Iguassu Falls

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Iguazu Falls (Portuguese: Cataratas do Iguaçu, Spanish: Cataratas del Iguazú IPA Template:IPA) are waterfalls of the Iguaçu River located on the border of the Brazilian state of Paraná (in the Southern Region) and the Argentine province of Misiones, around the coordinates Template:Coor dm.

Image:Cataratas027.jpg The waterfall system consists of almost 300 falls, with heights of up to 70 meters, along 2.7 kilometres of the Iguassu River. The Garganta del Diablo ("Devil's Throat"), a U shaped 150 meters wide and 700 meters long cliff, is the most impressive of them all, and marks the border between Argentina and Brazil. Most of the falls are within Argentine territory, but from the Brazilian side (600 meters) a more panoramic view of the Garganta del Diablo is obtained.

The Falls are shared by the Iguazú National Park (Argentina) and Iguaçu National Park (Brazil). These parks were designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1984 and 1986 respectively.

Image:Iguacu-004.jpg The name Iguassu comes from the Guarani words y (water) and guasu (big). The legend says that a god pretended to marry a beautiful aborigine named Naipú, who fled with her mortal lover in a canoe. In rage, the god sliced the river creating the waterfalls, condemning the lovers to an eternal fall.

Near the waterfall, on either side, two main towns are located; Foz do Iguaçu, a major city located in the Brazilian state of Paraná, and Puerto Iguazú, located in the Argentine province of Misiones. Other important tourist attractions near the falls is the Itaipu hydroelectric power plant, and the Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis in Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil.Image:100 0359.JPG

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