Waterfalls of the World

Waterfalls of the World

WATERFALLS OF THE WORLD
By W. Robert James, Spetember 1998

To any collector who appreciates natural beauty or scenic variety, waterfalls and cascades on maximum cards offer rich rewards. The dedicated topicalist will also quickly find that expansion of his or her collection into world-wide Maximaphilia enhances an appreciation of geology, geography and topics such as history, hydrology, literature, poetry and art--all that relate in some way to waterfalls.

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate two views of the Iguacu or Iguassu Falls that are situated on the border of Brazil and Argentina. These are undoubtedly the most spectacular falls on the planet. In common with Victoria Falls and Niagara Falls, the Iguacu Falls are visited by spellbound tourists year-round. The falls are three miles wide, 250 feet high, and consist of well over 21 individual, named cascades.

The Iguacu view (Fig.1) shown by Brazil (Scott #455) is the south-central bank of the falls known as Garganta do Diabo, while the Argentina view (Iguassu, Scott #985) is of the northern grouping. Many other views are shown on the stamps and postal stationery of both countries, as well as on stamps of the United Nations and North Korea. The scenic variations possible with maximum cards of Iguassu Falls offers a true challenge.

One of Europe’s most dramatic waterfalls is located in the Hohe Tauren National Park in the state of Salzburg, Austria. These are the Krimmler Falls, shown on Scott #1353 in Figure 3. The hamlet of Krimml sits at the base of the three-step cascade amid pristine alpine scenery, and a scenic path follows the course of the falls from glacier to valley. They are Austria’s highest falls (1250 ft.) and well worth a visit. These falls also appear on Scott #862, on several commemorative cancellations, on Austria scenic postal card sets of the 1950s (Michel #P345) and even on Notegeld of the post-WWI era.

Salto Iguasso

Fig. 1. Salto Iguasso. B/W Postcard: Commercia l. Cancel: Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, Jan. 10, 1947.

Garganta do Diabo

Fig. 2. Garganta do Diabo. Color Postcard: Commercial. Cancel: Buenos Aires, Argentina, Dec. 16, 1972, F.D.O.I.

Krimmler Waterfall

Fig. 3. Krimmler Waterfall. Color Postcard: Pub. by Maxiglob (Commercial). Cancel: Pictorial (Triple), Werbeschau des Brucker, Austria, Aug. 19, 1988.

A waterfall with recurring ties to history, both ancient and modern, is found in Macedonian Greece. Figure 4 (Scott #1629) illustrates one of several cascades at Edessa (Edhessa) just northwest of Thessaloniki. The falls drop some 80 ft. The falls have also been featured on Scott #1797. The site marks ancient Aigai, the first capital of Macedonia founded by Perdikkas, and was the locale of the assassination of Phillip II in 366 B.C. His son, Alexander the Great, knew of the falls, as did Lord Byron. Greece commemorated the 1822 Battle of Edessa against the Ottoman Turks, fought next to the falls, on Scott #962-965.

Edessa Waterfall

Fig. 4. Edessa Waterfall. Color Postcard: Pub. by J. Recos & Co. (Commercial) Cancel: Greece, July 4,1988.

Another waterfall with a history of a different sort is the Chang-bai Falls of Jilin, in northeast mainland China. These falls, shown in Figure 5 (Scott #2455), are 233 ft. high and are often compared in beauty to the Milky Way. They have existed only since 1702, when volcanic activity and a landslide changed the area’s geology. The deep Heaven Lake was created by a natural dam, over which the spectacular falls now feed the Erdao Baihe, and (eventually) Yalu rivers.

This is China’s largest natural wilderness reserve and it adjoins North Korea. If waterfalls are a topic of interest to reader-collectors, the Earth’s Physical Features study unit is strongly recommended. For further information contact Fred Klein, 515 Magdalena Ave., Los Altos, CA 94024.

W. Robert James had been collecting waterfalls for over 30 years. He was drawn to the topic by the visual appeal of many of the stamps. He was introduced to Maximaphily by long-time members and collectors Sebastian Safiano and Daniel Olsen. He would be happy to buy more “falls” cards. He also collects Cincerellas, Postal Stationery, and Paper currency/Notgeld with “falls”. Mr. James can be reached at 13 Standish Circle, Andover, MA 01810.

Chang-bai Falls

Fig. 5. Chang-bai Falls. Color Postcard: Commercial. Cancel: Jilin, China. Sept. 19, 1993.

Editor: Jesse F.Knight .| Webmaster: Itzhak Shdemati
Last Updating: Feb-06-2000