Kaieteur Falls is one of the tallest and most powerful waterfalls in the world that is located on the Potaro River in the Kaieteur National Park, within the central-west part of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. As it is located deep in the Amazon forest, it should be noted that this area is claimed by Venezuela, however, the waterfall itself is still considered to be part of Guayana and it flows over a series of steep cascades.
The total height of the waterfall is 226 m (741 ft) high when measured from its plunge over a sandstone and conglomerate cliff to the first break, but together with the cascades it is 251 m (822 ft). As it is roughly four times taller than the more famous Niagara Falls, this single drop waterfall is a dramatic facet of the Potaro River, where with its wide, coffee colored flow this majestic river runs for 225 km (140 mi).
First documented in 1870 by the British geologist Charles Barrington Brown, as he thought that Guyana was very rich in natural minerals, he explored later the whole Kaieteur Region. While many falls have greater height, few have the combination of height and water volume, and Kaieteur is among the most powerful waterfalls in the world with an average flow rate of 663 cubic m per second (23,400 cubic ft per second).
As previously mentioned, this waterfall is part of the Kaieteur National Park, which was established in 1929 with one specific purpose, to conserve the tremendous beauty of the waterfall and its near surroundings, which is why nowadays Kaieteur is still considered to be among the most powerful waterfalls and a major tourist attraction in Guyana.
