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Victoria Falls Facts & Worksheets

Victoria Falls, discovered in 1855, is a waterfall system that is situated between the two African countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe.

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Victoria Falls, discovered in 1855, is a waterfall system that is situated between the two African countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is the largest waterfall system in the world, and became an official UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1989.

See the fact file below for more information on the Victoria Falls or alternatively, you can download our 22 page Victoria Falls worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts

History of Victoria Falls:

  • Victoria Falls is home to artifacts such as weapons, digging tools, and other earthenware from 3 million years ago.
  • Hunter-gatherers were displaced by Bantu tribes, Matabele tribes, and the Batswana and Makololo tribes.
  • All of the names translate in their Indigenous languages to roughly “the smoke that thunders”, where Victoria Falls gets its name.
  • The first person to view the falls was European explorer David Livingstone on November 17, 1855.
  • The name “Victoria Falls” was a tribute to Queen Victoria, and is what Livingstone affectionately named the falls upon viewing them.
  • The World Heritage List recognizes both “the smoke that thunders” and “Victoria Falls” as the site’s official names.
  • Livingstone returned five years later to complete more detailed studies of the falls with a fellow Scottish explorer, Sir John Kirk.
  • Several other European explorers visited the falls in the years following, including Serpa Pinto(Portugal), Emil Holub (Czechoslovakia), and British artist Thomas Baines.
  • Europeans began to settle in the area around 1900 as a result of their desire to exploit the area’s natural resources, such as minerals, timber forests, ivory, and animal skins.
  • The Victoria Falls Bridge, which crosses the Zambezi River, was built over the Second Gorge of the falls.
  • This bridge came to fruition as a result of the grand ambitions of Cecil Rhodes, a British businessman living in Africa, who envisioned a link between South Africa and northern Africa.
  • Within a few years, Victoria Falls became an increasingly popular tourist attraction.

Geography and Composition of Victoria Falls:

  • The Zambezi River flows through the falls, and its flat course is full of tree-covered islands, one of which is named after David Livingstone.
  • The full width of the Zambezi flows over the falls through the First Gorge, then flows into a zig-zagging series of other gorges, appropriately named the Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Gorge, and finishing by flowing through the “Songwe Gorge”, 1.5 miles south from the beginning of the gorges.
  • The Zambezi experiences a rainy season from late November to early April, with flood season peaking in April.
  • During the peak flood season, visitors are usually able to see mist from the falls up to 30 miles away, but cannot see the foot of the falls and most of its face due to the amount of spray.
  • The Zambezi River is home to 89 species of fish above the falls, and about 39 species below the falls, including the Vundu (a type of catfish), the Spottail Barb, Striped Tigerfish, and the African Pike.
  • The two national parks – Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park and Victoria Falls National Park are home to many animals who are able to move freely between the two parks.
  • Some of the animals include elephant, buffalo, zebra, monkeys, hippos, crocodiles, lizards, and a variety of birds. Leopards, lions, and cheetahs are only seen sometimes.
  • Due to the spray from the falls, plants that would rarely grow in the area actually flourish, including ebony, wild date palm, and ivory palm trees. Droughts, of course, have an effect on the quality of vegetation, and by extension, the animals that depend on it.

Unique Facts About Victoria Falls:

  • Victoria Falls is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
  • “Devil’s Pool” is the name given to the pool that naturally forms on the edge of Victoria Falls in the dry season of September to December, where tourists can swim and look over the falls.
  • A moonbow can be seen when the sun sets on a full moon, as the light reflects off the spray from the falls, producing the beautiful effect, lasting from sunset to sunrise.
  • The arch of the Victoria Falls Bridge spans 650 feet.
  • During its rainy season, 300,000 gallons of water plunge from the falls every second, and the spray from the falls shoots 1,000 feet into the air, creating a fine blanket of mist.
  • You can hike to see the falls, or you can take a helicopter tour.
  • By the turn of the 21st century, about 400,000 people were visiting Victoria Falls each year; tourists tend to visit the Zimbabwean side of the falls, as it is more highly developed than the Zambian side.
  • The rapid development of the falls has made the United Nations question its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as they are concerned with its management and how it is treated.

Victoria Falls Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the world heritage site Victoria Falls across 22 wonderful pages. These are ready-to-use Victoria Falls worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Victoria Falls, discovered in 1855 which is a waterfall system that is situated between the two African countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is the largest waterfall system in the world, and became an official UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1989.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Victoria Falls Facts.
  • Famous Contributions.
  • Our Five Senses.
  • Victoria Falls Quiz.
  • Life of an Explorer.
  • Activities at Victoria Falls.
  • Victoria Falls Wordsearch.
  • Tourism Video Project.
  • Compelling Questions.
  • Victoria Falls Crossword.
  • Design a Postcard.
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Link will appear as Victoria Falls Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, March 22, 2018

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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