is far from the highest and not the widest in the world. The water here falls down from only 50 meters, but this is enough to impress many tourists. But not much is known about the highest waterfalls, meanwhile, these objects are quite interesting in themselves. Many of them are located in hard-to-reach places and were opened relatively recently.

Angel, 979 meters. This waterfall is located in Venezuela. Here the water of the Churun ​​River falls from the top of Auyantepui, the "mountain of the devil". The local Indians call the waterfall "Waterfall deepest place". Water falls down from such a great height that it turns into fog and dust, never reaching the ground. Civilization learned about Angel at the beginning of the last century. However, they started talking about the waterfall only after the American pilot James Angel flew over it in 1933. It was the waterfall was later named after him. It is said that he was looking for diamonds in these places, which the natives told him about. In fact, the plateau of the waterfall is strewn with quartz. Angel and partners made on a plateau emergency landing, returning to humans only after 11 days. The pilot spoke about amazing waterfall discovered during the journey. In 1994, UNESCO listed the entire Canaima National Park, along with Angel world heritage. Surprisingly, in 2009, the Venezuelan authorities, fighting imperialism, took and renamed Angel in his original name Kepepakupai-meru. Today, tourists from all over the world travel to see the highest waterfall in the world. However, it is located in a rather inaccessible area, so you can get here either by river or by plane. Tour prices start at $250.

Tugela, 948 meters. The second highest waterfall is located in South Africa on the river of the same name. In fact, it consists of five cascades, the height of the largest of which is 411 meters. Every second, about 400 cubic meters of water falls down from here. The Tugela River flows through the Dragon Mountains in national park Natal. The best time to watch the waterfall is after heavy rain or at sunset. Then its rays make the water falling from a height shine. The Tugela River originates just a few kilometers from the ledge. The water is so pure that it is considered drinkable. In winter, the waterfall often freezes, covered with ice and snow, and everything around turns into fairyland miracles. You can get to the foot of the Tugela waterfall with the help of foot mountain trails and suspension bridges. During the day, you can overcome the entire route and get to the very top of the mountain. There is Observation deck- An amphitheater, from which it will be possible to view the numerous cliffs covered with greenery, and the water falling below, and the entire national park.

Three sisters, 914 meters. This waterfall is in South America. In Peru, there is a region of Ayaccuccio, quite remote from civilization. The world learned about the waterfall quite recently. A group of photographers went on an expedition to photograph another waterfall - Katarata, 267 meters high. But unexpectedly, travelers discovered another miracle of nature, even more spectacular. The waterfall got its name due to the structure. It consists of three tiers separated from each other. Only two of them can be seen from the air, but the third is a huge pool, where the water eventually falls. The waterfall is surrounded on all sides by tall trees reaching 30 meters. It was they who for a long time guarded this miracle of nature from prying human eyes.

Olopena, 900 meters. The already mentioned Niagara, even in America, is far from being the highest. But getting here is quite difficult. And Olopena is located not at all on the mainland of the country. The waterfall is located in Hawaii, its home was the island of Molokai. Not everyone knows that these remote islands have a waterfall, and one of the highest in the world. Most of the photographs of this object were obtained using aerial photography. The waterfall is surrounded on both sides by mountains volcanic origin. He himself is quite thin and is distinguished by numerous transitions down from one level to another. Water does not fall down, it slides on almost vertical rock falling straight into the ocean. The waterfall cut deep into the rocks, so for a long time they could not photograph and find it. It is best to watch it from the sea, many travel companies in Hawaii offer tours to it. Helicopter flights to the falls require good weather conditions.

Umbilla, 895 meters. This waterfall is located in Peru and was also discovered relatively recently. It is located in the Amazon basin, and scientists are still arguing about its height. The figure is also called 895.4 meters, and 870 meters. Umbilla itself is a multi-level system with four steep slopes. The discovery of Umbilla made the Peruvian Ministry of Tourism very happy, which is developing a two-day tour of its largest waterfalls. This object itself, although tall, is very thin. You can see only about 600 meters from the entire path of the fall of water, while it is erupted down quite a bit. To get here, you need to hire local guide, because there are no identifying marks here. Due to the remoteness of the waterfall, there are very few photographs of it.

Vinnufossen, 860 meters. The highest waterfall in Europe is located in Norway. It is fed by the Vinnu river, and it falls from the Vinnufjellet mountain and flows into the Driva river. Water appears on the top of the mountain from a glacier, melted by the warm sun, it turns into a stream. The waterfall is cascading, while the height of the largest step is 420 meters. There are several other tourist attractions in the vicinity of the European record holder. So, from here it is only 39 kilometers to the Dovrefjell National Park.

Balaifossen, 850 meters. This waterfall has much in common with the previous one. It is also located in Norway and looks more full-flowing in spring. The source of the 6 meters wide waterfall is the Bala stream, which flows from mountain lake. And in this case, the water falls down three steps, soon falling into the nearby sea. The longest of them has 452 meters. For tourists, the waterfall is not particularly attractive, as it periodically dries up completely, and the volume of falling water here is low.

Puukaoku, 840 meters. Hawaiian island Molokai has two of the ten highest waterfalls at once. Puukaoku is 80 meters high. Most of the water in it during the rainy season, lasting from November to March. And in this case, the waterfall flows directly into the ocean, from where it can be clearly seen. And in this case, the water does not fall, but flows down the basalt cliff.

James Bruce, 840 meters. From the name of this Canadian waterfall, it immediately becomes clear that it is named after a man, a great traveler. It was the Scotsman Bruce who found the sources of the Blue Nile. This one is located natural object V British Columbia, in the Maritime Provincial Park named after Princess Louise. The waterfall is only 5 meters wide, and it is generated by two parallel streams created by glaciers. One stream is permanent, while the other dries up in the summer. Thus, the most full-flowing waterfall looks rainy in winter or autumn.

Brown, 836 meters. This waterfall is located in New Zealand's Fiordland National Park, on the South Island. Its width is 12 meters. Interestingly, between the beginning of the fall and the end of the horizontal distance is 1130 meters. As a result, the water does not fall at all vertically, but at an angle of 42 degrees. There is only one cascade, and the length of the highest drop is 244 meters. Brown Falls is located in the center rainforest typical of these islands. The water for it comes from alpine lake Brown. The waterfall flows down through the cascades to the fjord in the Gulf of Arm.