<p>Here's another view illustrating what is said above:
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/szOsl.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/szOsl.jpg" alt="Khone Phapheng Waterfall" /></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-09-05T20:28:34.440Z
This is certainly a visual illustration that helps us understand to some degree 1) the complexity of the falls, 20 that the "width" direction of the falls is almost parallel to the river direction after it, and 3) there are "little bits" of falls far from the "main" part, but it doesn't get us to Wikipedia's 10783 meters with this view from one direction only, and with this perspective direction (foreground much closer than background) we can't even assign it a scale for measurement. Do you think you can add some more information so we can understand how the widths is defined and measured?
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-09-05T20:30:10.187Z
Also, we should always credit the original sources of images we use in Stack Exchange. If it's your own work just make a quick note of that, but if it's from somewhere else please add a link or citation that properly credits the image's source. I do see some small writing in the lower-left corner but the resolution is too low for to read clearly, and we should write out the attribution explicitly in text rather than it only being embedded in the image. *Thanks!*
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-09-05T23:06:01.100Z
The near $11$ km width is from one edge of one of the falls to the last fall. But it also includes the rocks between them! Shouldn't only the sum of widths of falls be measured? As I said in one comment I also found $6.7$ miles from Sopheakmit fall to Khone Phapheng fall on Google Maps. But it includes the rocks too.
Snack Exchange
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-09-05T17:51:09.863Z
2023-09-05T17:51:09.863Z
J Hall
<p>From the Wikipedia article for <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khone_Phapheng_Falls" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Khone Phapheng Falls</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It is the widest waterfall in the world at <span class="math-container">$10783$</span> metres (<span class="math-container">$35376$</span> feet or <span class="math-container">$6.7$</span> miles) in width from one edge of its multiple channels to the other.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>But on Google Maps the longest distance I measure is only <span class="math-container">$0.3$</span> miles. Why is it incorrect?</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/b7s0t.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/b7s0t.jpg" alt="Khone" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/uk72E.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/uk72E.jpg" alt="Khone2" /></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-09-03T12:08:28.287Z
I was going to suggest following the references in the wikipedia article but the seem to not be pointing at the right places anyway.
GrapefruitIsAwesome
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-09-03T19:35:01.850Z
I think the answer is very simple: Google tags often don't hit the reality of the feature.  Try zooming out and going to the left... more waterfalls.. which I'm guessing are truly considered the same falls complex?
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-09-03T22:38:50.163Z
When I tried to find the distance between Khone Phapheng and Sopheakmit waterfalls it gave $6.7$ miles which equals to $10783$ meters! But how are those considered a single waterfall? There are huge distances between each waterfalls in the path.
Snack Exchange
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-09-04T12:59:13.640Z
well we can start with you only measured one branch of the waterfall. It is a waterfall on a braided river, And you only have a single image (thus only a single point of time), of one section of it. Go back ot google earth and zoom out.
John
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-09-04T13:00:14.013Z
@SnackExchange they are the same waterfall because it is a braided river thus the same river falling over a single landform.
John
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-09-06T12:42:08.883Z
You are too zoomed in. Zoom out, several times. Someone with Google Maps has erroneously labeled that one cataract as the Khone Phapheng Falls. As noted above, the Khone Phapheng Falls is a series of cataracts in a very braided river.
David Hammen
<measurements>
Why can't I measure the width of a waterfall on Google Maps?
Snack Exchange
# Why can't I measure the width of a waterfall on Google Maps?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-09-03)

From the Wikipedia article for [Khone Phapheng Falls](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khone_Phapheng_Falls):

> It is the widest waterfall in the world at $10783$ metres ($35376$ feet or $6.7$ miles) in width from one edge of its multiple channels to the other.

But on Google Maps the longest distance I measure is only $0.3$ miles. Why is it incorrect?

[![Khone](https://i.sstatic.net/b7s0t.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/b7s0t.jpg)

[![Khone2](https://i.sstatic.net/uk72E.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/uk72E.jpg)

**Tags:** measurements

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I was going to suggest following the references in the wikipedia article but the seem to not be pointing at the right places anyway.  
> **username_2**: I think the answer is very simple: Google tags often don't hit the reality of the feature.  Try zooming out and going to the left... more waterfalls.. which I'm guessing are truly considered the same falls complex?  
> **username_0**: When I tried to find the distance between Khone Phapheng and Sopheakmit waterfalls it gave $6.7$ miles which equals to $10783$ meters! But how are those considered a single waterfall? There are huge distances between each waterfalls in the path.  
> **username_3**: well we can start with you only measured one branch of the waterfall. It is a waterfall on a braided river, And you only have a single image (thus only a single point of time), of one section of it. Go back ot google earth and zoom out.  
> **username_3**: @username_0 they are the same waterfall because it is a braided river thus the same river falling over a single landform.  
> **username_4**: You are too zoomed in. Zoom out, several times. Someone with Google Maps has erroneously labeled that one cataract as the Khone Phapheng Falls. As noted above, the Khone Phapheng Falls is a series of cataracts in a very braided river.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2023-09-05. Score: 2

Here's another view illustrating what is said above:
[![Khone Phapheng Waterfall](https://i.sstatic.net/szOsl.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/szOsl.jpg)

> **Comments:**
> **username_6**: This is certainly a visual illustration that helps us understand to some degree 1) the complexity of the falls, 20 that the "width" direction of the falls is almost parallel to the river direction after it, and 3) there are "little bits" of falls far from the "main" part, but it doesn't get us to Wikipedia's 10783 meters with this view from one direction only, and with this perspective direction (foreground much closer than background) we can't even assign it a scale for measurement. Do you think you can add some more information so we can understand how the widths is defined and measured?  
> **username_6**: Also, we should always credit the original sources of images we use in Stack Exchange. If it's your own work just make a quick note of that, but if it's from somewhere else please add a link or citation that properly credits the image's source. I do see some small writing in the lower-left corner but the resolution is too low for to read clearly, and we should write out the attribution explicitly in text rather than it only being embedded in the image. *Thanks!*  
> **username_0**: The near $11$ km width is from one edge of one of the falls to the last fall. But it also includes the rocks between them! Shouldn't only the sum of widths of falls be measured? As I said in one comment I also found $6.7$ miles from Sopheakmit fall to Khone Phapheng fall on Google Maps. But it includes the rocks too.  

---

