Angel Falls drops from a cliff in Venezuela, making it one of the tallest waterfalls.

The longer version

Waterfall height is measured differently depending on whether you count the unbroken drop or the total descent including sloping cascades. A river plunging off a flat topped plateau produces a long free fall, because the plateau edge is sheer and the water has cut back into it slowly.

Table mountains of this kind are made of resistant sandstone sitting on older rock. Rainwater collects on the flat top and spills over the edge. Much of the water evaporates or breaks into mist before reaching the bottom during dry periods, so flow varies strongly by season.

Where this entry sits

These facts wander across maps, borders, deserts, rivers, mountains, and the extreme corners of the natural world. Each one is short and self-contained, offering a small surprise about places you may never visit rather than anything you actually need. The full list sits on the Geography page, where every entry is listed in order.

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More From Geography

Eight more entries

The Strait of Gibraltar separates Europe from Africa by only a few kilometres of water.

Bangkok has a ceremonial name so long that almost no one uses it in full.

The Amazon rainforest spreads across several countries, though most of it lies in Brazil.

Deserts cover roughly a fifth of the Earth's land, and they exist on every continent.

Mountains appear on every continent, including ranges hidden beneath the Antarctic ice.

Rivers rarely run straight, because erosion constantly bends their channels into curves.

Cartographers usually put north at the top of maps, but that is only a convention.

Medieval mapmakers sometimes drew sea monsters in unknown regions as a warning to sailors.

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