Augrabies Falls facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Augrabies Falls |
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Augrabies Falls
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| Location | Northern Cape, South Africa |
| Coordinates | 28°35′29″S 20°20′27″E / 28.59139°S 20.34083°E |
| Type | Cascade |
| Total height | 56 metres (183 ft) |
| Average width | 24 metres (80 ft) |
| Watercourse | Orange River |
| Average flow rate |
313 cubic metres (11,050 cu ft) |
The Augrabies Falls is a powerful waterfall located on the Orange River in South Africa. The Orange River is the longest river in the country. Since 1966, this amazing waterfall has been part of the Augrabies Falls National Park. The park protects the falls and the wild, rocky area around them.
The main drop of the waterfall is about 183 feet (56 m) (56 meters) high. Sometimes, people might think the falls are much taller, like 480 feet. But that taller number actually refers to the height of the canyon walls from the bottom to the top, not the waterfall itself.
Discovering Augrabies Falls
The first people to live near the waterfall were the Khoikhoi people. They called it "Ankoerebis," which means "place of great noise." This name perfectly describes the loud roar of the water! Later, Dutch settlers known as the Trek Boers arrived and changed the name slightly to "Augrabies."
One important local leader was Klaas Pofadder. He lived on an island in the river just above the falls, which is now called Klaas Island.
The first European to see the falls was a Swedish explorer named Hendrik Jakob Wikar. He found the waterfall in October 1778, after traveling through the wilderness for many years. Later, in 1826, another traveler named George Thompson was guided to the falls by his Koranna guides. Thompson decided to name the waterfall after King George IV, who was the king of England at that time.
How Big Are the Falls?
The Augrabies Falls can be incredibly powerful, especially during floods. For example, in 1988, the falls recorded 7,800 cubic metres (280,000 cu ft) of water flowing every second! In 2006, it was 6,800 cubic metres (240,000 cu ft) per second.
To give you an idea of how much water that is, it's more than three times the amount of water that flows over Niagara Falls during its busiest time. It's even more than Niagara Falls' highest ever recorded flow!
The deep canyon that the Augrabies Falls has carved out is also very impressive. It is about 240 metres (800 ft) (790 feet) deep and stretches for about 18 kilometres (10 mi) (11 miles). This long, deep gorge shows how powerful the water has been in shaping the hard granite rock over many, many years.
Images for kids
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The waterfall from the viewing platform
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Augrabies Falls during the winter
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The waterfall in flood
See also
In Spanish: Cataratas Augrabies para niños
