The New Seventh Wonder of Nature
Iguazu Falls are the spectacular waterfalls of the Iguazu River, on the border of the Brazilian state of Paraná and the Argentine province of Misiones.
"Iguazu" in Guarani language means "big water": it has the second-greatest average annual flow of any waterfall in the world, after Niagara Falls.
Made up of about 275 cascades and cataracts producing vast sprays of water along its 2.7-kilometre-long width, they are one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world.
Brazil has just over 20% of the jumps of these falls, while Argentina holds up almost 80% of them. So the most spectacular cascades are located in Argentina but you have the most beautiful view of them from Brazil.
The Devil's Throat is the most imponent cascade of the complex, a long and narrow U-shaped chasm 82 metres high, 150 metres wide and 700 metres long, where about half of the Iguazu river's flow falls.
With the exceptional natural beauty of the Falls as its main feature, the Iguazu National Park was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1984.
Since November 2011 they are recognized to be one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature.
Misiones/Paranà, Argentina/Brazil
August 2011
