Of all the beauties gifted to us by nature, waterfalls have the strongest attraction. They fascinate, sometimes scare, but always delight. There are more than one hundred of them on the planet. There are tall and small, wide and narrow, lonely and gathered in one place, forming a unique landscape sculpture.
In the mountains of the Caucasus, in the Teberdinsky reserve, the river Salynngan flows. In its gorges there is a unique valley called Thirty Waterfalls. In the Japanese park of Honshu Island, one hundred waterfalls fall in the Osugidani Valley. Norway is the world famous country for waterfalls. But the little 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 will not be quite right. The largest is a very inaccurate definition. Specialists evaluate waterfalls by height, water flow and width. Let’s try to make a rating of the waterfalls by their width in order to find out which one of them 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 by the Vietnamese the Nine Dragons River, is the largest river in Indochina. It starts from the headwaters of the Tibetan plateau and with a roar carries its waters down a deep gorge. Where the river emerges from it and floods the entire Cambodian plain, there is Kon (or Khon) waterfall.
Its basalt ridge stretched for almost 13 km. By the beginning of the twentieth century, Iguazu was considered the widest waterfall in the world, until in 1920, researchers discovered a new waterfall in Southeast Asia, significantly exceeding the width of Iguazu. 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 sinks make it the widest.
Not far from the waterfall, in a safe, gentle place, the organizers set up many tents with souvenirs and food outlets. There is even a special photographer. Tourists say that the beauty of Kon gives peace and tranquility, and the locals awarded him magical powers. It is believed that having seen a waterfall at least once received longevity as a gift. This cascade is the center of the national park. It contains rare fresh dolphins. Therefore, it is a carefully guarded national property.
Seti Kedas
Describing the widest waterfalls in the world, I would like to mention Seti Kedas (another name is Guyra). 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 cascade of waterfalls. 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 was not documented for a long time. All this time, until the 80s of the last century, a mass of water fell from a 30-meter height, raising fascinating columns of water dust. But at the place of the waterfall it was decided to build a hydroelectric station, the most powerful in the world. In two weeks they filled the reservoir, and the rocks were interfering with the construction and exploded. The national park ceased to exist.
But nature does not tolerate such unceremonious interference. The last group of tourists visiting the waterfall from the suspension bridge fell into the seething stream. Killed all 82 tourists.
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. With guarani, its name translates as "big water." The width of this cascade is more than 4000 meters (much larger than Niagara Falls). Iguazu discharges one billion tons of water mass per hour. He appeared on the maps of South America in 1541, when he was discovered by another Brazilian gold digger.
More than a decade later, a European gold digger accidentally came to him and gave his name - Mary's Leap. The royal court did not react to this find. Therefore, for several centuries the most beautiful cascade remained in oblivion.
Iguazu fell into the category "World Widest Waterfalls" only in the 19th century. Modern researchers claim that this is not a single waterfall, but 275 cascades. For many centuries, they formed a wall similar to a horseshoe. The width of some slopes is almost 700 meters. Water dust forms countless rainbows that are visible even on moonlit nights. 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 have been built so that you can observe the water element as close as possible.
Victoria
What 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 “rattling smoke”. According to existing legend, a researcher from Scotland, David Livingston, was the first to discover the waterfall and gave it the name Queen Victoria, who was then alive. Water spray can be seen almost 40 km from it.
In its upper part, the waterfall has a natural elevation, in which a natural reservoir was obtained, called the Devil's Font. Fearless tourists like to swim in it.
Niagara
If you conduct a survey about what is the widest waterfall in the world, almost everyone will answer: Niagara. It is located in North America, one of its sleeves is in America, the other in Canada. The width of its cascades is about 1200 m. There are only three of them: Fata, American Falls (territory of the USA) and Horseshoe (territory of Canada).
Niagara Falls is considered the most beautiful and famous in the world. The water descends with such a roar that for a few kilometers from it you can not 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 places the most beautiful islands. Its width is 900 meters.
In North America there is a beautiful Vermilion. The width of its cascades is 1829 m. It is located in Canada, near the river Pis.
Stanley and Mokona
What are the most beautiful and widest waterfalls in the world? Stanley and Mokona. A Stanley 1,400 meters wide occupies almost the entire Lualaba River. Macon 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 Falls, or, as its locals call it, Salto Para. Its width is 5608 m. It is located on the Kaura River, where its two parts converge. It looks like a crescent on top. It is surrounded by almost impenetrable green jungle.
Gersopp
These are not all the widest waterfalls in the world. Perhaps you can finish the Gersopp Waterfall. It is located in India, on the Sharavati River. This river is famous for its four streams:
- Rajoy . He is slow and unhurried.
- Throat . He easily drags a large number of boulders along the channel among the rocks, creating wild noise for many kilometers around.
- Rocket . It is he who sets the speed of the water flow of the entire waterfall.
- Rani . This is a slow winding stream.
The cascades and descents of the Gersoppa stretched for 472 meters. Locals consider the waterfall to be magical. He beckons tourists like a magnet. The Gersoppa water stream from the top rushes down at a lightning speed, in contrast to the already described ones.
Conclusion
Now you know what 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 find this information useful.