Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls are the most powerful waterfalls in North America. These voluminous waterfalls are situated on the Niagara River, which drains Lake Erie into Lake Ontario and forms the international border between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York. The falls are 17 miles (27 km) north-northwest of Buffalo, New York and 75 miles (121 km) south-southeast of Toronto, Ontario, between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York.
Niagara Falls is composed of two major sections, separated by Goat Island: the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side and the American Falls on the American side. The smaller Bridal Veil Falls are also located on the American side, separated from the main falls by Luna Island. The international boundary line was originally drawn through Horseshoe Falls in 1819, but the boundary has long been in dispute due to natural erosion and construction.
Niagara Falls were formed when glaciers receded at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation (the last ice age), and water from the newly formed Great Lakes carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment en route to the Atlantic Ocean. While not exceptionally high, the Niagara Falls are very wide. More than 6 million cubic feet (168,000 m3) of water falls over the crest line every minute in high flow, and almost 4 million cubic feet (110,000 m3) on average.
The Niagara Falls are renowned both for their beauty and as a valuable source of hydroelectric power. Managing the balance between recreational, commercial, and industrial uses has been a challenge for the stewards of the falls since the 19th century. Source: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Another View of Niagara falls
Victoria Falls
The Victoria Falls constitutes one of the most spectacular natural wonders of the world. The Local people call it "Mosi-oa-Tunya" -- the smoke that thunders and the Falls are remarkable.
There is a magic about them manifested in the towering column of spray when the river is high, the thunder of the falling water, the terrifying abyss and tranquil lagoons upstream in which hippo and deadly crocodiles lurk.
The Victoria falls is 1 708 meters wide, making it the largest curtain of water in the world. It drops between 90m and 107m into the Zambezi Gorge and an average of 550,000 cubic metres of water plummet over the edge every minute.
Remarkably preserved in its natural state, Victoria falls inspires visitors as much today as it did David Livingstone in the 1860's. The falls and the surrounding area have been declared National Parks and a World Heritage Site, thus preserving the area from excessive commercialisation.
The river's annual flood season is February to May with a peak in April. The spray from the falls typically rises to a height of over 400 metres (1,300 ft), and sometimes even twice as high, and is visible from up to 50 km (30 miles) away.
During the flood season, however, it is impossible to see the foot of the falls and most of its face, and the walks along the cliff opposite it are in a constant shower and shrouded in mist. Close to the edge of the cliff, spray shoots upward like inverted rain, especially at Zambia's Knife-Edge Bridge.
Victoria Falls town (in Zimbabwe) lies on the southern bank of the Zambezi River at the eastern end of the Victoria Falls themselves. Victoria Falls Airport is 18 km south of the town and has international flights to Johannesburg and Namibia.
Iguazu Falls
Iguazu Falls is one of the major tourist attractions from the last many years. It is situated in the grand Iguazu River which is located on the border of the Brazilian State and the Argentine. These grand and glorious waterfalls divide up the Iguazu River into two parts: one part is the upper Iguazu and the other part is the lower Iguazu.
Situated in Iguazú National Park, some 20 km. from Puerto Iguazú in the north of the province, these falls are shared by Brazil and Argentina.
Iguazú river is born in Paraná state in Brazil, and after crossing 1,200 km. on a plateau where it receives several affluents, it reaches a fault forming a crack in the interleaved layers of sandstone and basalt where the river runs. |
This river runs through a smooth geography until it reaches a series of faults, and suddenly an 80 m. canyon in the Devil's Throat where the water produces a thundering sound and then drains into the Parana river.
(Source: |
http://www.welcomeargentina.com/puertoiguazu/iguazu-falls.html)
Huangguoshu, China
(From Wikipedia)
Huangguoshu Waterfall, a milky way in miniature, is the largest waterfall in Asia. Seventy-four meters (243 feet) high and eighty-one meters (266 feet) wide, it is a scenic marvel. Do not miss it if you are in Guizhou Province. Known as the Huangguoshu Waterfall National Park, it is 45 kilometers (28 miles) southwest of Anshun city in Guizhou Province. Together with minor waterfalls, the charms of Huangguoshu Waterfall are a natural tourist drawing card. Hospitable ethic groups add the human touch. There are mainly three National Parks in the Huangguoshu National Park: Waterfalls Cluster, Water-Curtain Cave and Rhinoceros Pool (Xi Niu Tan). Huangguoshu Waterfalls Cluster: Huangguoshu is the best known of some 18 in a cluster of waterfalls. Its flow is seasonally adjusted. A reservoir behind the waterfall holds back some of the water. Doupotang Waterfall, one kilometer (less than one mile) up the river to Huangguoshu Waterfall, at 105 meters (344 feet) across is the widest. It is 21 meters (69 feet) high. Other waterfalls like LuosiTan Waterfall, Silver-Chain Waterfall and Dishuitan Waterfall all have their distinct features.
Water-Curtain Cave: The Water-Curtain Cave dissects Huangguoshu and provides visitors view ports on the waterfall. The total length of the cave is 134 meters (440 feet), including windows and halls. A road on the mountainside leads into the Water-Curtain Cave, where the waterfall can be heard, watched and touched. On a sunny day, a rainbow arches over the falls.
Rhinoceros Pool (Xi Niu Tan): Eleven meters (36 feet) deep, the pool is Rhinoceros shaped and stays submerged year round. Standing inside Water-Viewing Pavilion (Wang shui Ting) beside the Rhinoceros Pool to enjoy the flowing-down of the Huangguoshu Waterfall, you may feel bunches of pearls and silver chains are falling upon you.
(Source: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/guizhou/anshun/huangguoshu.htm)
Blue Nile Falls, Ethiopia
The Blue Nile falls into a canyon to form one of the most spectacular waterfalls in Africa, --150 feet high and about a half mile wide, these millions of gallons of water gush downward creating a cloud of mist which is called Tisisat--"a Smoking fire".
The first person to make his way to the source, perhaps in search of the Ark of Covenant, was the Scot James Bruce. James Bruce, in his search for the source of the Nile, came upon the falls in 1770 and described it perfectly as:
“The river ... fell in one sheet of water, without any interval, above half an English mile in breadth, with a force and a noise that was truly terrible, and which stunned and made me, for a time, perfectly dizzy. A thick fume, or haze, covered the fall all around, and hung over the course of the stream both above and below, marking its track, though the water was not seen. ... It was a most magnificent sight, that ages, added to the greatest length of human life, would not deface or eradicate from my memory.”
The second chapter of the book of Genesis refers to the rivers that flow through the Garden of Eden:
“And the name of the second river is Ghion; the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.”
The Blue Nile, sweeping out from Lake Tana in a wide loop, does indeed encompass the ancient land of Ethiopia.
The Blue Nile leaves Lake Tana on an unassuming path lined with grassy banks, gently sloping hills, wild papyrus, green pastures, a scattering of buildings and straw huts on the outskirts of Bahir Dar before collapsing violently down into sharp canyons of basaltic rock. This same river, which holds part of its heart in Ethiopia (over 800km in length), is the longest river in Africa. While the White Nile is the longer of the two streams that join in Khartoum to create the Nile proper, it is the Blue Nile that contributes about 85 percent of the water that powers Egypt, and most of the precious silt that nourishes its banks.
Angel Falls or Paradise Falls (Spanish: Salto Ángel; Pemon language: Kerepakupai vena, meaning "waterfall of the deepest place", or Parakupa-vena, meaning "the fall from the highest point") is a waterfall in Venezuela. The height of the fall is so great that, before getting anywhere near the ground, much[clarification needed] of the water is evaporated or carried away as a fine mistby the strong wind.[citation needed] The base of the falls feeds into the Kerep River (alternatively known as the Río Gauya), which flows into the Churun River, a tributary of the Carrao River. The height figure 979 m (3,212 ft) mostly consists of the main plunge but also includes about 400 m (0.25 mi) of sloped cascades and rapids below the drop and a 30 m (98 ft) high plunge downstream of the talus rapids. While the main plunge is undoubtedly the highest single drop in the world, some feel that including the lower cascades somewhat stretches the criteria for the measurement of waterfalls, although there are no universally recognized standards of waterfall measurement.
The waterfall was known for most of the twentieth century by the name "Angel Falls" after Jimmie Angel, a US aviator who was the first to fly over the falls in a plane. The common Spanish name "Salto Ángel" derives from the English. In 2009, President Hugo Chávez announced his intention to change the name to the indigenous Pemon term "Kerepakupai Merú", meaning "waterfall of the deepest place", on the grounds that the nation's most famous landmark should bear anindigenous name.Explaining the name change, Chávez was reported to have said, "This is ours, long before Angel ever arrived there… this is indigenous property." However, he later said that he will not decree the change of name, but only was defending the use of Kerepakupai Merú.
(Source:Wikipedia)
There are many waterfalls in Asia - and also in India - which drop from a higher altitude. But, unlike those falls, Jog Falls is untiered, i.e., it drops directly and does not stream on to rocks. Thus, it can be described as the highest untiered waterfalls in India. The waterfall database gives it 83 scenic points while Angel falls is at 97. (Source Wikipedia)
Dettifoss Water Falls
It is situated on the
Jökulsá á Fjöllum river, which flows from the
Vatnajökull glacier and collects water from a large area in Northeast Iceland. The falls are 100 m wide and have a drop of 45 m down to the Jökulsárgljúfur canyon. It is the largest
waterfall in Europe in terms of volume discharge, having an average water flow of 193
m3/
s.
The waterfall can only be reached by a rough road. On the west bank there are no facilities and the view on the waterfall is somewhat hindered by the waterfall's spray. On the east bank there is an information panel maintained by the staff of
Vatnajökull National Park (
Vatnajökulsþjóðgarður) and a maintained track to the best viewpoints.
(Source:Wikipedia)
Sutherland Falls
mountainside in
Doubtful Sound, leading some to view that as the tallest.
Water falls in three cascades, the upper is 229 m tall, middle - 248 m, lower - 103 m tall. Vertical fall of 580 m is made over 480 m of horizontal distance, thus the mean grade of falls is approximately 56 degrees
The base of Sutherland Falls is a 90 minutes (return) walk from Quintin Public Shelter on the
Milford Track(Source:Wikipedia)
Yosemite Falls
The total 2,425 feet (739 m) from the top of the upper falls to the base of the lower falls qualifies Yosemite Falls as the sixth highest waterfall in the world, though with the recent discovery of
Gocta Cataracts, it appears on some lists as seventh
Although often referred to
[by whom?] as a "two-stage drop", the falls actually consist of three sections:
- Upper Falls: The 1,430-foot (440 m) plunge alone is among the twenty highest waterfalls in the world. Trails from the valley floor and down from other park areas outside the valley lead to both the top and base of Upper Yosemite Falls. The upper fall is formed by the swift waters of Yosemite Creek, which, after meandering through Eagle Creek Meadow, hurl themselves over the edge of a hanging valley in a spectacular and deafening show of force.
- Middle Cascades: Between the two obvious main plunges there are a series of five smaller plunges collectively referred to as the Middle Cascades. Taken together these account for a total drop of 675 feet (206 m), more than twice the height of the Lower Falls. Because of the narrow, constricted shape of the gorge in which these drops occur and the lack of public access, they are rarely noted. Most viewpoints in the valley miss them entirely. Several vantage points for the cascades are found along the Yosemite Falls trail. Several hikers climbing down from the trail towards the cascades have required an expensive helicopter rescue due to steep and slippery terrain and features.
- Lower Falls: The final 320-foot (98 m) drop adjacent to an accessible viewing area, provides the most-used viewing point for the waterfalls. Yosemite Creek emerges from the base of the Lower Falls and flows into the Merced River nearby. Like many areas of Yosemite the plunge pool at the base of the Lower Falls is surrounded by dangerous jumbles of talus made even more treacherous by the high humidity and resulting slippery surfaces.
In years of little snow, the falls may actually cease flowing altogether in late summer or fall. A very small number of
rock climbers have taken the opportunity to climb the normally inaccessible rock face beneath the falls, although this is an extraordinarily dangerous undertaking; a single afternoon
thunderstorm could restart the falls, sweeping the climbers off the face.
The Lower Falls are easily accessible near the Yosemite Lodge in Yosemite Valley. The top of the Upper Falls may be reached via a steep, strenuous, and usually crowded 3.5 miles (5.6 km)
hike beginning near the Sunnyside Walk-in Campground. The Upper Falls may also be reached via several routes from the
Tioga Road to the north.
(Source:Wikipedia)
Kegon Falls. Japan
At 97 m high, it is one of Japan's three highest waterfalls. In the autumn, the traffic on the road from Nikko to Chūzenji can sometimes slow to a crawl as visitors come to see the fall colors.
The Kegon Falls are infamous for suicides, especially among Japanese youth
Source:Wikipedia
