Iguazú National Park
Encyclopedia
The Iguazú National Park is a national park
of Argentina
, located in the Iguazú Department, in the north of the province
of Misiones
, Argentine Mesopotamia
. It has an area of 550 km² (212 sq mi).
, surrounded by the subtropical jungle. Across the Iguazu River
lies its Brazil
ian counterpart (Iguaçu National Park
). Both sites were declared World Heritage Site
s by UNESCO
, in 1984.
The area of the park was inhabited 10,000 years ago by the hunter-gatherers of the Eldoradense culture. They were displaced around 1,000 CE
by the Guaraní, who brought new agricultural
technologies, and were displaced in turn by the Spanish and Portuguese conquistador
es in the 16th century, though their legacy is still alive in this area (the name of the park and the river is Guaraní y guasu, "large water"). The first European to visit the zone was Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca
, in 1542; Jesuit
missions
followed in 1609.
.
The fauna of the park includes several endangered species
: jaguar
, jaguarundi
, South American Tapir, Ocelot
, tirica
, anteater
, pavas de monte
, the Harpy Eagle, and the Yacare Caiman
. One can also find birds like the vencejo de cascada
and large toucan
s, mammal
s like the coatí
, and a diversity of butterflies
. The Vinaceous Amazon
, named for its wine-colored plumage, is found in this park.
The Iguazú River ends in the Paraná River
23 km beyond the falls, after a 1320 km course. Inside the park it becomes up to 1,500 m wide and turns first south, then north, forming a large U-shape. Its banks are densely populated by trees, including the ceibo
(Cockspur coral tree
), whose flower is Argentina's national flower. The flora of the park also features lapacho negro and lapacho amarillo (family Bignoniaceae
), as well as palmito
trees and the 40-metre-high palo rosa
(family Apocynaceae
).
$100 (around USD $25), and ARS $50 the following day if one gets their ticket stamped before leaving the park on the first day, the admission includes transport on the Rainforest Ecological Train
which permits visitors access to different walkways. The park only accepts Argentine pesos for entrance.
Park hours are 8.00 to 18.00 between April and September, and 7.30 to 18.30 between October and March.
To get from Puerto Iguazu, Argentina to Iguazu Falls National Park, one can utilize the El Practico bus service which departs from the main bus terminal in Puerto Iguazu and runs service approximately every 30 minutes between 7.15 and 19.15. Each way ticket is ARS $7.50 as of June 2011. Bus tickets can be purchased at the bus terminal, or on the bus. Exact change is not necessary.
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, located in the Iguazú Department, in the north of the province
Provinces of Argentina
Argentina is subdivided into twenty-three provinces and one autonomous city...
of Misiones
Misiones Province
Misiones is one of the 23 provinces of Argentina, located in the northeastern corner of the country in the Mesopotamiсa region. It is surrounded by Paraguay to the northwest, Brazil to the north, east and south, and Corrientes Province of Argentina to the southwest.- History :The province was...
, Argentine Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia, Argentina
La Mesopotamia, Región Mesopotámica is the humid and verdant area of north-east Argentina, comprising the provinces of Misiones, Entre Ríos and Corrientes. The region called Litoral consists of the Mesopotamia and the provinces of Chaco, Formosa and Santa Fe...
. It has an area of 550 km² (212 sq mi).
History
The park was created in 1934 and it contains one of the greatest natural beauties of Argentina, the Iguazu FallsIguazu Falls
Iguazu Falls, Iguassu Falls, or Iguaçu Falls are waterfalls of the Iguazu River located on the border of the Brazilian State of Paraná and the Argentine Province of Misiones. The falls divide the river into the upper and lower Iguazu. The Iguazu River originates near the city of Curitiba. It flows...
, surrounded by the subtropical jungle. Across the Iguazu River
Iguazu River
The Iguazu River is a river in Brazil and Argentina. It is an important tributary of the Paraná River. The Iguazu River is long, with a drainage basin of .-Course:...
lies its Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian counterpart (Iguaçu National Park
Iguaçu National Park
Iguaçu National Park is a national park in Paraná State, Brazil.Created by federal decree nr. 1035 of January 10, 1939, the Park comprises a total area of 185,262.5 hectares and a length of about 420km, 300km of which are natural borders by bodies of water and the Brazilian and Argentinean sides...
). Both sites were declared World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
s by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
, in 1984.
The area of the park was inhabited 10,000 years ago by the hunter-gatherers of the Eldoradense culture. They were displaced around 1,000 CE
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
by the Guaraní, who brought new agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
technologies, and were displaced in turn by the Spanish and Portuguese conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
es in the 16th century, though their legacy is still alive in this area (the name of the park and the river is Guaraní y guasu, "large water"). The first European to visit the zone was Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca
Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca
Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca was a Spanish explorer of the New World, one of four survivors of the Narváez expedition...
, in 1542; Jesuit
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
missions
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
followed in 1609.
Flora and fauna
The park lies within the Alto Paraná Atlantic forests ecoregionEcoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
.
The fauna of the park includes several endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
: jaguar
Jaguar
The jaguar is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico...
, jaguarundi
Jaguarundi
The jaguarundi is a small-sized wild cat native to Central and South America. In 2002, the IUCN classified the jaguarundi as Least Concern as it is likely that no conservation units, with the probable exception of the mega-reserves of the Amazon basin could sustain long-term viable populations. It...
, South American Tapir, Ocelot
Ocelot
The ocelot , pronounced /ˈɒsəˌlɒt/, also known as the dwarf leopard or McKenney's wildcat is a wild cat distributed over South and Central America and Mexico, but has been reported as far north as Texas and in Trinidad, in the Caribbean...
, tirica
Plain Parakeet
The Plain Parakeet is a species of parrot in the Psittacidae family.It is endemic to Brazil.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montanes, and heavily degraded former forest...
, anteater
Anteater
Anteaters, also known as antbear, are the four mammal species of the suborder Vermilingua commonly known for eating ants and termites. Together with the sloths, they compose the order Pilosa...
, pavas de monte
Penelope (genus)
Penelope is a bird genus in the Cracidae family consisting of a number of large turkey-like arboreal species, the typical guans. The range of these species is in forests from southern Mexico to tropical South America. These largish birds have predominately brown plumage and have relatively small...
, the Harpy Eagle, and the Yacare Caiman
Yacare Caiman
The Yacare caiman is a species of caiman found in central South America, including northeastern Argentina, Uruguay eastern Bolivia, central/south-west Brazil, and the rivers of Paraguay...
. One can also find birds like the vencejo de cascada
Swift
The swifts are a family, Apodidae, of highly aerial birds. They are superficially similar to swallows, but are actually not closely related to passerine species at all; swifts are in the separate order Apodiformes, which they share with hummingbirds...
and large toucan
Toucan
Toucans are members of the family Ramphastidae of near passerine birds from the Neotropics. The family is most closely related to the American barbets. They are brightly marked and have large, often colorful bills. The family includes five genera and about forty different species...
s, mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s like the coatí
South American Coati
The South American Coati, or Ring-tailed Coati , is a species of coati from South America. In Brazilian Portuguese it is known as quati. It is native to Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Surinam, Uruguay and Venezuela. It is the southern replacement of its very...
, and a diversity of butterflies
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
. The Vinaceous Amazon
Vinaceous Amazon
The Vinaceous-breasted Amazon, Amazona vinacea, is a species of parrot in the Psittacidae family. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay....
, named for its wine-colored plumage, is found in this park.
The Iguazú River ends in the Paraná River
Paraná River
The Paraná River is a river in south Central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina for some . It is second in length only to the Amazon River among South American rivers. The name Paraná is an abbreviation of the phrase "para rehe onáva", which comes from the Tupi language...
23 km beyond the falls, after a 1320 km course. Inside the park it becomes up to 1,500 m wide and turns first south, then north, forming a large U-shape. Its banks are densely populated by trees, including the ceibo
Erythrina crista-galli
Erythrina crista-galli is a flowering tree in the family Fabaceae, native to Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay. It is widely planted as a street or garden tree in other countries, most notably in California...
(Cockspur coral tree
Erythrina crista-galli
Erythrina crista-galli is a flowering tree in the family Fabaceae, native to Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay. It is widely planted as a street or garden tree in other countries, most notably in California...
), whose flower is Argentina's national flower. The flora of the park also features lapacho negro and lapacho amarillo (family Bignoniaceae
Bignoniaceae
The Bignoniaceae, or Trumpet Creeper Family, is a family of flowering plants comprising about 650-750 species in 116-120 genera. Members of the family are mostly trees and lianas , shrubs and more rarely herbaceous plants. As climber plants, they are twine climbers or tendril climbers, and rarely...
), as well as palmito
Heart of palm
Heart of palm, also called palm heart, palmito, burglar's thigh, chonta, palm cabbage or swamp cabbage, is a vegetable harvested from the inner core and growing bud of certain palm trees Heart of palm, also called palm heart, palmito, burglar's thigh, chonta, palm cabbage or swamp cabbage, is a...
trees and the 40-metre-high palo rosa
Aspidosperma polyneuron
Aspidosperma polyneuron is a timber tree native to Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, and Paraguay which is typical of Atlantic Forest vegetation...
(family Apocynaceae
Apocynaceae
The Apocynaceae or dogbane family is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, and lianas.Many species are tall trees found in tropical rainforests, and most are from the tropics and subtropics, but some grow in tropical dry, xeric environments. There are also perennial herbs...
).
Recreation
Admission for non-Argentine residents is ARSArgentine peso
The peso is the currency of Argentina, identified by the symbol $ preceding the amount in the same way as many countries using dollar currencies. It is subdivided into 100 centavos. Its ISO 4217 code is ARS...
$100 (around USD $25), and ARS $50 the following day if one gets their ticket stamped before leaving the park on the first day, the admission includes transport on the Rainforest Ecological Train
Rainforest Ecological Train
The Rainforest Ecological Train or Waterfalls Train is an environmentally-friendly train that runs through the forest inside Iguazú National Park in the north of the province of Misiones of Argentina.- Characteristics :The train can transport between 120 and 150 passengers over seven kilometres ...
which permits visitors access to different walkways. The park only accepts Argentine pesos for entrance.
Park hours are 8.00 to 18.00 between April and September, and 7.30 to 18.30 between October and March.
To get from Puerto Iguazu, Argentina to Iguazu Falls National Park, one can utilize the El Practico bus service which departs from the main bus terminal in Puerto Iguazu and runs service approximately every 30 minutes between 7.15 and 19.15. Each way ticket is ARS $7.50 as of June 2011. Bus tickets can be purchased at the bus terminal, or on the bus. Exact change is not necessary.
External links
- Official web site
- Administración de Parques Nacionales - National Parks Administration of Argentina (in Spanish and English)
- World Heritage Site
- Parks location and Information