Key facts

• The scale of the Iguazu Falls: the widest waterfall system in the world — the Iguazu Falls consist of approximately 275 individual falls (the number varies with water level; in very high water some of the smaller falls merge) arranged in a roughly horseshoe shape over a frontage of approximately 2.7 km (for comparison: Victoria Falls, on the Zambia–Zimbabwe border, has a frontage of 1.7 km; Niagara Falls, on the Canada–USA border, has a frontage of 0.9 km); the total average flow of the Iguazu River at the falls is approximately 1,756 m³/s (1,756 tonnes of water per second; this is approximately 12 times the average flow of Niagara Falls); in flood conditions (typically during the Southern Hemisphere autumn, March–May), the flow can exceed 10,000 m³/s and the entire river becomes a single continuous cataract; in extreme drought the falls are reduced to a small fraction of normal volume and individual boulders in the riverbed appear above the waterline; the falls drop between 60 and 82 metres; the Garganta del Diablo is the deepest and most powerful fall at 82 metres
• The Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat): the centrepiece of the falls and the most dramatic natural phenomenon in the Americas — the Garganta del Diablo (Spanish: “Devil’s Throat”; Guaraní: “Great Water”) is a U-shaped canyon approximately 150 metres wide and 700 metres long at the point where the Iguazu River divides into two channels and the entire flow of the upper river falls 82 metres into the lower gorge; the volume of water plunging into the canyon creates a permanent column of spray (visible from 25 km in clear conditions) and a roar audible from several kilometres; the walkway over the Garganta del Diablo (on the Argentine side; a 1 km boardwalk over the river approaches the canyon edge; the last 50 metres are directly above the falls) is one of the most vertiginous and overwhelming natural spectacle viewpoints on Earth; visitors on the walkway are drenched by spray from the falls below; the viewing platform at the canyon edge gives a direct view down into the white water cauldron; the Brazilian side has a panoramic view of the Garganta del Diablo from across the canyon (the far wall of the canyon, 700 metres away, from which the white column of spray rises against the surrounding green forest)
• The subtropical Atlantic Forest and wildlife: one of the most biodiverse regions in South America — the subtropical Atlantic Forest (Mata Atlântica; the original forest that covered the Atlantic coast of Brazil and inland areas; now reduced to approximately 11% of its original extent due to deforestation for agriculture — one of the most threatened biomes on Earth) is preserved in the Iguazu National Parks; the forest at Iguazu supports: the jaguar (Panthera onca; the largest cat in the Americas; the parks contain one of the most important jaguar corridors in South America; camera traps have recorded multiple individual jaguars in the Argentine park; sightings by visitors are extremely rare), the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla; seen on the forest trails on both sides), the giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis), coati (a small raccoon-relative; extremely habituated to humans; present on all the trail systems; an entertainment and occasional nuisance at picnic areas), the toco toucan (Ramphastos toco; ubiquitous; the orange-billed toucan commonly seen in the trees above the falls walkways), and approximately 448 bird species including the Great Dusky Swift (Cypseloides senex; swarms of thousands of these swifts fly into the spray of the Garganta del Diablo and roost on the cliffs behind the falling water)
• Heritage: UNESCO World Heritage Site, Argentine side (Iguazu National Park) inscribed 1984; Brazilian side (Iguaçu National Park) inscribed 1986
• GPS: -25.6953° S, -54.4367° W