The top 3 largest waterfalls in the world refer to Iguassu Falls which is at the junction of Brazil and Argentina, Victoria Falls which is at the junction of eastern Zambia and Zimbabwe as well as Niagara Falls which is at the junction of United States and Canada. The three falls in terms of width, size, flow rate far exceeds that of other waterfalls, and all of them are transnational waterfalls.
TOP 1. IGUAZU FALLS (IGUASSU FALLS)
[Puerto Iguazú, Argentina / Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil]
Height is 64-82 meters. Width is 2,700 meters. Annual average flow rate is 1,746 cubic meters per second.Iguazu Falls (or more accurately Iguazú Falls) is the Spanish name (Argentina) for this mammoth waterfall. You might also see it referred to as Iguassu Falls or Iguaçu Falls if you favor the portugese name (Brazil).
Moreover, you might also see it referred to as Yguazú Falls, which I believe is native Guaraní. In fact, the meaning of the name (originally Guaraní) is said to roughly translate to “big water.” The photo you see at the top of this page certainly attests to its grand nature.
With its brink spanning a distance of an incredible 2km in its average flow of 1000 cubic meters per second, this falls tops our list of favorites. The falls actually consists of some 275 individual waterfalls and cascades.
But no matter how you spell or say its name, we have to say that it is indeed a crazy waterfall.
How crazy, you might ask?
Consider a network of 275 different waterfalls spanning an area 3km wide (2km of which is the upper rim of the waterfall) during its normal flow of around 1000 cubic meters per second. It is such a natural wonder that UNESCO designated the falls as a World Heritage Area in 1986.
TOP 2. VICTORIA FALLS (MOSI-OA-TUNYA)
[Livingstone, Zambia / Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe]
Height is 108 meters. Width is 1,708 meters. Annual average flow rate is 1,088 cubic meters per second.Victoria Falls (also known as Mosi-oa-Tunya, which translates to “the smoke that thunders” in the language of the Kololo Tribe, which were present in the 1800s) is possibly the largest waterfall in the world. David Livingstone, the first European to see the falls, named it in honor of Queen Victoria in 1855. So awestruck was he that he described the falls saying “scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.” Easily deserving of the top spot on this list (though it finished a very close second), it’s the largest singular waterfall in the world spanning a width of 1.7km, a height of 108m, and an average flow of 1 million liters per second! It’s no wonder this “smoke that thunders” is considered one of the seven natural wonders of the world and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
[Ontario, Canada / New York, USA]
Height is 51 meters. Width is 1,203 meters. Annual average flow rate is 2,407 cubic meters per second.Niagara Falls is by far the most famous waterfall in North America. It has been the backdrop to many honeymoons, proposals, daredevil stunts, and even key moments in the history of the United States. If you haven’t heard of this falls, it’s time for you to get out and start exploring the world around you! This powerful waterfall also ranks as the biggest one by volume with a whopping highest recorded flow rate of about 7000 cubic meters per second! In addition to its raw power, the falls is easily one of the easiest to access and view from all sorts of angles.
