The Zambezi River in South-central Africa rises in Northwestern Zambia, flows south across eastern Angola and western Zambia to the border of Botswana, then turns east and forms the Zambia-Zimbabwe border. It then crosses central Mozambique and empties into the Mozambique Channel at Chinde. About 2,200 miles (3,500 kilometers) long, it is navigable in three long stretches, separated by rapids and by Victoria Falls. It drains the entire south-central region of the continent. Its many tributaries include the Kwando, Kafue and Shire. It was first explored by David Livingstone in the early 1850s.

One of the natural wonders of the world, Victoria Falls lies on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Approximately twice as wide and twice as deep as Niagara Falls, Victoria Falls spans the entire breadth of the Zambezi River at one of its widest points (more than 5,500 ft (1,700 meters). There the river plunges over a precipice, split by islands and promontories, to a drop of 355 feet (108 meters). Two national parks, Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Mosi-oa-Tunya in Zambia, are adjacent to the falls. Victoria Falls was designated a World Heritage site in 1989. The first European sighting of the falls was in 1855 by David Livingstone, who named the falls after Queen Victoria.

The whole volume of the Zambezi River pours through the First Gorge's 360-foot (110-meter) wide exit for a distance of about 500 feet (150 meters), then enters a zig-zagging series of gorges designated by the order in which the river reaches them. Water entering the Second Gorge makes a sharp right turn and has carved out a deep pool there called the Boiling Pot. Reached via a steep footpath from the Zambian side, it is about 500 feet (150 meters) across. Its surface is smooth at low water, but at high water is marked by enormous, slow swirls and heavy boiling turbulence. Objects that are swept over the falls, including the occasional hippo or even human, are frequently found swirling about here or washed up at the northeast end of the Second Gorge. This is where the bodies of Mrs. Moss and Mr. Orchard, mutilated by crocodiles, were found in 1910 after two canoes were capsized by a hippo at Long Island above the falls.
 

Size and flow rate of Victoria Falls with Niagara and Iguazu for comparison