Iguassú

(Iguacú), two contiguous national parks—in Argentina (Iguazú, in Misiones Province, with an area of 55,000 hectares; founded in 1909) and Brazil (Iguacú, in Parana State, with an area of 140,000 hectares; founded in 1939). The main attraction is Iguassii Falls. The parks have humid tropical and subtropical forests with a large variety of trees (as many as 200 types), among which broad-leaved types predominate; there is also araucaria. The puma, jaguar, coyote, ocelot, tapir, alpaca, capybara, sloth, armadillo, and crocodile inhabit the parks.

(Iguacu), a river in southeastern Brazil; left tributary of the Parana. Length, 1,320 km; basin area, 62,000 sq km. It rises in the western slopes of the Serra do Mar range and flows westward along the Brazilian Highlands. In its lower course the river is the border between Brazil and Argentina. There are many rapids and waterfalls (Osorio, Iguassú, and others) in the river. It is fed by rain. The river is deep throughout the year, and there is considerable flash flooding. The average water discharge at the mouth is about 1,200 m³/sec.