Description of the attraction
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 the Indian means "big water". Legend has it that when God wanted to marry a beautiful aboriginal woman named Naipu, she chose to escape with another in a canoe. God became angry, divided the river and created waterfalls, condemning those who fled 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 meters). The sources indicate the parameters of Iguazu in different ways: the height of the cascades ranges from 72 to 86 meters. The information also differs regarding the width and flow rate, some sources say about 3 km, others insist on 4 km. Water consumption is indicated as 10-14 thousand cubic meters per second.
Iguazu consists of a system of 275 two-stage cascades. The height of each one reaches 85 meters. Information about the main cascades also varies: according to some data there are 28, according to others - 18-21. One of the main cascades, located at the head of the arc, runs the border between Argentina and Brazil.
The Spanish conquistador Don Alvaro Nunez Caseso de Baca was the first European to see the waterfall. He moved with the detachment in a westerly direction, and after crossing the Brazilian Highlands, came to the waterfall. His name was immortalized on a stone slab next to the Arayagaray cascade. The Spanish conquistador was very religious, having seen such a grandiose phenomenon of nature, he named it Salto de Santa Maria (Leap of Saint Mary). But the name did not catch on.
The Spanish court was not interested in De Bac's report on the waterfall, and Iguazu was forgotten for several centuries. The first map of this area was drawn only at the end of the 19th century.
Iguazu is now one of the most famous sights in Brazil. For tourists coming here from all over the world, bridges with a total length of 2 km are laid. They connect the islands that protrude from the seething water at the very abyss. One of these roads leads directly to the center of the stream, but this is an unsafe journey. The air blast wave is capable of throwing even aircraft approaching very close to the waterfall.
All cascades of the waterfall have their own sonorous names. From Argentina - Ramirez, Arayagaray, Two Sisters, Belgrano, Miter, Two and Three Musketeers, Adam and Eve, Rivadavia, Salto Escondido, and others. From the Brazilian side - Benjamin - Constant, Salto - Floriano, Union and others.
To preserve the falls in the future, the governments of Argentina and Brazil have issued decrees to establish Iguazu National Parks. From the side of Brazil, 180 thousand hectares entered the reserve. The Iguazu National Park is home to an iron tree, palm trees, tapirs, hummingbirds, monkeys and rare large butterflies.
There is a small village near the waterfall, several hotel complexes, including hotels, bars, restaurants and an airfield.
