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Why did David Livingstone name the waterfall Victoria Falls?
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Zambezi River
The Zambezi River basin and its drainage network.
The British explorer David Livingstone was the first European to encounter the waterfall on November 16, 1855. He named the site Victoria Falls in honor of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.12
Prior to this, the local Kalolo-Lozi people had already named the waterfall Mosi-oa-Tunya, which translates to "The Smoke That Thunders," in reference to the mist and sound produced by the Zambezi River as it plunges over the precipice.1