Before talking about what river Victoria Falls is on, let's find out what a waterfall is in principle, how it differs from ledges and rapids.
The path of any river, rivulet, brook is long andornate. On its route can meet anything. In order to "get around" the obstacle, the water stream twists and twists (this is clearly seen in pictures taken from space). The only obstacle that any trickle (even if it is of a very impressive size) can not bypass is a ledge (it should not be confused with a cliff, as this is already the "hands" of the river itself). If the "threshold", from which it is necessary to "jump" to the water, is small, then this place will not be called a waterfall. The minimum drop height should be one meter.
Most often such places are formed as a result ofshifts of tectonic rocks. Our planet is a living organism, growing, changing. This is what the faults that appear in one or another place say. If at the time of the movement of terrestrial rocks in this place the river flowed, then it has nothing left to do, how to succumb to the laws of physics and fall down. So on our Earth there were almost all waterfalls, except artificially created, naturally.
If the river was large enough, itspreads in the place of falling to grandiose proportions, hoping to find a place where you can not "jump", but more often this is a useless occupation, resulting in the grandeur of the external appearance. This is how the largest waterfalls of the world look. In addition, the height of the fall of many reaches a hundred-meter height, so even in width it stretches for several kilometers, creating something unique and delightfully beautiful.
Which river is the Victoria Falls? On the one that flows through the expanses of Africa, it crosses several states, supplying the inhabitants of the continent with drinking water, the Zambezi. The river takes its origin in the black swamps of Zambia. The height of the highland is about 1500 meters above sea level. It flows into the Indian Ocean. It is one of the longest rivers in the African continent. Its length is 2574 km, and the Victoria Waterfall became an ornament. On the map and photos taken from a bird's-eye view, the scale of the current that collects the waters of several large rivers and a stormy stream bursts into the ocean is clearly visible. Despite the considerable length of the river, it was built only five bridges. There are 2 large hydroelectric power stations and one small one.
Now you have an idea on which riveris located Victoria Falls. I would like to not forget about two more faults from which the waters of the Zambezi fall: Chuvama and Ngambwe, which, like Victoria, make the river a unique and amazing ornament of our planet.
The highest and most incredible waterfall in the worldis considered Angel. The river Churun, flowing through the territory of South America, is forced to fall from the height of the canteen of the mountain Auyantepuy, and its height, by the way, is more than 1000 meters, and to be precise to the end, it is 1,054 km.
The second largest "drop" of water is on the African continent. This river Tugela is forced to descend from a height of 948 meters, forming the eponymous waterfall.
Despite the foregoing, world recognitionreceived not the highest and powerful, but bright and spectacular waterfalls. To the inhabitants of the world it does not matter at what height the water falls, the main thing is that it should be beautiful. There is a list of unforgettable natural wonders, where the Victoria falls takes the second place of honor. The Iguazu Falls, which entered not only as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but also received the title of one of the Seven Wonders of the World, was founded on the first.
Geologists believe that a narrow fault in the earth's crust,which blocked the way to the Zambezi River, was formed a million years ago. As a consequence, water flowing on an even plateau has to fall from a height of about one hundred and twenty meters, creating a noise that can be heard within a radius of forty kilometers. The locals nicknamed him for this "thundering smoke." A huge stream of water falls, creating a fountain of spray, able to rise during the rainy season to an incredible height, forming a fog. This is what locals take for smoke. Moreover, the "wall" of small drops creates an incredible beauty of the rainbow both from the sun and from the moon at night. They say that it is the night (which appears on the full moon), the most unforgettable and fascinating.
On what river is Victoria Falls, moreor less understandable, but the river is not a lake, you can not look at it, it flows hundreds of kilometers, crossing the territories of several states. Where exactly is the waterfall?
It is considered to be the natural boundary of twostates that have formed national parks around it in the hope of preserving it for descendants. Zambia and Zimbabwe take care of the preservation of the world heritage called the Victoria Falls. True, the locals sincerely believe that the waterfall should be indicated in the world maps under the true name "Thundering smoke." The exact coordinates are as follows: latitude - 17 ° 55 "28" S (south), longitude - 25 ° 51 "24" E (east).
The UNESCO World Heritage Site,Mosi-oa-Tunya (Thundering smoke, the same Victoria) is considered the only waterfall in the world, having a width of almost two kilometers. He was recognized as the most spectacular landmark in Africa. Visiting tourists it became relatively recent, only after the river was built railway bridge, and it happened in 1905.
The first "tourist" who described the waterfall, becameLivingston. In November 1855, while studying the Zambezi River, he naturally stumbled upon a waterfall. His impressions of what he saw, he could not even describe, not finding anything suitable for comparison, located in Europe. It was his idea to call a waterfall in honor of Queen Victoria's mother.
A peculiar zigzag-like course attractsfans of rafting and kayakers. Jumping is another popular entertainment on the waterfall. Leap from a huge height on the "rubber band" leaves an unforgettable impression. But those entertainment that guides and guides offer, nothing compared to the grandiose natural beauty. This is why millions of tourists come to the waterfall to see the creation of God's hands with their own eyes.
</ p>
