Victoria Falls

This article contains promotional content. Please help improve it by removing promotional language and inappropriate external links, and by adding encyclopedic text written from a neutral point of view. (June 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Victoria Falls
Mosi-oa Tunya Shungu Namutitima
Location on the Zambezi-river
Coordinates	17°55′28″S 25°51′24″E / 17.92444°S 25.85667°E / -17.92444; 25.85667
Type	Cataract waterfall
Total height	108 m (355 ft)
Number of drops	1[1]
Watercourse	Zambezi River
Average flow rate	1,088 m3/s (38,400 cu ft/s)
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls
Type	Natural
Criteria	vii, viii
Designated	1989 (13th session)
Reference no.	509
Region	List of World Heritage Sites in Africa

Victoria Falls (Lozi: Mosi-oa-Tunya, "Thundering Smoke"; Tonga: Shungu Namutitima, "Boiling Water") is a waterfall on the Zambezi River, located on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe.^[2] It is one of the world's largest waterfalls, with a width of 1,708 m (5,604 ft). The region around it is inhabited by several species of plants and animals.

Archaeology and oral history describe a long record of African knowledge of the site. Although known to some European geographers before the 19th century, Scottish missionary David Livingstone identified the falls in 1855, naming them Victoria Falls after Queen Victoria. Since the mid-20th century, the site has been a major tourist destination. Zambia and Zimbabwe both have national parks and tourism infrastructure at the site. Research in the late 2010s found that precipitation variability due to climate change is likely to alter the character of the falls.