The World's Top Three Most Spectacular Waterfalls: Niagara, Victoria, and Iguazu

▲ Located at the border between Brazil and Argentina, Iguazu Falls is the widest waterfall in the world. (Photo / Sourced from Wikipedia, the same applies to the following)

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There are countless waterfalls in the world, including curtain-like and slender types. But do you know which are the largest and most spectacular? The top three waterfalls in the world are far larger than others in terms of area, flow rate, or width, making them truly breathtaking. Another common feature is that they are all transnational waterfalls. Below, we introduce the top three waterfalls in the world: Victoria Falls, Niagara Falls, and Iguazu Falls.

▲ Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls (Mosi-oa-Tunya Falls)
Victoria Falls, also known as Mosi-oa-Tunya, is located on the middle reaches of the Zambezi River in Africa, between Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is about 1.7 kilometers wide and approximately 128 meters high. "Mosi-oa-Tunya" means "The Smoke That Thunders" in the Tonga language of the Tokaleya people, and locals use this name. In 1855, Scottish explorer David Livingstone was the first European to see Mosi-oa-Tunya Falls. Impressed by its beauty, he named it "Victoria Falls" after the British queen. To this day, Victoria Falls has become one of South Africa’s most important tourist attractions, and the two national parks where it is located (Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park in Zambia and Victoria Falls National Park in Zimbabwe) are also listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

▲ Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls is the collective name for three waterfalls on the Niagara River in North America, situated on the border between the United States and Canada. The name "Niagara" comes from an Indigenous word meaning "the thunder of waters." Niagara Falls is about 1.2 kilometers wide and approximately 51 meters high. The two main waterfalls are "American Falls," located entirely within the U.S. side to the east, which is 260 meters wide with blue water and accounts for 6% of the total flow, and "Horseshoe Falls," the larger waterfall that spans both the U.S. and Canada, also known as Canadian Falls, which accounts for 94% of the flow. Horseshoe Falls is semi-circular in shape and the water appears bluish-green.

▲ Iguazu Falls

Iguazu Falls
Iguazu Falls is located on the Iguazu River on the border between the Brazilian state of Paraná and Argentina. "Iguazu" means "great water" in the Guarani language. Composed of 275 individual waterfalls and rapids of varying sizes, Iguazu Falls has a total width of 4 kilometers, making it the widest waterfall in the world. During the rainy season, hundreds of falls converge into a semi-circle and cascade down from the sky, creating an incredibly spectacular sight. To this day, Iguazu Falls is not only part of the United Nations’ World Natural Heritage sites but also one of the world’s eight natural wonders.