Murchison Falls, rapids on the lower Victoria Nile River, NW Uganda, 22 mi (35 km) E of Lake Albert (see Albert, Lake). The river, narrowing to about 20 ft (6 m) wide, flows through precipitously cleft rocks, dropping 400 ft (122 m) in a series of three cascades to the level of Lake Albert; the first and largest (141 ft/43 km) is sometimes considered to be Murchison Falls. Located in Murchison Falls National Park (est. 1952; 1,483 sq mi/3,840 sq km), the falls are named for the British geologist Sir Roderick Murchison. They also are known as Kabalega, or Kabarega, Falls after a Bunyoro king.
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