Iguazu Falls

275 waterfalls — with the 'Devil's Throat'

Iguazu isn't one waterfall but 275! They stretch in a crescent 3 km long. The biggest — the 'Devil's Throat' — is 80 metres deep, and the water roars so loudly you can't hear yourself speak. Around the falls there are rainbows, colourful butterflies and toucans. Legend says a god split the river in anger.

Iguazu (Guaraní for 'big water') is a system of 275 waterfalls on the Iguazu River on the Argentina–Brazil border, 2.7 km wide and 60–82 m high; larger than Niagara by volume, wider than Victoria. The 'Devil's Throat' (Garganta del Diablo) is a U-shaped 82 m canyon carrying 1,750 m³ per second (45,000 in flood). The falls formed in a fault in a basalt plateau of 130-million-year-old lava layers. The surrounding subtropical forest (a remnant of the Atlantic Forest) holds 2,000 plant species, 400 bird species, jaguars and tapirs. Both sides are UNESCO sites (1984, 1986) and one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature (2011). The Argentine side has 80% of the falls; the Brazilian side has the view. Eleanor Roosevelt: 'Poor Niagara!'

Fun facts

• Iguazu has 275 waterfalls — counting them takes a whole day.
• Seeing Iguazu, the US First Lady said: 'Poor Niagara!'
• At night a 'moonbow' appears over the falls.