Iguazu River
Iguazú
| |
|---|---|
The river directly above Iguazu Falls | |
Map of the Rio de la Plata Basin, showing the Iguazu River joining the Paraná River north of the upper Uruguay River | |
| Etymology | from Guarani y guasú 'big water' |
| Location | |
| Countries | Brazil and Argentina |
| Cities | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Serra do Mar |
| • location | Near Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil |
| • coordinates | 25°23′30″S 49°00′11″W / 25.39167°S 49.00306°W |
| • elevation | 1,200 m (3,900 ft) |
| Mouth | Paraná River |
• location | Foz do Iguaçu, Misiones Province and Paraná, border between Argentina and Brazil |
• coordinates | 25°35′33″S 54°35′30″W / 25.59250°S 54.59167°W |
• elevation | 110 m (360 ft) |
| Length | 1,320 km (820 mi) |
| Basin size | 62,000 km2 (24,000 mi2) 67,537.3 km2 (26,076.3 mi2) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Foz do Iguaçu (near mouth) |
| • average | (Period: 1971–2000)1,835.9 m3/s (64,830 cu ft/s) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Iguazu Falls |
| • average | 1,746 m3/s (61,700 cu ft/s) |
| • minimum | 200 m3/s (7,100 cu ft/s) |
| • maximum | 12,799 m3/s (452,000 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Paraná → Río de la Plata → Atlantic Ocean |
| River system | Río de la Plata |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Rio Negro (Iguazu), Rio Xopim |
| • right | Rio de Areia |
The Iguazu River or Rio Iguassu (/ɪɡwɑːˈsuː/; Portuguese: Rio Iguaçu [ˈʁi.u iɡwaˈsu]; Spanish: Río Iguazú [ˈri.o iɣwaˈsu]; from Guarani y guasú 'big water'), is a river in Brazil and Argentina. It is an important tributary of the Paraná River. The Iguazu River is 1,320 kilometres (820 mi) long, with a drainage basin of 62,000 km2 (24,000 mi2).