Iguaçu Falls, Waterfalls on the border of Brazil and Argentina
Iguazú Falls is a waterfall system on the border between the Brazilian state of Paraná and the Argentine province of Misiones. Hundreds of individual cascades drop into the Iguaçu River along a jagged line that cuts through rainforest on both sides.
A Spanish explorer reached the falls in the mid-16th century, becoming the first European to document them and bring word back to Europe. National parks were later created on both sides of the border during the 20th century to protect the surrounding forest and manage visitor access.
The name Iguazú combines the Guaraní words y (water) and guazú (big). A Guaraní legend tells of the serpent Mbói, who split the river's course after a warrior fled with a sacrificial maiden in a canoe, creating the falls. Mbyá-Guaraní people lived in the region before Jesuit missions gathered them into reductions from about 1609.
Both sides of the falls can be visited in a single day, with each side offering different walkways and viewpoints that bring you close to the water. The nearest airports on both sides are about a half-hour drive from the park entrances, with regular shuttle services available.
The Devil's Throat canyon is 80–90 m wide and 70–80 m deep, and about half of the Iguazu River's flow drops into it. The Argentina–Brazil border runs through this chasm. Left of the canyon, 160–200 individual falls merge into a single front during flood stage.
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