Whether hidden underground, as with the Ruby Falls in Tennessee, or acting as a dramatic border between countries, such as the Victoria, Niagara, Iguazu or Ban Gioc Falls, waterfalls are a sight to behold, and a humbling reminder of the immense, unstoppable power of water. Here are 10 of the best.
Victoria Falls, Zambia / Zimbabwe
Forming the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls was dubbed Mosi-oa-Tunya, or "the smoke that thunders”, by the Kololo tribe, which inhabited the area surrounding this natural wonder in the 1800s. Almost two kilometres wide, with up to 500 million litres of water descending every minute, it is the largest curtain of falling water in the world, emitting columns of spray that can be seen up to 20 kilometres away as it drops into a gorge more than 100 metres below. Running parallel to the falls and adding to their jaw-dropping beauty is another sheer wall of basalt, which rises to the same height and is covered in verdant rainforest.
Angel Falls, Venezuela
The majestic Angel Falls was named after James Angel, an American pilot, who became the first aviator to fly over it in 1933. His story of a “mile-high waterfall” quickly spread, but the natural phenomenon was not officially measured until 1949. It has since garnered two Guinness World Records, establishing it as the world’s highest waterfall. It is 979 metres tall, with a single uninterrupted drop of 807 metres and a further 172 metres of steep cascades and smaller drops. It is found in the Canaima National Park, in south-eastern Venezuela's Bolivar state, and has earned Unesco World Heritage status.
Niagara Falls, Canada
Perhaps the most famous of the world’s big waterfalls, Niagara spans the border between Ontario, Canada and New York in the US. It consists of three separate sections, Horseshoe Falls, which is the largest, American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. As well as being a popular tourist attraction on both sides of the border, the rapids are an important source of hydroelectric power. Contrary to popular belief, Niagara does not even count among the top 50 tallest waterfalls in the world, but it is remarkable for its combined height, 670 metres, and the volume of water, 168 million litres, going over every minute.
Ruby Falls, Tennessee, US
You’ll have to head into the heart of Tennessee’s Lookout Mountain to see Ruby Falls, the tallest and deepest underground falls currently accessible to the public in the US. Visitors descend 80 metres in a glass lift before following a cavern trail to the thundering cascade, which descends 45 metres down a vertical shaft. The watery attraction was found by accident in 1928, when a cave explorer, Leo Lambert, took an unexpected journey into the mountain. He named his discovery after his wife.
Sutherland Falls, New Zealand
Sutherland Falls consists of a series of three cataracts on Arthur River in New Zealand’s South Island. Located within the Fiordland National Park, the falls are fed by water from the snow-fed Lake Quill. With a total drop of 580 metres, it makes a cameo in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy.
Skogafoss, Iceland
Legend has it that a Viking named Thrasi hid his plundered gold under Iceland’s Skogafoss falls, but it has yet to be discovered. A two-hour drive from Reykjavik, the falls are worth visiting even if there is no bounty to be found. Standing about 60 metres tall and fed by the Eyjafjallajokull and Myrdalsjokull glaciers, Skogafos produces such a dense amount of spray that single or double rainbows are visible around the attraction on most sunny days. Visitors who brave the 370 steps leading to the top of the fall will be greeted by stunning views of Iceland’s southern coastline.
Yosemite Falls, US
Yosemite Falls is one of the most popular attractions in California’s famed Yosemite National Park. The snow-fed waterfalls were formed by creeks descending into the Yosemite Valley and consist of three drops. The Upper Yosemite Fall descends 436 metres, while the Lower Yosemite Fall drops 98 metres, with a series of smaller cascades in between. The combined drop is 730 metres, creating one of the highest waterfalls in the world. It generally flows from November to July, peaking in May.
Ban Gioc, China / Vietnam
Straddling China and Vietnam, Ban Gioc is the collective name for a series of waterfalls on the Quay Son river. Part of the Unesco-recognised Non Nuoc Cao Bang geopark, water flows down a series of tiered cliffs in a striking semicircular formation, flanked by verdant forest. The waterfalls are at their most impressive during Vietnam’s wet season, between June and September.
Iguazu Falls, Argentina / Brazil
“My poor Niagara” is what former US first lady Eleanor Roosevelt is reported to have said when first faced with the majesty of the Iguazu Falls. It is true that, at 82 metres high and 2,700 metres wide, with 275 drops, Iguazu does dwarf its North American counterpart. The falls are shared by Argentina and Brazil and were granted Unesco World Heritage status in 1984.
Kaieteur Falls, Guyana
The Kaieteur Falls make an awe-inspiring 226-metre sheer drop off the edge of a sandstone plateau before falling through a 25-metre gorge. Located in west-central Guyana on the Potaro River, they are the central feature of the Kaieteur National Park, and among the world’s tallest and most powerful waterfalls.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
MATCH INFO
Newcastle 2-2 Manchester City
Burnley 0-2 Crystal Palace
Chelsea 0-1 West Ham
Liverpool 2-1 Brighton
Tottenham 3-2 Bournemouth
Southampton v Watford (late)
Results
2pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m, Winner: AF Thayer, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
2.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: AF Sahwa, Nathan Crosse, Mohamed Ramadan.
3pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,000m, Winner: AF Thobor, Szczepan Mazur, Ernst Oertel.
3.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 2,000m, Winner: AF Mezmar, Szczepan Mazur, Ernst Oertel.
4pm: Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup presented by Longines (TB) Dh 200,000 (D) 1,700m, Winner: Galvanize, Nathan Cross, Doug Watson.
4.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,700m, Winner: Ajaj, Bernardo Pinheiro, Mohamed Daggash.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
