Iguazu Waterfall — big water on the border of two countries

Translated from the local dialect, the name of the Iguazu waterfall translates as "big water". One look at the waterfall located on the border of the Brazilian state of Paraná and the Argentine province of Misiones is enough to understand that this is not an exaggeration.

There is a local legend according to which one god fell madly in love with a young and beautiful girl named Naipi, but she did not respond to his feelings.

She escaped from him with her mortal lover named Taroba in a canoe, sailing down the river.

In a rage, God slashed down the river and created waterfalls. Naipi and Taroba were forced to fall from the waterfall forever.

The edge of the waterfall is almost 3 km long and is strewn with numerous islets.

These islands create a great many individual waterfalls, and they all fall from a height of more than 60 meters.

Many of them have their own names. For example, a narrow abyss where half of the water disappears is called the Devil's Throat.

Iguazu Falls is one of the most visited places by tourists in South America. 1.5-2 million visitors come here every year.

Viewing platforms are specially equipped for tourists. A local attraction is the suspension bridge that connects the borders of Brazil and Argentina.

There are national parks on both sides of the waterfall. On the territory of Argentina there is the Iguazu National Park, which was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1984, and on the territory of Brazil the National Park is also called Iguazu, established in 1987.

The waterfalls form a depression in the form of an amphitheater with an area of 2.7 thousand km . Most of the waterfalls are located within the territory of Argentina (length 2100 m.), but from Brazil (length 800 m.) there is a good view of the "Devil's Throat".

The waterfalls can be observed from a height of 160-260 meters, so this waterfall is higher than Niagara, but is inferior in width to Victoria Falls.

It is difficult to grasp the full scale of this place, although the aerial view helps to estimate its size a little.

The most famous names of the waterfalls are: "Adam and Eve", "Three Musketeers", "Two Sisters", "Salto Escondido (hidden jump)", "Salto Floriano (flower jump)", "San Martin", "Ramirez" and a number of others.The first European who set foot on this land and is considered the discoverer of waterfalls was called Cabeza de Vaca. He discovered them in 1541, when he was moving upstream of the Parana River through the jungle in search of the legendary treasures of the country of El Dorado.

It is not surprising that Iguazu Falls was announced as one of the seven winners in the competition for Seven new wonders of nature.