The Iguazú National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Iguazú) is a national park in Argentina. It is located in the Iguazú Department, in the northern part of the Misiones province, in the Mesopotamia region of Argentina. The park covers an area of 677 square kilometers (261 square miles).

History

The area of the park was home to the hunter-gatherers of the Eldoradense culture 10,000 years ago. Around 1,000 CE, they were replaced by the Guaraní people, who introduced new farming methods. Later, the Spanish and Portuguese conquerors arrived in the 16th century, but the Guaraní influence remains today. The park and river are named in Guaraní, meaning "large water." The first European to visit the area was Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca in 1542. Jesuit missions were established there in 1609.

The park was created in 1934 to protect one of Argentina's most beautiful natural areas, Iguazu Falls, which is surrounded by a subtropical jungle.

The Iguazú National Reserve was established by Law 18.801 on October 7, 1970, as the western part of the Iguazú National Park. The national park protects nature with minimal changes, while the reserve allows some human activities and structures. The reserve's creation made it possible to build an international airport and transfer land for three tourist hotels. On the other side of the Iguazu River is the Brazilian park, Iguaçu National Park. Both parks were named World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1984.

The park is part of a proposed Trinational Biodiversity Corridor, which connects protected areas in Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina within the Upper Paraná ecoregion. The southeast part of the park borders the Urugua-í Provincial Park, which covers 84,000 hectares (210,000 acres) and was established in 1990.

Fauna

The park is located in the Alto Paraná Atlantic forests ecoregion. The park is home to many rare and endangered animals, such as jaguars, jaguarundis, South American tapirs, ocelots, tucans, anteaters, black-fronted piping guans, harpy eagles, and yacare caimans. Visitors may also see birds like the great dusky swift and large toucans, mammals like the coatí, and a wide variety of butterflies. The vinaceous amazon, a bird with deep red feathers, is sometimes seen in the park.

The Iguazú River flows into the Paraná River 23 kilometers past the falls after traveling a 1,320-kilometer path. Within the park, the river becomes up to 1,500 meters wide and changes direction, first heading south and then north, creating a large U-shaped curve. The riverbanks are covered with many trees, including the ceibo (Cockspur coral tree), which is Argentina’s national flower. The park’s plant life also includes lapacho negro and lapacho amarillo (both from the Bignoniaceae family), palmito trees, and the 40-meter-tall palo rosa (from the Apocynaceae family).

Gallery

• Plush-crested jay (Cyanocorax chrysops)
• Multiple views of the waterfall
• A distant view of the waterfall
• Ecological Train