The Victoria Falls are claimed to be several things - the largest , greatest, biggest waterfall in the world. In truth, you can find taller, wider and bigger waterfalls , but are they better? And just how do we measure them? Here we have a completely unbiased look at waterfalls of the world and see how they compare.

Depending on how you measure and classify a waterfall , different falls can come on top. There are many different lists of the world’s top waterfalls , centered on varying classifications and measurements.

The simplest category to find out, the tallest waterfall in the world , is universally agreed to be Angel Falls (or Kerepakupai Merú) in Venezuela, which drop a fantastic 979 metres. Vic Falls , with its maximum drop of 105 metres , does not even make the utmost effective 100. It is not even the tallest waterfall in Zimbabwe, that is taken by Mutarazi Falls , which are 479m high.

As it pertains to the remaining categories, two other waterfalls contend with the Victoria Falls for the entire title - Niagara Falls , in Canada, and Iguazu Falls kalev kosk Argentina. Whilst neither of these score highly on height (Niagara deepest drop is 51 m, Iguazu’s 82 m), all three compete for the entire title of the largest waterfall in the world.

With a total width of 1,708 metres , Vic Falls are often claimed since the widest waterfall in the World. The Iguazu Falls claims a better total width of 2,682m. Niagara , with a total width of 1,204 m, are out from the running here.

However these total widths don’t represent just one or unbroken line of water. Iguazu is broken up into countless separate, smaller, cascades, of different levels and heights. Even the Victoria Falls is divided, by two islands (Cataract Island and Livingstone Island) towards its western end, though it still regarded just one, continuous, fall-line. Consequently of this technicality the Victoria Falls are often claimed since the largest continuous curtain of falling water.

The ultimate, and most difficult, category for measuring the world’s waterfalls is by level of flow , here measured in cubic metres per second (cms). The Victoria Falls have a typical level of 1,088 cms , and are beaten both by Niagara (2,407 cms) and Iguazu (1,746 cms).

However, the Victoria Falls and Zambezi River fluctuate with a massive seasonal variation of flow , and an annual average flow figure hides these variations. At its highest point, in March/April, it’s estimated a monthly average of 3,000 to 6,000 cms of water flow over these Falls , and its highest recorded flow was over 12,000 cms. Iguazu holds an identical record, although lower standard annual range, whilst Niagara has a highest flow of only 6,800 cms.

What stands apart, in comparison with all the current major waterfalls of the world , is that the Victoria Falls are unique. No other Falls of such size are very perfectly formed, with an almost constant vertical drop of 100m over an almost straight fall-line of 1,700 metres in width.

All categories considered, the entire title of biggest, greatest or largest waterfall in the world is highly debatable. For us, Niagara is just a comfortable third, Iguazu second and Victoria Falls an easy first.