Iguazu Falls

Igauzu Falls take your breath away. They're

truly a magnificent display of nature.

Their size and scale are unlike any other waterfall on Earth. It's made up of a system of 275 waterfalls or cataracts, with the exact number depending on the season. It spans an area 2.7 kilometers wide. The tallest of these waterfalls, called the Devil's Throat, drops by more than 80 meters into an abyss that creates a permanent cloud of mist which is conducive to the growth of surrounding lush vegetation. Iguazu Falls is nearly twice as tall and three times as wide as Niagara Falls and significantly wider still than Victoria Falls. The Iguazú River, which means “big water” in native Guaraní Indian language, flows into the Paraná River that is 1,500m wide (0.9 miles), and runs through islands and islets to finally fall from a lava cliff formed 120 million of years ago. The Brazilian and Argentinean sides comprise a total of 225 hectares of protected areas.

Ecology

Our Guide told us that the area is a sub tropical forest with 15% of the trees losing their leaves in the winter. He also said that the temperature in the area can drop to as low as -7 in the winter with maybe 10 days of frost. In 1977 there was snow and in 1978 there was a drought.

Iguazu Falls Facts Iguazu Falls are located on the border of the Brazilian state of Paraná and the Argentine province of Misiones. Two thirds of the falls are within Argentine territory. The waterfall system consists of 275 falls along 2.7 km (1.67 miles) of the Iguazu River. Some of the individual falls are up to 82m (269 ft) in height, although the majority are about 64m (210 ft). The Devil’s Throat, a U- shaped, 82m high (269 ft), 150m wide and 700m long (490 by 2,300 feet) cataract, is the most impressive of all, marking the border between Argentina and Brazil. Iguazu currently has the greatest average annual flow of any waterfall in the world. The water falling over Iguazu in peak flow has a surface area of about 40 Ha (1.3 million ft²) whilst Victoria in peak flow has a surface area of over 55 ha (1.8 million ft²). By comparison, Niagara has a surface area of under 18.3 ha (600,000 ft²).

Brazilian Side: Iguaçu National Park is a total area of 185,262.5 hectares and a length of about 420 km. Around 300 km are natural borders by rivers and falls. Iguaçu National Park was created in 1939 and was declared by Unesco, as a World Heritage Side in 1986. Argentian Side: Brazil's Gregorio Lezama was the first owner of this land and, considering them of barely no value, sold them at a public auction using a sign that read “rainforest area surrounded by many waterfalls”. The following owner, Domingo Ayarragaray, developed it a bit further by building a hotel and roads so that visitors could see the waterfalls, and he also exploited local wood resources until President Hipólito Yrigoyen’s Government acquired the land. After becoming a national heritage, on October 09, 1934, Iguazu Falls, 67,720 hectares (167.34 acres) was declared a National Park by UNESCO.

All images © Nova Fisher, novatravels.net