5 Tallest Dams In The World

The following list contains the 5 tallest dams in the world. Other methods of comparing dams is by their volume or by the volume of the reservoir they create.
1. Nurek Dam, Tajikistan – 300 m (980 ft). The tallest dam in the world, located on the Vakhsh River is an earth fill embankment dam. Construction of the dam began in 1961 and was completed in 1980

The Nurek Reservoir created by the Nurek Dam

2. Xiaowan Dam, China – 292 m (958 ft). An arch dam on the Lancang (Mekong) River. The primary purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power generation and it supports a 4,200 MW power station. Constructed between 2002 and 2010, it is the world’s highest arch dam at 292 m (958 ft)

Xiaowan Dam

3. Grande Dixence Dam, Switzerland – 285 m (935 ft). A Concrete gravity on the Dixence River. At 285 m (935 ft) high, it is the tallest gravity dam in the world. It’s primary purpose is hydroelectric power generation. The dam fuels four power stations, and generates enough to power 400,000 households

Grande Dixence Dam

4. Inguri Dam, Georgia – 271.5 m (891 ft). A hydroelectric dam on the Inguri River in Georgia. The world’s second highest concrete arch dam

 Inguri Dam in Georgia

5. Vajont Dam, Italy – 261.6 m (858 ft). A disused dam, completed in 1959 in the valley of the Vajont River, 100 km north of Venice, Italy. A 1963 (9 October) landslide caused the overtopping of the dam and around 2,000 deaths. The overtopping was caused when the designers ignored the geological instability of Monte Toc on the southern side of the basin. Warning signs and negative appraisals during the early stages of filling were disregarded, and the attempt to safely control the landslide into the lake created a 200 metre tall wave (ten times higher than predicted) that brought massive flooding and destruction to the Piave valley below, wiping out several villages completely

Vajont Dam, Italy – a disaster occured in 1963