Cheryl Newlan, age 8, of Milford, Conn., for her question:
WHERE IS THE LARGEST WATERFALL IN THE WORLD?
A natural waterfall of any size is one of nature's loveliest artistic achievements. The majestic cascade of water invites us to simply behold its beauty. Thousands of waterfalls decorate mountainous regions all over the world. Some have been enjoyed for thousands of years, while others, tucked away in remote peaks, are more recent discoveries.
The highest waterfall in the world is Angel Falls, located on Mount Auyantepui, a plateau in eastern Venezuela. Its total height is 3,212 feet, and it boasts one unbroken drop of 2,648 feet. Higher by 1,000 feet than any other known falls, it was discovered in 1935 by James Angel, an American pilot.
This glorious find was by accident rather than design, for the aviator was really searching for gold in a stream at the top of Mount Auyantepui.
Based on the average annual flow, the greatest waterfall in the world is the Guaira, on the Alto Parana River between Brazil and Paraguay. Also called the Salto dos Site Quedas, its estimated average flow over the 5,300 yare wide lip is 470,000 cubic feet per second. At its peak the flow is 1,750,000 cubic feet per second.
To view the widest waterfalls in the world, you would need to travel halfway around the globe to tiny Laos, a country, in Southeast Asia. Here are the famous Khone Falls, which reach 50 to 70 feet high and boast a width of almost seven miles.
In North America, the highest waterfall award goes to Ribbon Falls, which drops 1,612 feet straight down the Yosemite Valley in California. Fed by a creek that rises in the mountains above the valley, the water cascades down a narrow gorge before emptying into the Merced River. By the end of summer Ribbon Falls has usually dried up, but winter rains snow bring torrents of water surging forth with renewed vigor.
A fall which has a small volume of water such as Upper Yosemite Falls in California may be called a cascade. Those with a large volume of water, Niagara Falls, for example, are called cataracts. This term, however, is usually applied to a series of rapids or falls caused by the flow of the water over a rapidly sloping rocky bed. Rapids are cataracts which have small, gradual falls.
Many large waterfalls provide hydroelectric power. At Niagara Falls power plants line both sides of the river, and both Canada and the United States have immense hydroelectric facilities to meet the enormous demands of modern industry.