subject: The Victoria Water Falls [print this page] The Victoria Water Falls The Victoria Water Falls
Victoria Falls are found in southern Africa on the River Zambezi. They happen between two neighboring countries; Zambia and Zimbabwe and are some of the largest in the world. They are even considered to be among the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. They are very famous and the first European to view and record them was David Livingstone, a Scottish Missionary and explorer. He did this while at a place in Zambia called the Livingstone Island' the only land accessible within the falls.
Victoria Falls received their name from Livingstone in honor of the Queen. The falls indigenous name is Mosi oa-Tunya that literary means Smoke that Thunders. Though the falls are not the widest or highest in the world they are termed to be the largest. They rise up to 2088 metres and have a width of 1,708 metres therefore forming the largest area of falling water in the world. The falls have been in existence for the last 100,000 years receding upstream through the Batok Gorges.
Victoria Falls pours into more than six gorges. The first gorge is the one that the fiver flows into the might falls. The Secong Gorge happen 250m south of the falls and it's around 2km long. The Third gorge is 600m to the south of the falls and its 1.9km long. The Fourth and the Firth Gorge are around 2.2 km long. Then there is the Songwe Gorge named after the Songwe River and is 3.3 km long and the deepest at 140 at the end of the dry season. Lastly the Batoka Gorge just below Songwe and it's about 120 km long and takes the river to Basalt Plateau where Lake Kariba rests.
