Victoria falls

The Victoria Falls are one of the world's most spectacular waterfalls. The falls are situated on the Zambezi River, on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, and are roughly a 1.6 km (1 mile) wide and 128 m (420 ft) high. They are considered a remarkable spectacle because of the peculiar narrow slot-like chasm into which the water falls, so one can view the falls face-on.

Tourism

Before the railway link to Bulawayo was completed in 1905, the falls were not often visited. They were an increasingly popular attraction during British colonial rule of the area and in the years immediately following the independence of Zambia and Zimbabwe, but from the late 1960s onwards visitor numbers dropped, as guerrilla warfare in Zimbabwe and a climate of suspicion of foreigners under the rule of Kenneth Kaunda in Zambia deterred tourists.

Related Topics:
Bulawayo - 1905 - British - Independence - 1960s - Guerrilla warfare - Zimbabwe - Kenneth Kaunda - Zambia

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The 1980s saw a renewed surge in tourism, and the development of the region as a centre for extreme sports played a large role in this. By the end of the 1990s, almost 300,000 people were visiting the falls annually, and this was expected to rise to over a million in the next decade.

Related Topics:
1980s - Extreme sports - 1990s

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The numbers of people visiting the Zimbabwe side of the falls has historically been much higher than the number visiting the Zambia side, due to the greater development of the visitor facilities there. However, the number of tourists visiting Zimbabwe began to decline in the early 2000s as civil unrest brewed surrounding the continuing rule of Robert Mugabe. The two countries permit tourists to make day trips from one side to the other without the necessity of obtaining a visa.

Related Topics:
2000s - Robert Mugabe - Visa

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