| BRASIL - December 2003 |
| Claire Rosemary Jane, Children's Author |
| Homepage Index page Londrina University Rio de Janeiro My Christmas Day in Rio de Janeiro. Travelling around Rio Iguacu Falls Sao Francisco Enseada Pousada da Ilha El Misti Hostel Carima Hotel Currency. |
| Details of my visit to Londrina University will also appear on my main website at http://clairerosemaryjane.co.uk |
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| Iguacu Falls, 14-12-03 |
| It is claimed that Iguacu Falls, on the borders of Brazil and Argentina (and also very close to that of Paraguay), are higher than Niagara Falls on the USA and Canadian border, and wider than Victoria Falls, on the Zimbabwe and Zambian border. However you compare the statistics, it is a fact that the Iguacu Falls are one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world. However I am sure that in some ways, I did not see them at their best. Having seen Niagara Falls on a beautiful and sunny day in July 1998, to arrive at Iguacu in the middle of a downpour was something of an anticlimax. Certainly they are impressive, but it is much more difficult to comprehend the sheer size and power of Iguacu Falls from the various vantage points available, than it is with that of Niagara. One thing that is particularly noticeable about all three of the waterfalls mentioned here, is that they are all on the borders of a country. This is certainly hardly surprising, for whatever the statistics, each of them provides a spectacular landmark, and also a fairly impenetrable barrier, a useful asset for any line of demarkation between different countries. Some statistics of Iguacu Falls are as follows: Total Width: About 2.5 miles, Drop: About 270 feet. Are more a series of waterfalls than one continuous fall, whose number changes according to the season, ie as to how much water is flowing at any one time. The actual number varies between 150 and 300 falls, but the quoted norm is 275. The falls were named by the Guarani Indians and means "Great Water." One is often inclined to forget that, as in North America, there were actually people living on the American continent long before the Europeans colonised North And South America. |
| All the photographs on this or any other pages of my websites are Copyright Claire Rosemary Jane, and are not to be used without permission. |
| Another photograph of Iguacu Falls will be added in due course. |
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| BELOW Iguacu Falls on 14-12-03 The photo montage below is not absolutely accurate, but it gives a good indication of the size of The Iguacu Falls. And this is just a part of the falls, albeit a major part. The conditions for photography were particularly trying on this day, with leaden skies, and heavy downpours of rain. |