Iguazu Falls is located on the river of the same name in South America, on the border of Argentina and Brazil. The name Iguazu from Indian means "big water". Legend has it that when a god wanted to marry a beautiful aboriginal woman named Naipu, she chose to elope with another in a canoe. The god became angry, divided the river and created waterfalls, condemning those who ran away to eternal fall.
Iguazu Falls is deservedly called one of the 7 wonders of the world, as it is the widest and most powerful waterfall on Earth (the width reaches 2700 metres). Parameters of Iguazu in sources are indicated differently: the height of the cascades is from 72 to 86 metres. The information is different regarding the width and water flow, some sources say about 3 km, others insist on 4 km. The water flow rate is said to be 10-14 thousand cubic metres per second.
Iguazú consists of a system of 275 two-stage cascades. The height of each reaches 85 metres. Information about the main cascades also varies: according to some data there are 28 of them, according to others - 18-21. One of the main cascades, located at the head of the arc is the border between Argentina and Brazil.
Spanish conquistador Don Alvaro Nunez Caceso de Baca was the first European to see the falls. He travelled westwards with a party and after crossing the Brazilian highlands came to the falls. His name was immortalised on a stone slab near the cascade of Arayagaray. The Spanish conquistador was very religious, seeing such a grandiose phenomenon of nature, he called it Salto de Santa Maria (St Mary's Leap). But the name did not catch on.
The Spanish court was not interested in De Baca's report on the waterfall, and Iguazu was forgotten for several centuries. The first map of the area was not drawn until the late 19th century.
Nowadays, Iguaçu is one of the most famous attractions in Brazil. For tourists coming here from all over the world there are bridges with a total length of 2 kilometres. They connect islands that protrude from the churning water at the very precipice. One of these roads leads directly to the centre of the stream, but it is not a safe journey. The air shockwave is capable of tossing even aeroplanes approaching very close to the falls.
All the cascades of the waterfall have their sonorous names. On the Argentine side - Ramirez, Arayagaray, Two Sisters, Belgrano, Mitre, Two and Three Musketeers, Adam and Eve, Rivadavia, Salto Escondido, and others. On the Brazilian side, Benjamen - Constan, Salto - Floriano, Union, and others.
To preserve the waterfall in the future, the Argentine and Brazilian governments issued decrees creating Iguazu National Parks. On the Brazilian side, 180,000 hectares became part of the reserve. Iguazu National Park is home to ironwood, palm trees, tapirs, hummingbirds, monkeys and rare oversized butterflies.
Near the falls there is a small village, several hotel complexes including hotels, bars, restaurants and an aerodrome.
