Top 10 Species & Places

Iguaçu Facts & Figures

The Iguaçu waterfall system consists of 275 falls along 2.7km of the Iguaçu River.
Devil's Throat (Garganta del Diablo) is a U-shaped, 150m-wide and 700m-long waterfall.
Iguaçu Falls are located on the border of the Brazilian state of Paraná and the Argentine province of Misiones.
The falls have featured in several famous films, including the James Bond film, Moonraker, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Source: Wikipedia

Devil's Gorge

Don't jump!

Iguaçu National Park is important for many endangered species, including jaguars (<I>Panthera onca</I>).

Jaguar, Iguaçu National Park, Brazil.
© WWF-Canon / Y.-J. Rey-Millet

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WWF All Time Top 10 Places to See: Iguaçu Falls

Devil's Gorge (Garganta del Diablo in Spanish) is the highest of the 275 waterfalls that make up the awe-inspiring Iguaçu Falls along the Argentinian-Brazilian border.

Iguaçu (in Portuguese) or Iguazú (in Spanish) means "big water" in the local Guarana language.

And the falls certainly live up to their name, plummeting 82m into the gorge below.

The thunderous roaring of the water can be heard from kilometres away and the mist from the falls forms rainbows.

Much larger than North America's Niagara Falls, they are rivalled only by South Africa's Victoria Falls.

Iguaçu National Park - Iguaçu falls, Atlantic rainforest, Paraná, Brazil.

The Atlantic Forest has extemely high biodiversity, but is also one of the most endangered rainforests on earth.

Beyond the falls

The falls are shared by the Iguazú National Park in Argentina and Iguaçu National Park in Brazil.

The parks are home to several endangered species including jaguars, tapirs, ocelots and anteaters as well as colouful toucans, parrots and butterflies. Recognized for their high levels of biodiversity, they are both listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The parks are also part of the Atlantic Forest ecoregion. The Atlantic Forest once covered more than 999,740km² along Brazil's coast with extensions into eastern Paraguay and northeastern Argentina. It is one of the most endangered rainforests in the world, with only 7% of the original forest now remaining.