Sunset in the Victoria Falls. The Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya (Tokaleya Tonga: the Smoke that Thunders; the 'i' is silent)
Sunset in the Victoria Falls. The Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya (Tokaleya Tonga: the Smoke that Thunders; the 'i' is silent) is a waterfall located in southern Africa on the Zambezi River between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe. The falls are believed to be the largest in the world in terms of the volume of water that passes through. These ancient and truly spectacular Falls were first made known to the outside world in 1855 by Scottish explorer extraordinaire, David Livingstone. Livingstone had been attempting to find a route to the East Coast of the African continent. Travelling south east from Luanda to Sesheke, he encountered this most magnificent waterfall and renamed it the Victoria Falls after the British Monarch, Queen Victoria. Livingstone was led to the Falls by the Makalolo tribes people in a dug-out canoe. During the Jurassic Period (150-200 million years ago), volcanic activity resulted in thick basalt deposits covering large parts of Southern Africa. As the lava cooled and solidified, cracks appeared in the hard basalt crust, which were filled with clay and lime. Erosion and the course of the mighty Zambezi River cut through these softer materials, forming the first of a series of waterfalls. Over at least 2000 years, the falls have receded 8 km upstream, as the Zambezi carved its way through seven gorges. This geological history can be seen in the dark basalt in the series of rocky gorges below the falls. It is believed that the Devil's Cataract, which is presently the lowest point of Victoria Falls, will eventually become the next gorge as the river continues to cut its way back upstream. Essentially, the river falls into a gorge directly in front of the falls, and then flows through a narrow cutting. You can view the falls straight on from across the gorge.
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Photo credit: © Sergi Reboredo / Alamy / Afripics
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