Which British explorer named Victoria Falls after Queen Victoria?

David Livingstone named Victoria Falls after Queen Victoria. He became the first European recorded to view the falls on 16 November 1855 while travelling along the Zambezi River.

Livingstone approached the waterfall from upstream and reached an island now called Livingstone Island, near the Zambian bank. The immense spray and noise impressed him, and he gave the falls the name Victoria Falls in honour of Britain’s reigning monarch. The waterfall itself was already known to local communities and had established African names.

The most widely used local name is Mosi-oa-Tunya, usually translated as “The Smoke That Thunders.” The falls lie on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe and form one of the world’s largest sheets of falling water, about 1,708 metres wide.

A common misconception is that Livingstone discovered an unknown natural feature. His achievement was being the first European recorded to see and describe it; local people had long known the falls. The World Heritage designation recognises both Victoria Falls and Mosi-oa-Tunya.