Situated on the border between Brazil and Argentina, they lie 19 km upriver from the confluence of the Rio Iguazu and the Rio Alto Parana.

The Iguazu river basin extends over some 62,000 sq km. The river rises up in the hills near Curitiba and flows 1,300 km across the Parana Plateau enroute receiving the waters from about 30 rivers before reaching the falls.

Here are 275 falls plunging over a precipice of more than a mile and a half, with an average drop of 300 feet to the river below.

These falls are 60 feet higher than Niagara and about one and a half times as wide. Eleanor Roosevelt is said to have exclaimed on first seeing these falls: "Poor Niagara! This makes Niagara look like a kitchen faucet."

There are National Parks on both sides of the falls, both with subtropical rainforest benefits from the added humidity of the falls, causing an environment rich in vegetation and fauna. There are 400 species of birds including five members of the toucan family and over 100 species of butterflies