Iguazu Falls:

A mighty natural wonder

Waterfalls are fascinating natural wonders and we in Sri Lanka are fortunate to have many beautiful waterfalls such as the Dunhinda Falls, Diyaluma Falls, Baker's Falls and St Claire's Falls to name a few. While the waterfalls in our country are truly beautiful, some of the waterfalls around the world are simply breathtaking and have been identified as spectacular places.

Today we feature one such awesome waterfall that was not only designated as a Natural World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984, but also named as one of the seven natural wonders of the modern world recently. At a glance, the gushing, gurgling mighty waters of the Iguazu Falls may strongly resemble the world famous Niagara Falls situated in Canada and is also bordering the United States of America.

However, the Iguazu Falls are said to be more beautiful than the Niagara Falls. In fact, it is recorded that when Eleanor Roosevelt first saw the Iguazu Falls she exclaimed "Poor Niagara" as the latter simply paled in comparison to the breathtaking beauty of the Iguazu Falls.The Iguazu Falls are an awesome sight as tonnes of water throw themselves over cliffs, and the mist rises amongst the jungle.

It is said that the mighty falls is a network of 275 different waterfalls spanning an area which is about three kilometres wide (2km of which is the upper rim of the waterfall). You may be amazed to learn that during its normal flow around 1000 cubic metres of water falls down per second. They are taller than Niagara Falls, and twice as wide. The Iguazu Falls currently has the greatest average annual flow of any waterfall in the world. The water falling over Iguazu in peak flow has a surface area of about 40 Ha (1.3 million ft²) whilst Victoria in peak flow has a surface area of over 55 ha (1.8 million ft²). By comparison, Niagara has a surface area of under 18.3 ha (600,000 ft²).

It’s a network of 275 falls.

Mouth of Devil’s Throat.

The water drains into the Parana River.

So, in which country is the waterfall located? This great natural wonder is situated near the border of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina.Situated in Iguazú National Park, some 20 km. from Puerto Iguazú in the north of the province, these mighty falls are shared by Brazil and Argentina.The reason it is shared by Argentina and Brazil is because the waterfall is sitting on the Iguazú River, which separates the two countries.Access to the Falls is usually done through one of the three cities in the so-called tri-border between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. The city on the Brazilian side is Foz do Iguaçu - big and reasonably safe by Brazilian standards.

The town on the Argentine side is called Puerto Iguazu and is small and pretty. Catwalks are built on both sides providing a better, closer and often times mistier and wetter views of the great waterfall.

Devil’s Throat is the biggest waterfall.

Although the falls are between Brazil and Argentina only, Ciudad del Este, the city on the Paraguayan side, is just across the bridge from Brazil.The Argentine side has the best and most varied up-close views of Iguazu Falls while the Brazilian side has the spectacular panoramic view.On the Argentinean aspect of the waterfall a visitor is able to walk right round the falling water, take a ship tour to the mouth of the Iguazu Brazil waterfall, and explore the National Park next to the waterfall.

The Brazilian aspect offers a lovely panoramic view and displays the total splendor of the surprise of the nature. On the Brazilian side a visitor can get an excellent overview of Devil's Throat and the rest of the falls, from both above and below.

Iguazu Falls divided the waterway into the higher and Lower Iguazu River.

The northern bank of the falls is within the Brazilian State of Parana whereas the southern bank sits within the Argentinean Province of Misiones. The Iguazú river is born in Paraná state in Brazil. After crossing 1,200 km. on a plateau through a smooth geography where it receives several affluents,the river runs until it reaches a series of faults, and suddenly an 80 m. canyon in the Devil's Throat where the water produces a thundering sound and then drains into the Parana river.Devil's Throat, is the biggest fall with such a big flow of water which mesmerises the visitor. During normal flow, Iguazu Falls is actually split into two main parts by the San Martin Island (La Isla San Martín).

The part with the largest volume of water is the narrow horseshoe of the Devil's Throat (La Garganta del Diablo).This is the portion of the falls that is split between Argentina and Brazil. On the other side of San Martin Island is another series of waterfalls and cascades (many of which have names) with the main one being Salto San Martín. This side is exclusively Argentinean.Most of the waterfalls are two hundred feet in height. The famous Devil's Throat (Iguzu falls) is a U-shaped waterfall that's virtually five hundred feet across and well over two thousand feet in length.

Out of the many falls, the ones that can be visited are: Salto Floriano, Salto Deodoro, Salto Benjamín Constant, Salto Unión, Salto Escondido, Salto Mitre, Salto Belgrano, Salto Rivadavia, Salto Tres Mosqueteros, Salto Dos Mosqueteros, Salto San Martín, Salto Adán y Eva, Salto Bozzetti, Salto Ramirez, Salto Chico, Salto Dos Hermanos and Salto Alvar Nuñez .

Apart from waterfalls, the jungle offers a series of alternatives in a dump but slightly fresher environment with a wide variety of animals and plants. Almost 500 species of wild fowl, 80 species of mammals and an immense variety of reptiles, fish, insects and butterflies live in this ecosystem. What Niagara Falls are to North America is what Iguazu Falls are to South America. They are both breathtaking and ride the wave of fame with their mighty waters, but it is the latter that was named as one of the seven natural wonders of the world recently .

[Fast facts]

* Iguazu Falls are the result of a volcanic eruption which left a large crack in the earth.

* The name Iguazu comes from an area Indian language and roughly interprets as 'Big Water'.In Guarani language, the term "Iguazú" means "great waters".

* There are more than 270 falls in an area where cliffs and islets are scattered in a half moon.

* The first European to find the falls was the Spanish Conquistador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca in 1541, after whom one of the falls in the Argentine side is named. The falls were rediscovered by Boselli at the end of the nineteenth century, and one of the Argentine falls is named after him.

* Some of the individual falls are up to 82 meters (269 ft) in height, though the majority are about 64 metres (210 ft). The Devil's Throat (Garganta del Diablo in Spanish or Garganta do Diabo in Portuguese), a U-shaped, 82-meter-high (269 ft) , 150-meter-wide and 700-metre-long (490 by 2,300 feet) cataract, is the most impressive of all, marking the border between Argentina and Brazil. Two thirds of the falls are within Argentine territory.

* During the rainy season of November - March, the rate of flow of water going over the falls may reach 450,000 cubic feet (12,750 cubic m) per second.

About 900 metres (0.56 miles) of the 2.7-kilometre length (1.67 miles) does not have water flowing over it. The edge of the basalt cap recedes only 3 mm (0.1 in) per year. The water of the lower Iguazu collects in a canyon that drains into the Paraná River at Argentina, shortly downstream from the Itaipu dam.

Fact and pix: Internet