Last updated on May 15th, 2023
10 Interesting facts about Victoria Falls
25. One of the largest waterfalls in the world, Victoria Falls, is located on the Zambezi River. It is wider than a kilometer and has a height of more than one hundred meters.
26. The noise of Victoria Falls can be heard from a distance of 40 kilometers.
27. You can notice spray and mist from the falling water from a height of 400 meters, and it can be seen from a distance of 50 kilometers.
28. Mosi-O-Tunya is the name given to the falls by the local tribe. It translates to ‘The smoke that thunders.’
29. The waterfall was named after Queen Victoria by well-known explorer of Africa David Livingstone (1813-1873).
30. The waterfall was discovered in 1855.
31. The waterfall started attracting tourists between 1905, when a railway to Bulawayo was constructed, and the 1960s when a guerilla struggle in Zimbabwe threatened visitors entering the country. However, after independence, the waterfall started attracting tourists in large numbers once again.
32. The waterfall is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the people from both countries – Zambia and Zimbabwe – are actively participating to develop tourism in the region.
33. During floods, the water flow capacity can reach approximately half a million liters per minute.
34. October and early November see the lowest level of water flow in the falls.
5 facts about hunger in Zimbabwe
35. An estimated 4.1 million people are projected to be “food insecure” at the peak of the 2017 lean season.
36. Chronic malnutrition causes 27% of children under the age of five to experience stunted growth (low height for their age).
37. 76% of the country’s rural households live on less than $1.25 per day.
38. Zimbabwe is ranked 156 out of 187 developing countries on the Global Hunger Index. It is a low-income and food-deficit country.
39. Only 17.3% of Zimbabwean children between the ages of 6 and 23 months receive the recommended minimum diet for adequate nutrition.
40. Cotton, tobacco, gold, ferro alloys and textiles/clothing comprise the major items that Zimbabwe exports.
41. A hydroelectric power station was set up in 1950 on the Dam Kariba. The electricity from the power station is provided to both Zambia and Zimbabwe.
42. Amazingly, Zimbabwe has one of the highest literacy rates in Africa. 86.5% of its population is literate.
43. The International Organization for Migration estimates that millions of Zimbabweans have left their home country in search of better living conditions and food security in other African countries.
44. Many of its citizens are forced to survive on only a meal per day due to food shortage and crises.
45. ‘Mount Inyangani,’ at 2,592 meters, is the highest point in the country.
46. The capital Harare was formerly called Salisbury in 1890 in honor of the British Prime Minister Lord Salisbury.
47. The country is void of any place that can properly be called desert. However, a few regions in the country are severely arid.
48. The lowest point in Zimbabwe lies at the intersection of the Runde and Save Rivers at 531 ft.
Learn more about Great Zimbabwe facts here.
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