THE SMOKE THAT THUNDERS
One of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world is on the Zambezi
River in Africa. At the river’s halfway point, between the countries of
Zambia and Zimbabwe, the water plunges over Victoria Falls. These falls
are often listed as one of the seven natural wonders of the world. At
the falls, the river is about a mile (1.5 kilometers) wide. And at the
highest point, it falls 343 feet (105 meters) into a rocky canyon. The
falling water sounds like thunder. The huge clouds of spray look like
thick white smoke.
The local people called the falls “Musi- oa-tunya” which means \”the
smoke that thunders.’ That was before explorer David Livingstone saw the
falls for the first time, more than a hundred years ago. He named them
after Queen Victoria of Great Britain.
In Zambia, close to the falls, there’s a hotel that keeps the old
name—the Musi-o-Tunya. From the hotel you can walk down to the falls
to enjoy the unforgettable sight and sound of \”the smoke that
thunders.”
