Khone Phapheng Falls

In Champasak Province on the Mekong River in southern Laos, close to the Cambodian border, the Khone Falls and Pha Pheng Falls combine to make a cascade. It is the world's largest waterfall, measuring 10,782 meters (6.7 miles) from one edge of its many channels to the other. The location is known as Si Phan Don, or "the 4,000 islands", because of the dozens of islands and myriad streams that make up the falls.

The river's length is 9.7 kilometers (6.0 miles), and the tallest falls are 21 meters (69 feet) high. One specimen found in the Mekong at the Khone Falls provided the only information on the hillstream loach Hemimyzon khonensis. The plabuck, one of the world's largest freshwater fish and an endangered species of catfish, calls the falls home. The plabuck is thought to grow up to 3 meters (10 feet) in length and weigh up to 646 pounds (293 kilograms).

Location: Laos