This is a list of the tallest dams in the world over in height. The tallest dam in the world is the

Jinping-I Dam The Jinping-I Dam () also known as the Jinping-I Hydropower Station or Jinping 1st Cascade, is a tall arch dam on the Jinping Bend of the Yalong River (Yalong Jiang) in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Liangshan, Sichuan, People's Republic of ...

, an

arch dam An arch dam is a concrete dam that is curved upstream in plan. The arch dam is designed so that the force of the water against it, known as hydrostatic pressure, presses against the arch, causing the arch to straighten slightly and strengthe ...

in China at . The tallest

embankment dam An embankment dam is a large artificial dam. It is typically created by the placement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil or rock. It has a semi-pervious waterproof natural covering for its surface and ...

and second tallest dam in the world is the

Nurek Dam The Nurek Dam (russian: Нурекская ГЭС; Tajik: Нерӯгоҳи обии Норак, ''Nerūgohi obii Norak'', Tajik for Nurek Hydro-electric Station) is an earth-fill embankment dam on the Vakhsh River in Tajikistan. Its primary purp ...

in Tajikistan. The tallest gravity dam is the high

Grande Dixence Dam __NOTOC__ The Grande Dixence Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Dixence (river), Dixence at the head of the Val d'Hérémence in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. At high, it is the List of tallest dams in the world, tallest gravity dam in ...

in Switzerland. The tallest natural dam, the

Usoi Dam The Usoi Dam is a natural landslide dam along the Murghab River (Tajikistan), Murghab River in Tajikistan. At high, it is the tallest dam in the world, either natural or man-made. The dam was created on February 18, 1911, when the 7.4-Surface wav ...

in Tajikistan, is taller than the tallest existing man-made one.

Existing

Under construction

Gallery

File:BarrageDeLaGrandeDixenceFaceValee.JPG, The

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

File:Enguri Dam, Georgia.jpg, The

Inguri Dam The Enguri Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Enguri River in Tsalenjikha, Georgia. Currently, it is the world's second highest concrete arch dam with a height of . It is located north of the town of Jvari. It is part of the Enguri hydro ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

File:VajontDiga.jpg, The

Vajont Dam The Vajont Dam (or Vaiont Dam) is a disused dam in northern Italy. It is one of the tallest dams in the world, with a height of . It is in the valley of the Vajont River under Monte Toc, in the municipality of Erto e Casso, north of Venice ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

File:Tehri dam india.jpg, The

Tehri Dam With a height of 260.5 m (855 ft) Tehri Dam is the tallest dam in India and List of tallest dams, 12th tallest dam in the world. With a total planned installed capacity of 2400 MW, it's the biggest Hydroelectric power plant in India. It is a mult ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

File:MicaDam.JPG, The

Mica Dam Mica Dam is a hydroelectric embankment dam spanning the Columbia River 135 kilometres north of Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada. It was built as one of three Canadian projects under the terms of the 1964 Columbia River Treaty and is operate ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

File:Саяно-Шушенская ГЭС.jpg, The Sayano Shushenskaya Dam in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

File:OrovilleDam.jpg, The

Oroville Dam Oroville Dam is an earthfill embankment dam on the Feather River east of the city of Oroville, California, in the Sierra Nevada foothills east of the Sacramento Valley. At 770 feet (235 m) high, it is the tallest dam in the U.S. and serv ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

File:El Cajon Dam Honduras.jpg, The El Cajón Dam in

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

File:Bhakra Dam Aug 15 2008.JPG, The

Bhakra Dam Bhakra Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Sutlej River in Bhakra Village near Bilaspur in Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh in northern India. The dam forms the Gobind Sagar reservoir. The dam, located at a gorge near the (now submerge ...

File:Luzzone2.jpg, The Luzzone Dam in

File:HooverDamFrontWater.jpg, The

Hoover Dam Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on Se ...

in the

File:Damm-Lago di Vogorno-2004 09 10 22 55 20.jpg, The

Verzasca Dam Verzasca may refer to: * Valle Verzasca, valley in Switzerland * Verzasca, river in Switzerland * Verzasca, municipality in Switzerland {{geodis ...

File:Piva Mratinje Dam.JPG, The

Mratinje Dam The Mratinje Dam ( cnr, Брана Мратиње, Brana Mratinje) is a concrete arch dam in the canyon of the Piva River in Montenegro. The dam was completed in 1975 with designs by Energoprojekt. Its construction resulted in the flooding of the ...

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

File:IdukkiDamConcaveSide.jpg, The

Idukki Dam The Idukki Dam is a double curvature arch dam constructed across the Periyar River in a narrow gorge between two granite hills locally known as '' Kuravan'' and ''Kurathi'' in Idukki, Kerala, India. At , it is one of the highest arch dams in As ...

Notes

* A 300m and 280m tall design under consideration * Non-realized project of

Soviet-era The history of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union (USSR) reflects a period of change for both Russia and the world. Though the terms "Soviet Russia" and "Soviet Union" often are synonymous in everyday speech (either acknowledging the dominance ...

* Construction stopped as a result of

Gulf war The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

References

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Dams A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, ...