or Iguaçu Falls formerly Victoria Falls
Cataract on the Iguazú River near the border between Argentina and Brazil.
The horseshoe-shaped falls were discovered by Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca in 1541. They are 269 ft (82 m) high and 2.5 mi (4 km) wide (four times the width of North America's Niagara Falls ) and are divided into 275 waterfalls or cataracts. The scenic beauty and wildlife of the falls are protected by two separate national parks
Iguaçu National Park (1939) in Brazil and Iguazú National Park (1934) in Argentina. In 1984 the latter park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site .
Iguaçu Falls on the Iguaçu River at the Argentina-Brazil border.
© R. Manley/Superstock