Iguazu Falls

　　    Iguazu Falls in South America is one of the world’s five largest waterfalls. The falls are located on the border between Argentina and Brazil. In 1934, Argentina established a 670-square-kilometer national park in the Iguazu Falls area. In 1984, Iguazu Falls was designated a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site.

　　    In 1542, a Spanish missionary accidentally discovered the great Iguazu Falls in the tropical rainforest of the Paraná River basin in South America: layers of cascading water roared down around a horseshoe-shaped gorge, sending up mist that filled the surrounding jungle, with the sound of the rushing waters audible from several kilometers away.

　　    “Iguazu” means “big water” in the language of the Guaraní, the indigenous people of South America. The Iguazu River, which originates in Brazil, slows as it approaches the Paraná River. On the border between Argentina and Brazil, the river spans 1,500 meters wide, resembling a lake. As the water flows forward, it suddenly encounters a gorge, where it plunges down the top and sides of an upside-down U-shaped canyon. Protruding rocks divide the rushing waters into more than 270 individual falls of varying sizes, forming a spectacular semi-circular waterfall complex spanning 3,000 to 4,000 meters in total width, with an average drop of 80 meters.

　　    What makes Iguazu Falls unique is the variety of viewing spots. The scenery differs depending on the location, direction, and height from which you observe it. The top of the gorge is the center of the falls, where the water flow is the strongest and most fierce, known as the “Devil’s Throat.”

　　 Brazil

Iguazu Falls

Iguazu Falls

Iguazu Falls