Which waterfall is the world’s tallest by total vertical drop?

Angel Falls is the world’s tallest uninterrupted waterfall by total vertical drop. It falls 979 metres from Auyán-tepui in Venezuela’s Guiana Highlands, including a longest uninterrupted drop of 807 metres.

The waterfall is known in Spanish as Salto Ángel and in Pemón as Kerepakupai Merú. Its water descends from a tabletop mountain, or tepui, whose steep cliffs and isolated ecosystems are characteristic of the region. Wind often disperses the falling water into mist before it reaches the ground.

The waterfall is named in English after Jimmie Angel, a US aviator who flew over it in 1933. The Venezuelan government officially restored the Indigenous name Kerepakupai Merú in 2009, although Angel Falls remains widely used internationally.

Victoria Falls is among the world’s largest sheets of falling water by combined height and width, while Niagara Falls is famous for its flow and tourism. Neither has Angel Falls’ total vertical drop.