Famous Waterfalls of the World: A Complete Guide

Meet the grand, iconic waterfalls that represent countries around the world.

Angel Falls

Location: Venezuela · Height: uninterrupted drop of about 979 m. The world's tallest waterfall by uninterrupted single drop — the water falls from such a great height that it often scatters into mist before even reaching the bottom.

Niagara Falls

Location: US–Canada border · Height: drop of about 51 m. Not especially tall, but among the highest-volume waterfalls in the world by flow rate per second, making it a world-famous tourist destination for its overwhelming volume and roar.

Victoria Falls

Location: Zambia–Zimbabwe border · Height: drop of about 108 m. Considered the world's largest waterfall by the combination of width and height — known locally as "Mosi-oa-Tunya," meaning "the smoke that thunders."

Iguazu Falls

Location: Argentina–Brazil border · Height: drop of about 82 m. Not a single waterfall but a massive crescent-shaped system of roughly 270 individual falls, famous in particular for the section known as "Devil's Throat."

Yosemite Falls

Location: California, USA · Height: drop of about 739 m. North America's tallest waterfall, notable for descending in three distinct tiers — upper, middle, and lower — and often nearly drying up in late summer.

Kaieteur Falls

Location: Guyana · Height: drop of about 226 m. Considered one of the world's most powerful waterfalls when accounting for both its single-drop height and water volume — reportedly several times taller than Niagara Falls.

Tugela Falls

Location: South Africa · Height: drop of about 947 m. The world's tallest multi-tiered waterfall, dropping dramatically down the cliffs of the Drakensberg mountain range.

Huangguoshu Falls

Location: Guizhou Province, China · Height: drop of about 78 m. China's largest waterfall, notable for a naturally formed cave behind the falls that lets visitors walk through and view the waterfall from behind.

How Is a Waterfall's "Height" Measured?

A waterfall's height is sometimes measured as the single uninterrupted "drop" where the water falls without breaking, and sometimes as the combined total height of a multi-tiered waterfall — which is why the same waterfall can rank differently depending on the measurement standard used.

Some Waterfalls Are Famous for Volume, Not Height

Waterfalls like Niagara Falls show that a waterfall's reputation isn't determined by height alone — despite its relatively modest height, its sheer volume of water has made it world-famous.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the world's tallest waterfall?

By uninterrupted single-drop height, Angel Falls in Venezuela (about 979 m) is widely recognized as the world's tallest waterfall.

Why do waterfalls sometimes form and disappear over time?

Waterfalls form where a river meets a fault line or a boundary between rock layers of different hardness, and as erosion continues over time, a waterfall's position or shape can gradually shift or even disappear entirely.