Iguaçu Falls

Iguaçu Falls

For the cities where the falls are located, see

• Foz do Iguaçu, a major city located in the Brazilian state of Paraná
• Puerto Iguazú, a city located in the Argentinian province of Misiones.

Iguassu Falls (Portuguese: Cataratas do Iguaçu, Spanish: Cataratas del Iguazú SAMPA [iGwa'su]) are waterfalls of the Iguaçu River located on the border of the Brazilian state of Paraná (in the Southern Region) and the Argentinian Province of Misiones, and are shared between the Iguaçu National Park (Brazil) and Iguazú National Park (Argentina). Most of the falls are within Argentinian territory, but from the Brazilian side a more panoramic view is obtained.

The name comes from the Guarani words í (water) and guazú (big).

The Iguazú National Park and the Iguaçu National Park were designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1984 and 1986 respectively.

Some movies the Falls were featured in:

• 1986 film, The Mission
• 007 film Moonraker.
• Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai's 1997 movie Happy Together

Another important tourist attraction near the falls is the Itaipu hydroelectric power plant.