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Iguassu Falls The Iguassu River crosses the entire State of Paraná from East to West until it meets the Paraná River. Two miles (5 km) before this meeting point, the Iguassu River forms a tremendous set of 275 falls which range from very small to extremely large, some with a height of 400-500 ft (150-200mt). One of the best known of these falls is the magnificent Devil’s Throat, where thousand of gallons of water fall every second, forming clouds of steam and foam and causing a deafening continuous crashing sound. The falls are unequally divided between Brazil and Argentina. To see them properly, you must visit both sides. In Brazil you will get the grand frontal view of the falls that are actually on the Argentina side. While the visit to the part in Argentina will allow you to get a closer look including riding sturdy boats right under the crashing walls of water. The over 275 falls are over 2 miles ( 3 km) wide and average 260 ft (80 mt) in height with extremes as mentioned above. The Iguassu Falls are wider than Victoria Falls (in Africa on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia) and taller than Niagara Falls (on the border between the U.S. and Canada. Strangely enough all three of these major waterfalls are located on the border between two different countries. The area surrounding Iguassu Falls has been made into a National Park jointly managed by Argentina and Brazil. Concerns on the part of the World Heritage Committee (part of UNESCO) about the excessive exploitation of the Iguassu Falls area prompted inclusion in 1999 of Iguassu Falls in the List of World Heritage in Danger. The subtropical flora and fauna (including exceptional birdlife) are a photographer's or a naturalist's dream. |
